Just passed the $1 million mark - how to celebrate?

[Anonymous]

So happy for you, OP.
Congratulations!
How old are your children?

[Anonymous]

Congratulations, OP, that is a wonderful accomplishment! Do not pay any mind to these jealous, bitter haters.

Do something simple: pick up a pricey bottle of Champagne and some decadent finger food and toast your spouse to your success this evening. You can spend the time reminiscing on your struggles and your journey to the place you are now. Congrats again!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This morning, when I did my monthly check-in on finances, our net worth surpassed $1 million! 20 years ago, I was flat broke - literally no money in the bank, no car, and about $12K in debt with student loans. Since then, I have steadily worked and my income has increased from about $30K/year to $120K/year, I got married and we had three kids, and now at 46 and 45 years old, my DH and I are maybe millionaires (I might be 'cheating' with the net worth as it includes about $180K in college savings and $195K in home equity.). I know that this is nothing compared to lots of DCUMers, but it feels like a real accomplishment, especially since my husband only started working last year, so we have accumulated almost all of it on a single salary.

So do we celebrate with some kind of splurge? A nice weekend away? A luxury purchase? At the very least, our family is going out to a nice dinner tonight!

Congrats. But...

How the F do we know what your family will enjoy? Are you as boring as you sound?

And make sure you write a check to charity. Even if it's 10K.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why don't you celebrate by sending a nice check to the United Nations World Food Programme? I'm not being snarky. It would probable make you feel great, and give a longer lasting sense of well being than an expensive dinner.

http://www.wfp.org

Great idea! If you want to help people right here in DC, there is So Others Might Eat.

http://some.org/some-about-us/

Congrats for working so hard!

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks for the congratulations. And no, not trying to humble brag - just celebrating an achievement that I never expected we would reach and which I am not going to be talking about IRL!

I really like the idea of doing an extra charity donation. We have a few charities that we regularly support, but a special something to a new one is a great way to mark this milestone by remembering how fortunate we are.

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This morning, when I did my monthly check-in on finances, our net worth surpassed $1 million! 20 years ago, I was flat broke - literally no money in the bank, no car, and about $12K in debt with student loans. Since then, I have steadily worked and my income has increased from about $30K/year to $120K/year, I got married and we had three kids, and now at 46 and 45 years old, my DH and I are maybe millionaires (I might be 'cheating' with the net worth as it includes about $180K in college savings and $195K in home equity.). I know that this is nothing compared to lots of DCUMers, but it feels like a real accomplishment, especially since my husband only started working last year, so we have accumulated almost all of it on a single salary.

So do we celebrate with some kind of splurge? A nice weekend away? A luxury purchase? At the very least, our family is going out to a nice dinner tonight!

Congrats. But...

How the F do we know what your family will enjoy? Are you as boring as you sound?

And make sure you write a check to charity. Even if it's 10K.

OP here. I probably am boring, but this question was also worded poorly. Wasn't looking for specific suggestions, just questioning whether we should do something. As with my previous post, really appreciating the donation idea.

[Anonymous]

how often do you go to restaurants?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This morning, when I did my monthly check-in on finances, our net worth surpassed $1 million! 20 years ago, I was flat broke - literally no money in the bank, no car, and about $12K in debt with student loans. Since then, I have steadily worked and my income has increased from about $30K/year to $120K/year, I got married and we had three kids, and now at 46 and 45 years old, my DH and I are maybe millionaires (I might be 'cheating' with the net worth as it includes about $180K in college savings and $195K in home equity.). I know that this is nothing compared to lots of DCUMers, but it feels like a real accomplishment, especially since my husband only started working last year, so we have accumulated almost all of it on a single salary.

So do we celebrate with some kind of splurge? A nice weekend away? A luxury purchase? At the very least, our family is going out to a nice dinner tonight!

Congrats. But...

How the F do we know what your family will enjoy? Are you as boring as you sound?

And make sure you write a check to charity. Even if it's 10K.

OP here. I probably am boring, but this question was also worded poorly. Wasn't looking for specific suggestions, just questioning whether we should do something. As with my previous post, really appreciating the donation idea.

Sorry for my horrendous rudeness. Was having a bad morning.

You sound like a good person. Again, congratulations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This morning, when I did my monthly check-in on finances, our net worth surpassed $1 million! 20 years ago, I was flat broke - literally no money in the bank, no car, and about $12K in debt with student loans. Since then, I have steadily worked and my income has increased from about $30K/year to $120K/year, I got married and we had three kids, and now at 46 and 45 years old, my DH and I are maybe millionaires (I might be 'cheating' with the net worth as it includes about $180K in college savings and $195K in home equity.). I know that this is nothing compared to lots of DCUMers, but it feels like a real accomplishment, especially since my husband only started working last year, so we have accumulated almost all of it on a single salary.

So do we celebrate with some kind of splurge? A nice weekend away? A luxury purchase? At the very least, our family is going out to a nice dinner tonight!

Congrats. But...

How the F do we know what your family will enjoy? Are you as boring as you sound?

And make sure you write a check to charity. Even if it's 10K.

OP here. I probably am boring, but this question was also worded poorly. Wasn't looking for specific suggestions, just questioning whether we should do something. As with my previous post, really appreciating the donation idea.

I think you should do both. Something to celebrate that your family would enjoy. Nothing too crazy. And also donate to charity. While I do have regular annual giving, many of my spontaneous donations have been after I have splurged on something myself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This morning, when I did my monthly check-in on finances, our net worth surpassed $1 million! 20 years ago, I was flat broke - literally no money in the bank, no car, and about $12K in debt with student loans. Since then, I have steadily worked and my income has increased from about $30K/year to $120K/year, I got married and we had three kids, and now at 46 and 45 years old, my DH and I are maybe millionaires (I might be 'cheating' with the net worth as it includes about $180K in college savings and $195K in home equity.). I know that this is nothing compared to lots of DCUMers, but it feels like a real accomplishment, especially since my husband only started working last year, so we have accumulated almost all of it on a single salary.

So do we celebrate with some kind of splurge? A nice weekend away? A luxury purchase? At the very least, our family is going out to a nice dinner tonight!

None of the above OP....not splurging is how you go tot where you are now, don't ruin it.

Plus, $1M isn't really that much around here hate to tell you.

[Anonymous]

OP:

I do not yet consider myself a millionaire since I am married and together we are not worth 2 mil yet. So I haven't celebrated. I share this b/c I too was flat broke ...in 1996. Keep thinking like you don't have a million in the bank .That's how you should celebrate. Now when you get to two...

FWIW: I support three charities: One affordable housing, one local anti-hunger and one prisioner.

[Anonymous]

Get a Champaign enema.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Send me $100,000. Then you'll fall back below the 1 Million mark and have the opportunity to celebrate again, preferably the same way!

LMAO!!! So true

[Anonymous]

Be sure to print out whatever you have that has the $1M on it (even if you have to work up a document yourself) with the date. It's an accomplishment you'll remember. We did the same in 2008 -- and then of course lost 32% soon thereafter. But we stayed in the market and we're up up up today. So, yay! BTW, didn't do much besides the celebratory high five and little dance around the kitchen with DH.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, you can check item one off your list: posting your humblebrag on DCUM.

Oh, come on. Don't hate. Congratulations, OP. Personally, I'd go to the spa.

Agree, congrats!