Settle in cause this could be a long one

OK settle in cause this could be a long one.

I went to the wine festival last weekend in DC. Now this was not the same as many of the festivals I have been to since I moved to VA. First off this was indoors. It was at the Ronald Reagan building, which is about a block from the White House. Although being indoors sounds like a great plan, it was extremely crowded. There was little room for the 3000 plus people to move. The really scary thing is that I went on Sunday, which wasn’t even sold out. They tell me that the crowd on Saturday, sold out, was much worse. I was also told they had nothing really to eat on Saturday. On Sunday, they had bread and cracker stations. Very smart since I heard they had some sick people on Saturday.

Secondly, there were very few local wines. The wineries were from all over the world. There were sections from CA as well as France, Portugal, Italy, etc. It was kind of nice as not once did I have to try a wine that was made from a fruit other than a grape. That’s right girls, no Mango Madness anywhere. This explains the price tag to this event as well ($80.00 a ticket). My biggest complaint about this type of event is that you end up with the big wineries or distributors and very few of the smaller wineries or boutiques. So it is great if you want to try the BV Cabernet or the Sterling Merlot, but you can get those anywhere. You don’t get the little gems you do at most festivals.

Lastly, I have never been at a wine festival where you actually could not buy wine. That’s right, I could not buy any at all. You had to go home and order it. It seems like they lost a lot of business.

Next topic. Now pay attention because this one will require audience participation. First I would like to throw a shout out to my sister for performing magic with my taxes this year. I am getting a pretty good return for a change. Thanks Sis…you rock.

I am trying to figure out what to do with it. Now my initial urge is to just spend it, but I am trying to be more responsible. This is where you all come in. I have a few things that I am thinking about here. First off I think that in order to fully understand the situation, you will need to know at least a ball park figure as to what I am getting back. I will say this, as I think you can relate, it is about the same as my take home pay for three paychecks. So think about what you would do if they gave you three paychecks all at once.

So of course my first inclination is to go on an impromptu vacation. Maybe I should get a first class ticket to Aruba or Bermuda and sit on the beach and do nothing for a week. Then I thought, I could use it to get new rims and a new stereo for my Jag. I have wanted them and it could be a good time with spring approaching. I could also get a few things off my want list (I say want because I don’t really need anything), like a new chair for the living room and a wine storage system. Then of course there are the practical things. My Ex D (Dex from now on) would be proud that I am even considering this at all. So I could pay bills. Well one bill, because I recently paid off everything except one bill. That one should be gone by the end of the year leaving me with no debt except my indulgences (cars). I could buy some more 6 month CD’s. I have been trying to buy them recently as they seem safe way to save and keep from spending money. I could put the money in a new IRA or in my 401K account. Or I could do the very responsible thing and just save it for when I decide to buy a new condo. Not sure if that will be this year or next, but who knows. So there they are, my options. I know everyone wishes they had these troubles. ;)

Please help me with this decision. Tell me what you think by voting.

How should I spend my return? 1) Vacation 2) On the Jag 3) Want List 4) Pay Bills 5) CD's 6) IRA 7) Save for Condo View Results Make your own poll