If somebody gave you £500- what would you do with it?

[LunaDeBallona]

Just that really
Imagine someone gave you £500 in cash and told you to spend it - what would you buy?
House stuff allowed too but not paying off any debt - so you have to buy something.
Bonus points for links!

That’s a lovely, properly heartwarming story @Toastandbutterand Do you have an inkling about who it was who gifted you that money?

Not a clue!

My current job is helping people access benefits and I think I was very affected by the kindness and anonymity of the gift.

I’ll help you for free if your local

A decorator so I don't have to paint my new bathroom!

Two of these: https://www.pooky.com/collections/rechargeable-wall-lights/products/larger-helios-rechargeable-wall-light-in-brushed-gold-aluminium?variant=47705115394253

I’d put it towards driving lessons for my DD.

To be honest, I'd put the 500 towards cosmetic surgery I'm saving up for....

Driving lessons!

Ooh, I didn't realise this was a real scenario until I'd read almost the whole thread, I thought it was a fantasy one.

How come you aren't allowed to spend it on debt/bills?

I would either:

buy new tyres for my car

or

get a proper, adventurous catio built for my stupidly spoilt ragdoll cat

or

buy a new wireless speaker and spend the rest on theatre tickets

Why can’t you use it towards bills?

if not I’d spend £50 a week for ten weeks. I’d get an extra £25 of food in per week tins frozen etc and I’d spend £25 a week for clothes/toiletries or other bits that I needed for later in the year. That way in ten weeks time I’d have food in for a couple of months as a buffer and ready for Xmas and clothes. So I would then have more money available for the bills.

as you can tell I’ve had nothing in the past no food no money so to know there’s food in is such a relief to me always.

Whole drawerful of new bras and pants

Yes, it's misguided of the giver to think they're being kind by telling the OP she has to use the money to treat herself.

If she's struggling with money it might give her a lot more pleasure if she uses most or all of it to pay debts, buy essentials she's struggling to fund like school uniforms and shoes or save it so she can replace the washing machine without worrying when the time comes rather that spunk it all on none essentials she might not really care for.

OP as you're going to sit on it for now, you could save £400 or use it for essentials and buy treats with the rest and if the giver questions it, you could either explain as per above, or say you're looking to buy/do X but it's currently out of stock/you haven't sorted a date when you're free or whatever?

Get my hall decorated, I keep finding other routes for money intended for it, namely holidays

I’d either put it towards getting a new car, or pay for myself, DH, our 3 DC and my DM to have a week away in a caravan somewhere we can go on walks and let the kids run and explore