Be a MILLIONAIRE for a day

So, you want to be a millionaire you say? You know how I feel about acting “as if” don’t you (see my Living Artfully post on I Am A Dancer)? Ask any of my friends (feel free to jump in with comments if you know me), but I’m one of those head in the clouds, positive thinking fools who is always happy. From the outside, I probably have no right to be happy. But because I act “as if” I am, then I AM. When faced with all sorts of adversity, I have been able to keep a good outlook on life and as a result have overcome a lot. I could tell you my sad story, but why bother – it’s not who I AM.

So I got to thinking how much fun it would be to be a MILLIONAIRE FOR A DAY?

I think the first thing I’d do is to get dressed in my “good” clothes. I don’t mean evening wear. I mean my not hang around the house, running errands clothes, but instead something classic and tailored. I want something that LOOKS RICH. Depending on where you live, looking RICH may vary. I grew up in New England, where khaki slacks, a simple polo or button down shirt and a sweater tossed casually around your shoulders (and a pair of bass weejuns of course) says “old monied”, whereas here in Palm Beach County I’d be decked out in a Lilly P.skirt with a coordinating polo shirt and the obligatory visor (where in New England that would translate to tacky).

I think that I’d like to go look at some houses that are for sale to start the day, so I’m going to check out the open houses listed in the newspaper. Perhaps something in the 1-5 Million Dollar Range should do (decorated of course). We have a LOT of McMansion’s around here and there are always at least a few dozen of them open to walk around. In some communities there are big, beautiful model homes that you can just walk around with no salesperson there at all. When you go to an open house you might want to look at it “as if” you are really a potential buyer. Examine it closely and take notes if you like. Okay, now that you’ve picked out your new HOME, how about furnishing it? A quick trip to the nicest furniture store in the area should do the trick. As you walk around choose those items that would look great in the house that you just “bought.” Sit on that oversized sofa, smell the rich, fine leather as you sink into it. Make it YOURS. Are you having fun yet?

Now on to the REALLY fun part. This is something that my husband and I do often. Go to an automobile dealer and test drive a car. I’m not talking about testing out an economy car, I’m talking the top of the line stuff. We usually look at Mercedes & BMW, although when it came time to actually buy, we settled on a Volvo (the car before switching to a Hybrid). See, we really are New Englanders (we just live in Florida). Picture yourself driving to the beach with the top down on your new convertible. If it’s your “dream car” then try it out.

Living in South Florida (where there’s water all around us), I’d probably make the yacht dealer my next stop. I’m more of the sailboat type, so I think I’d take a look at the Hunter or Beneteau boats, but that’s just me. I prefer to look at them in the water rather then when they’re in dry dock. You might want to do a little research before going, that way you’ll be even more believable (Pop Quiz: Do you know what a boom vang is?).

If cars and boats are not your “style” then how about JEWELRY. My brother and I used to go to jewelry stores together and pretend he was going to buy me a ring. On one such visit, we somehow ended up in Tiffany and I somehow ended up with a $20,000 ring on my finger. Oh my…but as I told the salesperson, I really didn’t care for it (no lie, it was a bit ostentatious for me).

After all of this shopping, I tend to get hungry. Where to? Why the finest restaurant in town of course. What to order? Well, depending on what I feel like having, I’d make it a simple appetizer or dessert and coffee (always less money then a full meal). There’s no need to spend a fortune to eat in a fine dining restaurant. Last winter my friend Sandy and I spent the day in Palm Beach (yes, on the island) and had a wonderful lunch overlooking the ocean at The Breakers. What did we order? A simple hamburger and some tap water with lemon. Even a simple hamburger tasted better in this setting. We looked fabulous and for that afternoon, we were RICH.