Here are the changes people experienced when they came into large sums of money unexpectedly:
1.
I thought that was hilarious and that nobody would ever use it.
u/lessafan
2.
Say a tree needs to be cut down.
Without money, you think about what you’re able to use or borrow.
Renting is a last resort, but viable.
With money, you may decide owning a chainsaw could be useful, so perhaps you buy one.
As a specific answer, I now pay someone to cut my grass."
u/Red__M_M
3.
“I stopped caring about keeping my job since I now have a safety net from stocks.
u/Antereon
4.
“I started eating better.
No more buying the cheapest version of everything.
I also bought a very nice bed.”
u/handsthefram
5.
“I made a mistake and told my former closest friends.
They are turned on me out of jealousy, I’m assuming.
So, I’m more humble with my money when building friendships.”
u/theluckiestmind
6.
“I don’t even have to think about taking my pets to the vet.
Now it’s, ‘Hey buddy, you’re acting a bit sick.
Let’s get you checked out.’
No problem, and no splitting dosages either.”
u/TiogaJoe
7.
“I inherited $200k when my grandmother passed a few years ago.
I set aside most of it but gave myself the luxury of a decent chunk of spending money.
You may think I bought a bunch of silly things with that money, and I did.
But I mostly used it to get good quality things that will make life easier and last a while.
I also had the privilege of helping my community so much.
I’ve been fortunate; my community hasn’t taken advantage of it.
They’re aware I will always help, but they use it as a last resort safety net.”
“I have half of it left three years later.
u/ThrowMoneyAway666
8.
“Ironically, it made me want to save more.
u/Legendary_Lamb2020
9.
“Stress levels before and after it’s like night and day.
Being poor is stressful.
You simultaneously have more options while ending up needing a plan B less.
It’s almost cruel.
u/redditingatwork23
10.
“I took all the money and immediately paid off a large chunk of my mortgage.
The only change is that I can pay off my house before I die.”
u/daver456
11.
“People turn up out of the woodwork when they hear you have a lot of money.
Same when my mom passed away.
The interaction between my existing friend group, who also knew about these events, did not change.”
u/DaveLLD
12.
“Our plans for the next 10+ years accelerated and happened within two.
We bought a lovely house and are now getting married at the end of this year.
u/acidtrippinpanda
13.
“We inherited a substantial amount of money recently.
We knew an inheritance was coming, but it was easily three times what we thought it would be.
My day-to-day life didn’t change.
I still work the same job, and so does my husband.
Everything is the same except for the relief we have when thinking about the future, which is huge.
We took half the money and put it in an account for our kids.
Their college, grad school, etc., are completely paid for.
We then took the other half and hired an advisor we know well to invest it for our retirement.
We plan to park it until we both stop working, which is still decades away.
The thought that our future is secure is breathtakingly amazing.”
u/GroundbreakingAge254
14.
It was not the best financial decision, but it was great for my sanity.”
u/Pm_me_clown_pics3
15.
“I inherited about half a million dollars from my dad, plus some real estate.
Most of it wasn’t leftover, so my life was more or less the same.
The only difference was that my family now owned a house and had a couple of nice cars.”
u/SweetCosmicPope
16.
“I was able to quit my job and essentially retire in my mid-30s.
u/cjboffoli
17.
“It changes how everyone you know treats you.
Some people will get mega-entitled and assume money has no value to you anymore.
Some people will get jealous, and many will suddenly want to be your best friend.
You will be surprised by how people react.”
u/Rhopunzel
18.
“I really stopped caring about what other people thought.
I don’t need anybody else’s second opinion.”
u/TrueAd3358
19. u/libra00
20.
“My course of life is different.
When I was 24, my dad passed.
He was divorced and had only one child, so he left everything to me.
After selling most of his things, I realized I wanted to be a real estate investor.
I also purchased a second rental property.
It was humbling, to say the least.”
u/cat_lady_lexi
21.
“The people who always found me annoying tried to befriend me again.
They would continue pointing out how lucky I was and call to ask me for financial support.
Almost all the sweetness people showered me with was eventually followed by, ‘Lend us some money.’
Sometimes, I feel guilty if I spend some money on a luxury.
I don’t take this for granted.
Also, not having loans is an amazing thing.
Random acts of generosity remind me of how powerful time is.
Things can go from cloud 9 to zero in a moment.”
u/Ok_Economist_4070
22. u/MyFriendPalinopsia
23.
The first thing I did was toss out the chipped coffee mugs.
u/omgneedusername
Note: Submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.
