Tell me about your fantasy life…

[SealDeal]

DP and I were having this conversation today. If you had a guaranteed income of say, £150, 000 a year and didn’t have to work for it - how would you change / reorder your life?

We agreed we’d both…

• quit jobs and retrain in the kind of high stakes, intellectually satisfying, lowish paying careers that people born into money seem to be able to do - psychotherapist, playwright, lecturer etc.
• buy a big Georgian house somewhere with brilliant state schools for the kids and do it up in a DeVol kitchen, Persian rugs on wooden floors sort of style
• get in enough help that we wouldn’t have to bother with the shit bits of life anymore, so perhaps a housekeeper who could come in three mornings a week and clean the house, do the laundry, tidy and batch cook a few health stews, open our mail etc.
• help family with deposits
• read a lot of books and see all the plays
• personal trainer and regular massages
• a couple of nice holidays in France a year

what would you do?

Ooooo I like these threads on a dreary Thursday afternoon!

I'd probably stay where we are but buy a nicer house that doesn't need any doing up, then I could just update as and when without worrying about money. We'd still be close by to my parents - I'd make sure they're well cared for as they get older. Have a cleaner. Have a few nice holidays a year. Maybe have another baby as we wouldn't have to worry about space, childcare, rushing back to work etc. Definitely get a dog. I might even stay in my job because it's part time and I love it, but DH could quit and retrain in something he'd really enjoy, like working with animals or something. Put money away for DS as he grows up.

I would have plans pretty similar to your, but at the end of the day I'd probably only actually do the regular massages part and otherwise just play video games and drink expensive whiskey.

I'd buy a house with enough bedrooms for my children near where we work.
I can't think of anything else in life that I would want or need.

I’d have everything on your list except the personal trainer, massages and plays, leaving me more spare for more outsourcing, like an au pair for the school runs, housekeeper as you say, especially if they’ll put the clothes away, part time PA for all the school/life admin shite. Would probably need a bigger income for my Mr Big dream of a driver on call whenever I needed, though.

No need to retrain, I’d just quit my day job and shift my novel-writing career to be my day job (doesn’t pay enough except in this fantasy), freeing up my evenings.

And a gardener to do the boring bits while I flit around in a tea dress cutting flowers with photogenic chickens pecking about.

Give up work and volunteer at a nearby charity that is close to my heart.

Buy a house outright and go travel the world!

That would be so lovely.

I would get a dog as well, as my fantasy house would be near the fantasy beach which would allow me to walk him there every day, (rather than pounding the pavements at 6am and then having to go to work, which is why we don’t have one now!)

Move to Banff and just canoe/hike/ski all day

I'd travel to a different country every month. Bali in Jan, Morocco in Feb, Han Noi in March, Dominican Republic in April, Scicily in May, Pembrokshire in June, Stockholm in August, Amsterdam in September, South France October, Croatia in November, New York in December.

I'd do the same thing in every place, hire an apartment/cottage/villa and potter about the local markets, read lots of books. visit the sights, spend a lot of time in cafes and coffee shops just people watching, wander around the local green spaces.

Travel, travel, travel & more travel

I don't mean 5 star resorts

Perhaps with some volunteer opportunities along the way

Sometimes joining some group expeditions for the more remote places

Hiking, scuba diving, forest bathing, horse riding, sunsets, museums, food, culture, markets, architecture, landscapes etc

DP and I are always talking about what we'd do in this situation! It's one of our favourite wistful 'what if' conversations.

If I had a guaranteed income of £150K a year I would give up work and I don't think I'd actually retrain as anything! I'd probably do a post-grad degree or something like that, but nothing vocational.

I'd do lots writing (I write fiction for fun in my spare time) and would get a dog. I'd also like to learn a language properly and do some sort of art class.

Plus we'd move closer to our parents (they're 200 miles away and one is in a care home) and spend a lot more time with them. I wouldn't be bothered about a big house but I'd definitely buy one that was detached and not overlooked by neighbours and I would get it completely done up exactly as I wanted. I'd also pay for my mum to have some work done on her house too (DP's mum is much more well-off so wouldn't need this kind of help, but my mum hasn't got a bean).

I'd definitely pay for a gardener and a cleaner - nothing major, just to come in once a week probably.

DP would have a new car (I can't drive) - he doesn't want something flash or fancy; in fact he has no interest in cars in that sense, but because he covers a lot of miles for his hobby and we both love to travel around in the UK as well as trips abroad, so he'd love to have a car that's just super comfortable to drive, reliable etc.

We'd definitely see a lot of plays and so on and we'd have a lot of mini-breaks, and we'd probably go out for lunch a lot too. We're actually both very good at pottering around and amusing ourselves - when people say they'd be bored if they didn't work, DP always points out that he's only ever bored when he IS working - so we'd be the ideal couple of leisure.

I'd stay in my area but buy a bigger house, give up work but maybe get into something I enjoy and not have to worry about the salary but only part time. I'd go out more to the theatre and for dinner/drinks, spa days, shopping, museums, galleries, holidays.

I'd live in a big house on an island, not to far from shore, with of course a luxury boat to cruise around in and take me back to the mainland when necessary. There would be glorious views all around, of course.

I would have enough money to go private and have whatever surgery was necessary to fix my ankle/leg so that I could walk easily again, and not need a stick to walk any further than halfway down the road.

I'd have a cleaner and gardener to tend to the house and grounds, plus a cook to make delicious meals for us. Oh, and I would have my own, exclusive, private bathroom. And a library, with airy full length bay windows. Perhaps one or two with cushioned window seats where you could sit and read.

I'd also love our own private, illuminated swimming pool, with maybe also a hot tub and small sauna, in the basement. Probably a small gym, too.

As well as the beach, there would be forests/woodland not too far away, where I could go for long walks once my leg is better.

I'd also hire my favourite singer to perform in the grounds in summer. Not just for me, there'd be tickets on sale to the public as usual. Of course I'd have them ferried to and from the island f.o.c.

Hmm... not sure £150, 000 p/a would be enough for all this? 🤔

I’d like that house on the cliff edge in that film with Amy Adams where she’s a scientist who connects with aliens in an egg-type thing that lands on earth. There’s no clutter! And no husband, that I can recall… (my DS can live there, I suppose!)