Dumb advice: Buy Powerball tickets. Follow my advice instead.
Yes, I know it’s fun to dream about winning the outrageously big Powerball lottery ($1.3 Billion as of this writing), but, let’s face facts, you’re not going to win. I’ve heard reports that perfectly sane people who never play the lottery are buying upwards of $50 on powerball tickets, and Fox News even had a talking head giving the advice to “buy as many powerball tickets as you can afford.” SMH.
Dear fellow working dads- this is crazy. There are so many better ways to spend $50 of your hard-earned money than on powerball tickets. Many involve buying yourself some much-needed family time. Here are the first 23 that come to mind:
Take the family to see Star Wars (yes, again! It is totally better the second time)
Take a night off from the work and stress of cooking and go out to dinner
Plan a date night with your spouse
Use it for five hours of babysitting
Purchase 2 1/2 hardcopies, 5 Kindle versions or 7 audio versions of The Working Dad’s Survival Guide (relatedly, Chapter 2 is all about Financial Priorities)
Buy a new shovel and a giant container of rock salt (after all, Winter is coming)
A few hours of bowling with your kids
All the clay and paint you’ll need for a Saturday morning family art-fest!
Renting 15 movies on Amazon Prime
Buying 2 cases of beer for your next Beer Fire!
Going to the local drug store and printing out 150 or so of the pictures just sitting there on your phone
Buy a bunch of Christmas wrapping paper and decorations now that they are all 75% off
Buy flowers for your spouse for the next three weeks
Subscribe to a year of a magazine that can help you in your career
Have your kids invite a few friends over and host a pizza party for them
Donate to your favorite charity
Buy one new or three pre-owned video games for your kids
Starbucks every morning on your way to work
Relax with a 1/2 hour massage
Buy a new family board game and test it out
Get an oil change (I bet you are overdue for one)
Download 50 of your favorite songs to share with your kids
Matching BB-8 t-shirts for the whole family
Yes, purchasing Powerball tickets can be a fun way to dream. But a lot on this list is more fun (admittedly some are more practical than fun). More importantly, these are all a better investment of our money, and can free up time for family. Isn’t a positive family life the greatest jackpot of all?
Do you have anything to add to the list? Let’s discuss in the comment section below.
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