You’ve probably played it at some point:

“If you were given one million dollars, tax free, what would you do with it?”

It’s a game we tend to play when money gets tighter than we’re fully comfortable with in relation to the number of projects on the list. We’ve played dozens of times over the years. It is interesting how the answer shifts and evolves through time.

When we were broke, giddy newlyweds it was all about paying off debt and then travelling and collecting experiences.

Once we were broke, exhausted new parents it was about paying off debt and acquiring a nanny and a cook and a maid so we could just SLEEP for a while.

When we were broke, tired, discouraged adults, parents of small children, with responsibilities and a house that needed increasing maintenance, it was about paying off debt, doing the needed repairs and renovations, and maybe getting a bigger vehicle.

We’re in a different season of broke and tired now. We’re quite used to broke and tired. We have spent a great deal of our married life there. At least the broke is mostly debt-free broke now. Not entirely, but much closer than we were once upon a time. But the list of projects is longer, too.

Regardless of the season or year or circumstances, we have always said that x-amount of it would be for charitable giving, and we have enjoyed ourselves immensely positing how and to whom to give the imaginary money. We have 1 rule: it has to be stealth. No just writing a cheque. That’s for chumps. Tax returns don’t count.

So…2 questions:

What would you do if YOU had a million dollars (not that that goes as far as it used to, now)?

To whom would you give stealth cash?

It can be a very fun game.