What would you do if you were rich enough that you didn’t have to work?

[Fearlesssloth]

Say a mystery long-lost aunt left you a few million in her will. Would you give up your job, go part-time, be a SAHM if you have kids? If you chose not to work what would you do with your time?

If I was in my current role, I wouldn’t dream of giving up work. In previous jobs then I would.

I don’t do holidays, gym or spa days so it would have very little impact day to day.

Lets say 4 million.
I would invest 1 million to be split between the 4 children DH and I have for house deposits and to clear uni debts.
1 million to clear our mortgage and put in our rubbish pensions
1 million to invest and then to do good things in the future. Be that giving it away to charities and a £20k fun pot annually to take us all on holidays for the next 30 years
1 million to give to charities and causes I believe in.

Hire PT
Get a Cleaner for me and my parents
Pay for parents to go on holiday, first class
Volunteer a few hours a week
Spa membership For me and my mum
Holidays every half term
A lot of baking for my family

I’d set up a book shop that included a small ‘quiet’ cafe selling homemade cakes etc in this small town on the North Norfolk Coast (I even have an existing business in mind that I’d buy out). I’d also sell crafts by local artists.

I wouldn’t allow children, but would allow quiet dogs. And I’d make a point of not being child friendly - no baby-chinos, no high-chairs etc. And I’d have a sig of the door saying it’s a quiet bookshop, like a library, and children are not welcome due to the atmosphere but they are welcome to wait outside whilst their parents browse - I’ll even include a little pen for them to be put in and some Percy pigs.

But we’re talking big money needed here as I wouldn’t necessarily want it to do more than break-even - just something to do 2-3 days a week whilst I live my best life. Say £7 million? Don’t want to be greedy…

I don’t have that sense of accomplishment and pride that I had when I had my own business. Also I was secretly hoping by now I’d have grandchildren but not yet!

I work for our family business so I would still want to do that but I would definitely reduce my hours. Especially in school hols. I think it would be important to keep some routine

I would read and potter. I am a World Class Potterer!

Buy a house with a bigger garden that would keep me busy. Seriously I wonder about this as I come up to retirement….what will I do with my time?

I would finish the degree I’m currently doing, the work very part time if possible while children are small and then maybe 4 days a week with early finish or open my own practice.

I would give up work and do some voluntary work.

I would take some time to focus on improving my health that has taken a hit since having kids.

In the school holidays i would be taking care of my kids.

And declutter the house.

Quit work immediately and spend a lot more time on my hobbies than I currently can.

a hobby farm as mentioned above sounds excellent.
i would like that

I've Just bought a very modest house in a lovely setting. No downstairs toilet- id get that sorted. I bought a new car- again very modest a few days ago, so would not change that. I'd prob give a few hundred thousand to siblings and 1 friend then buy a holiday home, maybe in France. I'd stop doing supply teaching and fund some voluntary work. Might consider going back to university, for the pleasure of studying. Perhaps would reluctantly a personal trainer

I’d go and do a PhD in something like Bridgerton or David Bowie. Just something I was really interested in that wouldn’t need to lead to a job at the end of it.

I'd spend a lot of time in local archives. I'd finish the research I've started and write my book. I'd take sleeper trains across Europe (during school holidays). I'd volunteer in a local museum.

I would work perhaps 2 days a week and it would be bliss as I wouldn't ever worry about anything considering I wouldn't need to be there- I'd only be going to see my friends. I would buy each of my children a house, then I would maybe help out at an animal rescue. Also, I would study something and write a book.

Im confused over people saying £5m would not be enough to give up work.

Unless you have a wealthy lifestyle already, £5m would be enough for most people to pay off their mortgage and any other debts and still have over £4.5m left. If you then lived off half a million for 5 years (circa £120k a year) and let the £4m compound you'd have made your million back (you'd be at £5m again). In reality of course you wouldn't let it sit earning 4% in a bank account, you'd invest it and so it would get back to £5m far more quickly.

Say 4million like the poster above… £2million for housing (live in London) for a house big enough to host dc as they grow up, plus grandchildren, 50k each for them for deposits, plus a flat somewhere on the med. Would invest and pension the remaining £2million - income of 80k per year and the pot would be the same to leave to the dc. Might work part time somewhere like a national trust property or lovely shop and carry on with trustee volunteering. Definitely focus on fitness

I think I would need more than a few million to feel comfortable that we would be secure if gave up work, but yes, if that were the case, in a heartbeat. I would absolutely not be bored.
I would go to the gym (or to some other class like yoga or Pilates) most days, and go for a good walk everyday. I would decorate the house and landscape the garden - both long term projects that could be done properly with adequate time. We would get a dog or two. Actually, if we had loads of money we’d move house to somewhere with more garden and land and have a few more animals (DH’s dream). I would take a few classes - maybe learn the piano and/or the violin, pick up my flute again. Practice the languages I speak, possibly start learning one or two more. Read lots. Cook nice tasty and healthy meals. And we would travel loads.
ha - sitting here on Monday morning ahead of another fairly grinding week (having already seen loads of emails chasing for this and that come in) - this would be amazing.

Oh and would volunteer for a couple of charities close to my heart.

I'd buy my parents and myself everything, and anything we want. I'd provide them a luxurious life. We'd go on a world tour. And the list goes on...

You're entitled to run your (thankfully) imaginary bookshop however you like, but imagine posting on here saying you were going to open a shop that would ban any other group of people in society?! And saying they could be left in a pen, WTF?!! I don't even have children but I don't like how expressing a dislike of them is almost seen as a badge of honour among some childfree people who post on here. It is, after all, a parenting site.

I'd love to have a decent amount of land. I'd work on rewilding some of it and the rest I would make into a wildlife garden with lots of places to sit and read and observe all the wildlife. I'd have a small kennels and let a local rescue use it for free for their dogs and offer to help out with that.

Would try to get into fitness a bit more, weights, cycling, swimming etc.

I think I’d probably employ someone to do more of the household stuff though - to do the laundry and ironing (not that I do ironing now) and the weeding. Have our lovely cleaner come every week (maybe twice) instead of every fortnight, and also have a gardener for the weeding and mowing the grass.

Agree. What a strange person!