Could you change your life with 10 grand?

jj7676

Hi folks.. new on here, at least new to posting so please be gentle with me!

This is a more or less serious question but AH seems to get the most readers/responses...

Absolutely skint at the minute.. partner and one child. Barely getting enough work to pay the rent, and every month is a serious struggle.. it is really beginning to wear me down in a big way.

~I have one asset.. worth around ten grand. Going to sell it but I don't want the money to just evaporate paying bills and living.

I am willing to work damn hard, I have no problem putting in 14 hour days.

My point is, I have one crack of the whip and I want to use this money to do something to change our lives, ie, most likely start a business.. but what could you realistically do with that kind of money?

BTW.. before anyone says growhouse, brothel, brothel in a growhouse etc these have all been considered and rejected:)

shopaholic01

It wouldn't change my life, but it would temporarily make it more fun.

JustAThought

Set up costs to move to a different country in Europe - a decent sized appartment deposit, & the first two month rent ; living costs ( frugal) to get you kick started to a new life where frugality & survival won't Be the theme for the next 10 years. V hard to put aside or find - don't blow it unless its life changing.

Germany looking for folk, London, Scotland etc.

Afroshack

jj7676 wrote: »

Hi folks.. new on here, at least new to posting so please be gentle with me!

This is a more or less serious question but AH seems to get the most readers/responses...

Absolutely skint at the minute.. partner and one child. Barely getting enough work to pay the rent, and every month is a serious struggle.. it is really beginning to wear me down in a big way.

~I have one asset.. worth around ten grand. Going to sell it but I don't want the money to just evaporate paying bills and living.

I am willing to work damn hard, I have no problem putting in 14 hour days.

My point is, I have one crack of the whip and I want to use this money to do something to change our lives, ie, most likely start a business.. but what could you realistically do with that kind of money?

BTW.. before anyone says growhouse, brothel, brothel in a growhouse etc these have all been considered and rejected:)

degree/masters/PhD?

use it as a deposit on a new house and lease the house to make money?

take a TEFL course and move the whole family to sunnier climates?

truedoom

10 grand really isn't going to do much. Maybe invest it and hope for a return, but that's a risk.

What are you good at? did you have a specific idea of a business? Maybe check and see if you can find a franchise or something. Or check with some startup groups and play dragons den with them?

Sir Arthur Daley

shopaholic01 wrote: »

It wouldn't change my life, but it would temporarily make it more fun.

Trip to Vegas?

madma

stick it all on man united to win the league

The Backwards Man

You won't change your life with ten grand, not in any fundamental way anyway. Cash in on the asset if you are really struggling, you can't eat it.

SouthTippBass

Change my life with 10k? Not likely, speed things up a bit maybe.

fleet

Education. A trade, IT or something practical.

That, or flights to China for yourself and the missus.
Stick the kid in school over there, you and the missus teach English. Free apartment, decent wages (won't save much by Western standards, but will want for nothing). It'll basically see you through until were back to full employment here, plus you could come back with fluent Chinese if you put any effort in.

Sam Kade

Is the asset a car? If yes how do you know that you will get 10 grand for it?

jj7676

Some interesting replies so far... the idea of using it to move somewhere where life might be a bit easier had crossed my mind alright but I had determined to give it a proper shot here first if I could..

Sir Arthur Daley

The Backwards Man wrote: »

Cash in on the asset if you are really struggling, you can't eat it.

It could be pallets of curry.

shopaholic01

WikiHow wrote: »

Trip to Vegas?

Why not?

hjkl

1) Sell asset worth 10 grand

2) Buy 10 grand worth of scratch cards

3) Profit

jj7676

Sam Kade wrote: »

Is the asset a car? If yes how do you know that you will get 10 grand for it?

Not a car.. but 10 grand is the bottom line on it. It might be worth a bit more but it represents my life savings for all intents and purposes..

If I didn't have any responsibilities I would cash in and **** off working on ships or something like that.. see a bit of the world. I like the idea of China that was mentioned.

But surely 10k could do something here??

To the poster who suggested buying a house.. borrowing is not an option for us I'm afraid.. my credit was ****ed royally when the **** hit the fan here..

ringadingding

If you are getting by, selling something with no real plans to turn the 10k into something worthwhile seems a bit silly.

Hold onto it until a decent opportunity comes, a real opportunity comes.
or until you need money to get you out of a rut. A real rut.

If it was me, I'd advertise it for 12, with no hurry to sell, if / when it sells, id bank the 10k with the same ideas as above, and spunk the rest on a weekend away with the family.

Stavros Murphy

10k can sound a lot when you have 0.0001k in your pocket but it really isn't. I'd say a lot of people would love 10k to just ease the pressure though. If you are 9.9k in the hole, 10k could make a huge difference.

Mrs Garth Brooks

It changed my life.

Had a bit more, more like 12k.

But done a two year course. It was my life long dream. Scraped by and lived on €150 a week for rent, bills, food, no drink. A holiday to Australia. And still some change for a move im making to England by the end of the Summer.

If you want it, dont let money get in the way.

Stained Class

Throw it into Prize Bonds.

That amount will give you a chance of winning a few quid.

If your'e not happy in a couple of years, cash them in. Get your money back.

You might have thought of a better investment by then.

jj7676

ringadingding wrote: »

If you are getting by, selling something with no real plans to turn the 10k into something worthwhile seems a bit silly.

Hold onto it until a decent opportunity comes, a real opportunity comes.
or until you need money to get you out of a rut. A real rut.

If it was me, I'd advertise it for 12, with no hurry to sell, if / when it sells, id bank the 10k with the same ideas as above, and spunk the rest on a weekend away with the family.

That was the plan, but the little work I was getting is drying up and I am worried that if I don't act soon my hand will be forced and I will need to sell it to put food in the fridge for my son. Murphy's law dictates that when you are in a hurry to sell you get bent over.

donegal__road

what is your line of work op, if you dont mind me asking?

jj7676

donegal__road wrote: »

what is your line of work op, if you dont mind me asking?

I don't want to give too much identifying info away.. the old fashioned Irish mentality I'm afraid, but its a line of work that is generally more suited to younger people and I am getting a little too old for it.. an old horse gradually being put out to pasture:)

I have no real qualifications but I have a fair bit of experience in couple of different fields.. there hasn't been much work that I could get a job in up to now. I am just reluctant to go out and get a job for 8.65 an hour which, as we are not married, will clear me 300 or so a week and dain the will to live from me if I can avoid it. I will though, if needs be. Its just that 1200 a month doesn't leave a whole lot when your rent is 950

OH is getting the odd day here or there but that would not be possible anyway if I was working full time

The Backwards Man

WikiHow wrote: »

It could be pallets of curry.

I worked for a fella one time who was prone to go on an odd bender. He went to buy his wains mountainbikes one Christmas and came back three days later with a lorryload of baked beans. Had some handling getting rid of them.

donegal__road

if your rent is 950 then it sounds like you are in, or very near a city.. is the thing that you are selling to do with your line of work?

RobbingBandit

Put a contract out on Enda, James Reilly or Alan Shatter, first one gone the person or persons that do it get your €10,000. Any of those three gone ought to change some lives for the better, namely all of ours.

WilyCoyote

jj7676 wrote: »

I don't want to give too much identifying info away.. the old fashioned Irish mentality I'm afraid, but its a line of work that is generally more suited to younger people and I am getting a little too old for it.. an old horse gradually being put out to pasture:)
............................................................................................................................................................................................................
OH is getting the odd day here or there but that would not be possible anyway if I was working full time

Are you a rent boy?

Grand Moff Tarkin

WilyCoyote wrote: »

Are you a rent boy?

Good call.

AnonoBoy

I know a guy who'll will end a life for 10 grand.

RobbingBandit

AnonoBoy wrote: »

I know a guy who'll will end a life for 10 grand.

Will he take a post dated check?

AnonoBoy

RobbingBandit wrote: »

Will he take a post dated check?

Probably. He's fierce thick.

mfergus

Put it on red... you could double your money in seconds. Then put the 20k on red. In 1.5 minutes you should be on 40k

131spanner

It would make it a bit easier but I couldn't see it changing it radically

diomed

Almost all start-ups fail. Don't do it. If you have a marketable skill you will not need to use your money. Do not start a business making cupcakes, or similar.

Don't think you can invest your money and make a fortune. I assume you know nothing about investing. You will fall prey to an adviser who will sell you something where they get 15% or 20% up front commission, and you will learn in a few years you were done. Many people think they can buy investments, treble their money, and get large dividends at the same time. The stock market is at a high. The only way is down for a few years.

Invest in yourself as advised above, gaining marketable skills / qualifications, but only if you have ability.

Childcare, and care of the elderly, is where I see demand.

Wouldn't change anything.. Not because I've got much money, I just wouldn't spend it.

amkin25

Learn about some business first look for a good opportunity to lease some place cheap.

Lots of empty shops these days cheaper leases going, if u get the right spot .
Some of the best businesses began in recessions.

Red21

jj7676 wrote: »

I am willing to work damn hard, I have no problem putting in 14 hour days.

My point is, I have one crack of the whip and I want to use this money to do something to change our lives, ie, most likely start a business.. but what could you realistically do with that kind of money?

-Chip van

-some other food stall, those the pancake/crepe and chocolate fountain-strawberry ones seem to do really well in crowds

-garden maintanence, grass cutting hedge cutting,

-power washing, footpaths, houses hotels etc

-window cleaning

-bouncy castle

-indoor cleaning, carpets rugs couches etc

-painting decorating

For €10000 this is where you're at,

7ofBrian

Use that 10 grand to move you and your family out of Ireland. Emigration is the only way to survive.

SeantheMan

jj7676 wrote: »

I have no real qualifications but I have a fair bit of experience in couple of different fields.. there hasn't been much work that I could get a job in up to now. I am just reluctant to go out and get a job for 8.65 an hour which, as we are not married, will clear me 300 or so a week and dain the will to live from me if I can avoid it. I will though, if needs be. Its just that 1200 a month doesn't leave a whole lot when your rent is 950

You are going to have to upskill then, maybe learn a programming language or something in the meantime if you are unable to find stable work

Someone previously mentioned doing a CELTA / TEFL and moving abroad.
This is what I did, though I had not girlfriend, child or debts to my name.
It was only 4k that was needed, moved to Korea, rent paid for, bills are cheap...you can put away 1k a month easy if you wanted....I haven't though.
But I'm enjoying life.

seamus

Whether 10k is enough to start a business depends on the business. If it was say web development, then all you need is a decent work area. So between Ikea and your favourite computer shop you could be kitted out for €1k (that's assuming you have the skills).

If it was a trade, then you could burn that €10k on tools and materials just to begin your first job.

If "starting a business" means doing something different to what you're doing now, then that money is probably best spent on education.

snotboogie

fleet wrote: »

Education. A trade, IT or something practical.

That, or flights to China for yourself and the missus.
Stick the kid in school over there, you and the missus teach English. Free apartment, decent wages (won't save much by Western standards, but will want for nothing). It'll basically see you through until were back to full employment here, plus you could come back with fluent Chinese if you put any effort in.

That's the issue. What age is their child? How is he or she going to survive in the Chinese education system when she doesn't speak or read Mandarin? If you move to a major city you will need to pay to send you child to a public school, which wont be a breeze on beginners teaching wages. Also finding the right job for you can be a minefield, there are unscrupulous schools who are known to take Western teachers passports and completely renegade on terms (including wages and visa's) agreed in the contract, do you want to take that risk with a kid?

Thats before considering that the Chinese education system is fundementally different to what we get in the West, your child will come out of their system thinking extremely differently to how they would if they were Irish educated. Also you have the pollution, to put how bad it is in context, Paris was nearly shutdown when their pollution hit 118 AQI, Beijing and Shanghai regularly hit 300 and can go as high as 500+ There is no way around the fact that this would have huge health impications for a child.

If you do decide to go through with it, move fast, most of the hiring is done in May. I have some contacts who hire in Beijing so send me a pm if you are still interested.

Legs.Eleven

I'd go back to university and do a master's if I were you.....

--LOS--

I don't think 10k is going to change that much, it's not much is it, let's be honest.

asteroth

jj7676 wrote: »

Hi folks.. new on here, at least new to posting so please be gentle with me!

This is a more or less serious question but AH seems to get the most readers/responses...

Absolutely skint at the minute.. partner and one child. Barely getting enough work to pay the rent, and every month is a serious struggle.. it is really beginning to wear me down in a big way.

~I have one asset.. worth around ten grand. Going to sell it but I don't want the money to just evaporate paying bills and living.

I am willing to work damn hard, I have no problem putting in 14 hour days.

My point is, I have one crack of the whip and I want to use this money to do something to change our lives, ie, most likely start a business.. but what could you realistically do with that kind of money?

BTW.. before anyone says growhouse, brothel, brothel in a growhouse etc these have all been considered and rejected:)

Learn how to fix leaking taps. When the water charges come into this country you be the Man!

hfallada

snotboogie wrote: »

That's the issue. What age is their child? How is he or she going to survive in the Chinese education system when she doesn't speak or read Mandarin? If you move to a major city you will need to pay to send you child to a public school, which wont be a breeze on beginners teaching wages. Also finding the right job for you can be a minefield, there are unscrupulous schools who are known to take Western teachers passports and completely renegade on terms (including wages and visa's) agreed in the contract, do you want to take that risk with a kid?

Thats before considering that the Chinese education system is fundementally different to what we get in the West, your child will come out of their system thinking extremely differently to how they would if they were Irish educated. Also you have the pollution, to put how bad it is in context, Paris was nearly shutdown when their pollution hit 118 AQI, Beijing and Shanghai regularly hit 300 and can go as high as 500+ There is no way around the fact that this would have huge health impications for a child.

If you do decide to go through with it, move fast, most of the hiring is done in May. I have some contacts who hire in Beijing so send me a pm if you are still interested.

Shanghai isn't that polluted compared to Beijing. I have been in China when the smog was so bad it didn't clear for days. But you don't really feel it on your lungs. Shanghai rains a far but meaning the pollution is minimised compared to Beijing. But I can only see your being able to put your child in a western school in China which are serious money.

Op I think you should try move to Germany or Austria. There unemployment is extremely low and their country is very family oriented. There was be cheap childcare for your son and the health system is really. But you and your partner will be penalised in the tax system as you aren't married. Move to Bavaria as it the easiest to get a job

Sleepy

10k would almost clear my debt so it'd certainly make a big difference to my cashflow and would put me about a year closer to my current goal of getting a deposit for a house together.

c_man

Stained Class wrote: »

Throw it into Prize Bonds.

That amount will give you a chance of winning a few quid.

If your'e not happy in a couple of years, cash them in. Get your money back.

You might have thought of a better investment by then.

Should mention that you're losing money to inflation this way.

J_E

It would clear all my worries about returning to college in September - or go towards a masters in somewhere like Stanford after.

snotboogie

hfallada wrote: »

Shanghai isn't that polluted compared to Beijing. I have been in China when the smog was so bad it didn't clear for days. But you don't really feel it on your lungs. Shanghai rains a far but meaning the pollution is minimised compared to Beijing. But I can only see your being able to put your child in a western school in China which are serious money.

Op I think you should try move to Germany or Austria. There unemployment is extremely low and their country is very family oriented. There was be cheap childcare for your son and the health system is really. But you and your partner will be penalised in the tax system as you aren't married. Move to Bavaria as it the easiest to get a job

I've lived in both cities and while Beijing is certainly worse, the difference is overstated, Beijing has regular thunderstorms 8 months of the year which do a better job than rain for clearing the air. There is no way to get around the fact that Shanghai is an extremely polluted city by any standard.

biketard

Back in the eighties, I was working in a job in Edinburgh that, like the OP, was only really suitable for younger folks (I was a lifeguard). I saved up three grand (sterling) over six months, quit my job, used one grand to pay for a one-month TEFL course and then pissed off to Spain to work as an English teacher, where I stayed for five years.

Couple of words of advice, though. Firstly, I would never have been able to support a family with the money I earned as an English teacher at the time, though of course some countries pay better than others (I also taught English in Taiwan for six months and the pay was pretty decent there). Secondly, if you do decide to go down the TEFL route, be aware that some countries require that you have other qualifications on top of a TEFL certificate in order to grant you a working visa (Taiwan, for example, requires at least a three-year degree or a two-year degree plus a TEFL certificate).

Good luck, OP. I'm pretty sure that ten grand can make a huge difference if you use it right.