You may have started the relationship by merging two households, so that you have two of various things, but over the years, possessions are streamlined and replaced. Then, when you break up, you need to replace the items you've let go, as well as set up a separate household again, with no-one to share the bills. It's expensive and suddenly everything seems to be about how much everything costs! What if it wasn't all about money?
Remember the song from that
wonderful film High Society? Celeste Holm and Frank Sinatra playing
around with all the flashy wedding presents, singing 'I don't!'.
However,
I do, actually. I know money can't buy you love, but it can solve so
many other problems. When the song was written in 1956-ish, (yes, I know
it refers to US dollars) the average price of a house in the UK was
roughly £2,500 and a million pounds bought a lot more than it does now,
when the national average house price is around £162,250 (and falling).
I'm
sure I wouldn't have any problem spending my million, starting with
donations to charities. I don't think I have ever seen as many charity
appeals as there are at the moment on TV and the internet. So many good
causes, all crying out for support.
A friend was giving me a pep
talk a couple of years ago, and advised that 'you have to be in it to
win it'. It was a strange, uncharacteristic and cryptic thing for her to
say and therefore a compelling piece of advice. I'm one of those people who always buys
raffle tickets and hardly ever wins anything. My friend's comment made
me realise my negative thinking.
It's true - you have to
take or make opportunities for good things to happen. Since then, I
have been entering any free competitions I find. I had previously never
bothered to enter. I still haven't won anything, but I
live in hope. I'm not the only one. I was reading some of the comments
on a competition site, and there were plenty from people who 'never
usually win anything', including a comment from someone who had been
entering competitions for 10 years and was about to give up. They were
so happy to have won something. I would be thrilled to bits, too. I
would love a windfall, but not at any cost. I'm not about to enter any
TV quiz shows and don't want anyone dying just so that I can be (or at least feel as though I am) rich!
Whenever
I see a charity advert, I send out a big wish that the name or number
to be drawn will be mine. And if it's not this week, then hopefully the
lucky person will at least donate to a charity and share their good
fortune!
I wonder if, back in 1956, a million dollars was really
enough to keep servants, have a country estate, buy a plane and/or a
yacht? Frankly, you can keep them, although if I were to win, I might
allow myself a bottle of champagne! And if I were to win really big ... dream on!
