# If you had $30,000 to spend...



## Josh220 (Jun 28, 2009)

Let's say you won $30,000 off one of those scratchers, what would you spend it on? Would you save it, or spend it on gear? What kind of gear would you buy?

Would you have a different view on buying the gear if the $30,000 was saved over a long period of time compared to coming across it by luck? 

It's just a random thought I had, I didn't win anything. All of my gear $$ has been earned/saved.


----------



## Josh66 (Jun 28, 2009)

When I turned 18, I received approximately $30,000.  I blew it all.

I do not recomend doing what I did.

Do you still want to know what I would do with the money?


----------



## manaheim (Jun 28, 2009)

I'd buy... 

- 18-70 2.8
- D700

Maybe a fisheye.

Then I'd spend the rest on flowers for my wife, so she wouldn't murder me for spending $5-6K on more pointless camera equipment. 

Actually, I'd undoubtably spend 99% of that money fixing up the house and really hope there was a few bucks left to buy an xbox game or something.

Ah... it's fun being an adult!


----------



## Jaszek (Jun 28, 2009)

considering the gear I have already I would buy a 1D mk. III (or wait for the mk. IV) get Canon 24-70 f/2.8, 16-35 f/2.8, macro ring flash, the new pocket wizards, 2-4 580EX II's and 2-3 new bags. After that I will have at least $15,000 left ...ok maybe about $10,000


----------



## manaheim (Jun 28, 2009)

O|||||||O said:


> When I turned 18, I received approximately $30,000. I blew it all.
> 
> I do not recomend doing what I did.
> 
> Do you still want to know what I would do with the money?


 
ooo... what did you spend it on?


----------



## Josh220 (Jun 28, 2009)

manaheim said:


> O|||||||O said:
> 
> 
> > When I turned 18, I received approximately $30,000. I blew it all.
> ...



X2 please share


----------



## Jaszek (Jun 28, 2009)

manaheim said:


> O|||||||O said:
> 
> 
> > When I turned 18, I received approximately $30,000. I blew it all.
> ...



hmmm....I'm thinking the women you see on the streets once all the children go home to sleep


----------



## Josh66 (Jun 28, 2009)

manaheim said:


> O|||||||O said:
> 
> 
> > When I turned 18, I received approximately $30,000. I blew it all.
> ...



In six months I spent $27,000.  All I have to show for it now is a $500 (what I paid, about 10 years ago) Sony Trinitron TV...


----------



## Jaszek (Jun 28, 2009)

O|||||||O said:


> manaheim said:
> 
> 
> > O|||||||O said:
> ...



you still didnt answer what you spent it on


----------



## Josh220 (Jun 28, 2009)

O|||||||O said:


> manaheim said:
> 
> 
> > O|||||||O said:
> ...



How did you spend so much? What was the $$ from? Military?


----------



## Josh66 (Jun 28, 2009)

Josh220 said:


> O|||||||O said:
> 
> 
> > manaheim said:
> ...


It's easier than you'd think.  The more you have, the faster it goes.



Josh220 said:


> What was the $$ from? Military?



CD from when I was like 2 years old.  Dog bite.  Insurance settlement.


----------



## K8-90 (Jun 28, 2009)

A TV?!?!?!

Boys.... :er:


----------



## Josh220 (Jun 28, 2009)

O|||||||O said:


> It's easier than you'd think.  The more you have, the faster it goes.



I know how that is. Have you seen my signature? That's not a wish list, that is the stuff I am trying not to order in one shopping cart on B&H. I am trying to space out my expenses so I can continue to save $$ while also buying my gear.


----------



## Josh66 (Jun 28, 2009)

K8-90 said:


> A TV?!?!?!
> 
> Boys.... :er:


Yup, that's it.

Everything else was either worthless crap that I don't have now, or ended up getting traded for something else.

So, yeah - I have a $27,000 TV...  Some things have to be learned the hard way.

(And it still works fine.)


----------



## KmH (Jun 28, 2009)

I'd build a new shifter kart, get another Bell T6 Interceptor helmet and have Troy Lee Designs paint it (same design as the last one), a D3X, and build a couple new sets and props for the studio.

Whoa, broke again. That didn't take long.


----------



## Josh66 (Jun 28, 2009)

KmH said:


> Whoa, broke again. That didn't take long.



Exactly...

Money is easily spent - it doesn't really matter.


What kills me is that I was completely uninterested in everything I like today-  I could have bought some kick-ass gear, but instead I blew it on crap.


----------



## Josh220 (Jun 28, 2009)

O|||||||O said:


> KmH said:
> 
> 
> > Whoa, broke again. That didn't take long.
> ...



That's why I am taking it easy on my gear. Just in case it blows over and I decide on a different career path. I have only been working at this for a little over 2 months, and I already upgraded to a D300 and have a 70-200, battery grip, new tripod/ballhead, and a few other things planned in the coming month. 

Money is too easy to spend, especially with expensive hobbies like this.


----------



## Josh66 (Jun 28, 2009)

Josh220 said:


> Money is too easy to spend, especially with expensive hobbies like this.



Exactly.

Figure out what _really_ matters, and save your money for that.


----------



## tnvol (Jun 29, 2009)

I would add it to my kid's college fund.


----------



## Josh220 (Jun 29, 2009)

tnvol said:


> I would add it to my kid's college fund.



I don't have kids, I am only 20. So instead, I put $$ into my retirement funds. I have a stocks/bonds account that automatically withdraws $200 per month from my checking account, and then whatever I add to my money market account to build up interest. Some months I add $2k, others only $1k, but thats better than nothing if I do say so myself. I plan to keep the $200 monthly withdrawals until the day I retire. Should add up nicely.


----------



## musicaleCA (Jun 29, 2009)

Darn, well isn't this an interesting discussion. I'm still finding it really hard to hold back the urge to spend some more money replacing my 17-85 with the 24-70 f/2.8 USM ... Hmm.

I'd buy myself a 5D (yes, just a 5D; a 1D is just insane, because I don't need it...it's not like I'm running into blizzards or waltzing around the blazing heat of the Sahara). I'd get an L-bracket, a good gitzo or manfrotto tripod, whichever floats my boat (I haven't seriously considered a really good tripod yet). Probably a RRS ballhead with arca-swiss quick release. Lesse...lenses: EF 24mm f/1.4 USM L, EF 50mm f/1.4 USM (have it though), EF 85mm f/1.2 USM L, EF 135mm f/2 L USM, and the two lenses in my sig I'm fawning over. (24-70 for street stuff, the ultra-wide for landscapes and cityscapes) My 450D with the 55-250 is just fine for candids. 2 Alien Bee 1600Ks, just to have some *real* studio lights, and a couple thousand on props, props, props (backdrops, cheap cups, the props for a project I really want to do...hrm...I better get on that). And, er, that's it. Anything left I'd save.


----------



## Josh220 (Jun 29, 2009)

Would you guys spend that $$ differently if it had been earned/saved rather than given to you?


----------



## Garbz (Jun 29, 2009)

Not enough for a Hassleblad so it'll have to go in the bank.

Me? I'd move out. $30000 is a good downpayment with monies left over for a $500 Sony Trinitron TV.


----------



## blash (Jun 29, 2009)

Buy some large format (maybe some 8x10 stuff) equipment and a nice supply of film and developing supplies to last me. D700 with accompanying 70-200 f/2.8 VR lens. Buy 3 of those $1,000 30" monitors and the appropriate VESA mounting equipment. New video cards... rest goes into CDs/stocks (the marlet's probably only going to go up from here )


----------



## CrazyCanuck (Jun 29, 2009)

30k USD or canuck bucks? Either way, its a pretty damned good down payment on a small aircraft... If somehow I managed to quadruple that, I'd get me a (used) float plane.

if not that, I'd toss it in the bank. Don't need it now, might as well put it aside for a rainy day.


----------



## c.cloudwalker (Jun 29, 2009)

No matter how I got that money, I would invest it. Spend it and it is just gone. No matter what you buy. Invest it and you have a profit to spend. Even better, re-invest that profit and you get a bigger profit over time.

I personally don't believe in the stock market and, what's happened in the last year tends to confirm that idea, so I invest in real estate. In my area I can buy a house with that $30,000. and still have enough to fix it up nicely and, then, I can rent it.

As far as how easy it is to spend money, just look at the number of people who've won huge amounts of money in various lotteries only to find themselves back in the poor house within a few years.


----------



## NateS (Jun 29, 2009)

Easy, I'd take out 2,000 for me which I'd probably spend on gear and a trip, 2,000 for my wife for a shopping spree.  Then I'd put 10,000 in savings and 16,000 toward our mortgage.

My 1,000 gear would probably get me a Tamron 90mm f2.8, Nikon 70-300 VR, and about $1000 for a small getaway with my wife and son (or if my wife would put 1000 of hers toward it....a longer getaway).


----------



## Dylan-Fishman (Jun 29, 2009)

Donate it all. I don't have need for more money that I didn't even earn. When people ask me what I would buy if I won the mega-lottery (yah know the 600 mil one) I always say donate. And no one believes me . Money only brings greed, which leads to sadness, which leads to a crappy sad life....


----------



## PhotoXopher (Jun 29, 2009)

Dylan-Fishman said:


> Money only brings greed, which leads to sadness, which leads to a crappy sad life....



Oh but how I'd love the opportunity to prove that wrong 

I'd get 'some' gear, the rest would pay off my debts and a fun family trip to celebrate.


----------



## SrBiscuit (Jun 29, 2009)

pay off debt.


----------



## Dylan-Fishman (Jun 29, 2009)

N0YZE said:


> Dylan-Fishman said:
> 
> 
> > Money only brings greed, which leads to sadness, which leads to a crappy sad life....
> ...



I know a lot of rich people. Most are arrogant dicks because the money has got to their head. I know for a fact that there are rich, nice, giving people out there but very few. 
Please by all means prove me wrong! Win that lotto!


----------



## blash (Jun 29, 2009)

Dylan-Fishman said:


> N0YZE said:
> 
> 
> > Dylan-Fishman said:
> ...



Most are arrogant dicks because they believe that their money makes them better, rather than the fact that their friends make them better. The first thing I'd do if I won a 9-figure lottery is give millions of dollars each to friends and family so that we could all move near each other in peace and comfort. I'd buy some nice toys, and then buy duplicates for those friends and family and then buy a trip for us to use them. Then I'd take 50% of the rest of the money, give it to people trying to cure cancer, and put the rest in savings/stock for me to live off of.


----------



## bdavis (Jun 29, 2009)

I'd put it as a down payment for a house we are trying to buy!


----------



## Battou (Jun 29, 2009)

Canon *L* glass on the FD mount.....every last penny


----------



## Sachphotography (Jun 29, 2009)

Ok... I look at this concept differently due to fact I often have commissions in that range. The difference is that I only hit those about maybe twice a year but that is beside the point. My answer would change about every 3 months. Right now I would do the most important thing everyone failed to mention.... PAY MY FREAKIN @#@#%@ Taxes!!!!!
With the remaining 22k I have I would set aside 7 of it into savings. I would invest 5. Give 5 to my wife. Spend 3 on gear and spend two on whatever suited me at the moment.  I spent 9K in the first week of marriage. 8k the second week. and about $50 the third week. LOL


----------



## Mike_E (Jun 29, 2009)

Sounds like a year's tuition for a kid to me.  :/


----------



## c.cloudwalker (Jun 29, 2009)

Sachphotography said:


> Ok... I look at this concept differently due to fact I often have commissions in that range. The difference is that I only hit those about maybe twice a year but that is beside the point. My answer would change about every 3 months. Right now I would do the most important thing everyone failed to mention.... PAY MY FREAKIN @#@#%@ Taxes!!!!!



WOW, that must be nice!

Actually, I'm lucky enough to know how that feels since my wife doubled her salary the first year she was at her new job with not commissions but profit sharing and her salary is substantial enough that, once we paid taxes on that money, we bought a house and half. Keep in mind that we buy rentals, not mansions.


----------



## bhop (Jun 29, 2009)

I'd pay off my debt, buy a couple lenses, maybe a cheap used car since my current one is crap, then put the rest in the bank.


----------



## Battou (Jun 29, 2009)

Sachphotography said:


> Right now I would do the most important thing everyone failed to mention.... PAY MY FREAKIN @#@#%@ Taxes!!!!!



...Ok, but if you think about it, the concept behind this thread is based on the assumption that the ones podsting the replies get their taxes paid with their regular income and this $30,000 is a sudden, unexpected and disposable finance source.


----------



## NateS (Jun 29, 2009)

Battou said:


> Sachphotography said:
> 
> 
> > Right now I would do the most important thing everyone failed to mention.... PAY MY FREAKIN @#@#%@ Taxes!!!!!
> ...



Actually, he has a point.  If you get 30k given to you, it doesn't matter how you got it or where it came from....you will have to claim that as income when you file your taxes (the normal taxes you pay won't be enough to cover an additional 30k yearly income).  Better to hold out 6-8k of it for tax season than to spend it all and find out that you owe an extra 8 grand in taxes when you've already spent it all and don't have the money anymore to pay those taxes.


----------



## Dylan-Fishman (Jun 29, 2009)

You guys are getting too technical for a hypothetical question.


----------



## SrBiscuit (Jun 29, 2009)

if given the opportunity to spend 30k on stuff i WANT....different story.
i'll go so far as to limit it to photographic stuff.

D700. slingshot 200. a nice wide angle lens...something comparable to the 10-20? new desktop monster for editing and whatnot.

that;s way more fun than my original answer


----------



## Josh220 (Jun 29, 2009)

SrBiscuit said:


> if given the opportunity to spend 30k on stuff i WANT....different story.
> i'll go so far as to limit it to photographic stuff.
> 
> D700. slingshot 200. a nice wide angle lens...something comparable to the 10-20? new desktop monster for editing and whatnot.
> ...



Are you talking about the Lowepro bag? Those are only like $80.


----------



## kundalini (Jun 29, 2009)

$30K isn't all that much in the grand scheme of things.  I'd invest it...... I'd prefer to retire at some point.


----------



## usayit (Jun 29, 2009)

I actually don't know..

If someone dropped $30K USD in my lap, It would ~not~ go to photo equipment.


----------



## newfette (Jun 29, 2009)

K8-90 said:


> A TV?!?!?!
> 
> Boys.... :er:


 

not just boys... all the other girls at work spend their money on trips down south and clothes/purses/shoes...

I buy electronics... I love the thrill on a new shiney toy :mrgreen:


----------



## Joves (Jun 29, 2009)

I would buy some equipment and, save the rest for emergencies.


----------



## JerryPH (Jun 30, 2009)

If I won $30,000 off a "scratcher", I would invest it and make that 30,000 into $60,000 or more.  

Now, if you are saying that I won 30Gs and had to spend it on something, I think that would be done easily enough with a couple of D3x's and Bronfcolor studio equipment, and would take me about 5 minutes, one call, and an additional $20,000 on my credit card to make happen.

Bottom line, 30Gs is easy to spend.  :lmao:


----------



## SrBiscuit (Jun 30, 2009)

Josh220 said:


> SrBiscuit said:
> 
> 
> > if given the opportunity to spend 30k on stuff i WANT....different story.
> ...


 
yep the lowepro...i only put that on there because i dont have it yet and i want it.
though i will be picking one up in october along with the sig10-20 for a trip to disney. figured it was good justification for that lens and bag.


----------



## usayit (Jun 30, 2009)

I just figured out what I would spend the $30k on ....

Time off and a trip around the world.  The photos and experience will be more valuable than any camera or lens.


----------



## Sachphotography (Jun 30, 2009)

NateS said:


> Battou said:
> 
> 
> > Sachphotography said:
> ...



You fail to realize the question. He said you won the money from a sctratcher.
Any gambling or loto is subject to an average of 48% tax so in reality you would have less than 20,000. SO yes you would have to pay taxes on that money. Even if some one gave you the money there would still be IRS implications. Even if a parent dies and leaves the money there is still ESTATE tax. Trust me I know all about taxes.. Regards less of where the money comes from, the Government still has to know. If you deposit more than 10K  into your Bank, The Gov automaitaclly gets a red flag and looks into it. They will find out.


----------



## Dcrymes84 (Jun 30, 2009)

30,k wow thats a lot of money expecialy to a middle class. Id deff donate 5 grand to a charity cause thats what iv always wanted to do is donate atleast 5 grand to a charity of some sort. Second thing i would do is buy a dslr cause iv always wanted one and i dont have one. Then id by a realy expincive printer and picture pirnting papter and frames.  and then id bagg my Ford ranger and body drop it so i can go scraping lol....


----------



## Josh220 (Jun 30, 2009)

Sachphotography said:


> NateS said:
> 
> 
> > Battou said:
> ...



What if you just get a lot of cash from doing things like small shoots, selling gear on places like craigslist, etc. I deposit way more than 10K per year, and only about $7k is from paychecks. The rest is from tips (which I do not claim), random cash I acquire from selling things, working for cash, etc. Just from Christmas and Birthday alone is usually over $2-$3k. I probably deposit more in cash than I do in checks. Why would they look into that?

Seems like if I want to deposit $1k in cash per month with my paychecks i should be allowed to. Should I be limiting the deposits to under $500 with each paycheck (twice a month)?


----------



## usayit (Jun 30, 2009)

Tax?  Awe man... this was suppose to be a fun topic...


----------



## Jeffro (Jun 30, 2009)

Lets make it fun!!!!


Better Camera and a bunch of hookers?!!!!  

Just Joking around!!!


----------



## manaheim (Jun 30, 2009)

I would buy usayit a green dress, but not a real greed dress... that's cruel.


----------



## Big (Jun 30, 2009)

Buy my Canon 50D with lots of cool lenses and gear and then use the rest to pay off my college loans...


----------



## drumsforlife15 (Jun 30, 2009)

Macbook Pro and software (PS, Aperture), maybe a big monitor for editing.
Nikon D700 and 24-70 2.8, 70-200 2.8, Speedlight
nice scanner for prints/negatives
Home b&w film processing stuff. 
A few bulk rolls of film. 
Save left over.


----------



## WTF? (Jul 1, 2009)

hmm....
mac pro and a big monitor,
 1d mkIII (or wait until the mkIV), 
some lovely new L glass
couple of flashes, PW's
trampoline
bottle of schnapps.

save the rest up for a car, probably a nice datsun 1200 coupe or a 280z. 
then paint it matte black, possibly chalkboard paint.


----------



## Jeffro (Jul 1, 2009)

WTF? said:


> hmm....
> mac pro and a big monitor,
> 1d mkIII (or wait until the mkIV),
> some lovely new L glass
> ...





All that stuff and I could not help but bust out laughing at the TRAMPOLINE????

I am a retard but that is funny to me mixed in with all the other stuff!


----------



## WTF? (Jul 1, 2009)

Jeffro said:


> WTF? said:
> 
> 
> > hmm....
> ...


well... who doesnt like trampolines?


----------



## UUilliam (Jul 1, 2009)

my first thought was :O MONEY!!! CAMERA 
STUFF N LOADS OF IT!!!! 
then i thought again and realised my dream of becoming a billionaire so my next thought was MONEY!!!!! LOADS MORE MONEY!!!!!! ILL BUY A HOUSE RENT IT FOR ABOUT 10 YEARS AND ILL HAVE ABOUT £36000 (+6000) AHH TO HELL WITH THAT!!! 
ILL JUST PUT IT IN THE STOCK MARKET! or become a money launderer and charge 20% interest meaning for every £100 i give out i get £20 back per every fortnight they "forget" to pay me and by my own analysis i see most people "forget" for about 3 months which gives me a profit of around... £120 for every £100 i give out 
not really btw...
id probably open a shop and rent floor space, here i can buy a shop for £70 a week and can fit about 3 - 4 people in, charge them £50 per 3 days (so if they wanna work 6 days they give me £100) then any money they make is theirs... Grossing me a profit of around £300 a week
but Netting me a profit of £250 (for electricity bills)

I might also just donate it depending how i got it, if i earned it, i would keep, if i won it in a lottery i would donate about 25%


----------



## usayit (Jul 1, 2009)

manaheim said:


> I would buy usayit a green dress, but not a real greed dress... that's cruel.



I don't think you wanna see me in a dress....  I don't have the figure to pull it off.


----------



## Samriel (Jul 1, 2009)

I'd get myself into the alternative processes that I really want to try: photogravure and daguerretype. Workshops tend to be quite costly - around $700 - $1200. Then I'd get all the necessary photographic and darkroom equipment necessary for it, as well a decent studio setup and enjoy shooting. 

I would try to keep to whole photography expenses below $10000, or at least $15000.


----------



## Mystwalker (Jul 1, 2009)

$30K is a nice deposit for a couple of houses - but with my luck, housing market will drop even further 

I figure camera stuff will only devalue over time.  But put the money into something that is already devalued (real estate), by time the 1DsIV or 1DsV comes out, there will be more cash to spend.

... ten years ago ... 1DIII + 600 f/2.8L + Gitzo and Wimberly Head set up ...


----------



## LaserSailor (Jul 1, 2009)

I'd buy 30,000 fish tacos . . . .


 . . . not all at once.  Seriously though, it'd go into debt payoff and a down payment on a house or condo.


----------



## Josh66 (Jul 1, 2009)

Garbz said:


> Not enough for a Hassleblad so it'll have to go in the bank.
> 
> Me? I'd move out. $30000 is a good downpayment with monies left over for a $500 Sony Trinitron TV.



:lmao:


I haven't checked in in a few days...I'm just now seeing all of this.


Yeah - I would do things much differently today...
(And it was actually closer to $40,000 counting the interest I made during the short time I invested it.)

A stupid TV really is the only thing I still have from all that money...
People say that money doesn't buy happiness, but having $30,000 cash in your hands sure does put a smile on your face...  Temporarily at least.

If I had that today, owning what I own now - I would pay off my car and all other debts and either invest the rest or use it as a down payment on a house (not sure if that would be enough...).


----------



## K8-90 (Jul 5, 2009)

newfette said:


> K8-90 said:
> 
> 
> > A TV?!?!?!
> ...


 
True. I've got plenty of friends like that. and I'll admit, I shop like a boy. But a smart, frugal one :greenpbl: 

I love electronics, but I never just go out and buy anythings. I research the crap out of everything before I spen a penny.


As to what I'd do wth that kind of cash...

I'd like to say that I'd invest it, and make it grow. Then I'd budget so that I could have a smallish shopping spree, gift my parents, donate to some choice charities, and pay off university loans - not necessarily in that order. Possibly a vehicle too. But the majority would remain in savings or invested.


----------



## Enough Already (Jul 5, 2009)

definitely pay it off the mortgage, the whole 30g's. Tax man would not a get his crumby hands on a single cent. If I spent more on camera stuff, I would not be around to enjoy it.


----------

