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It would have to be big enough that we could hire a full time helper around the house to help with cooking, childcare, etc. That would make a huge difference to our lives. Or I guess enough that we wouldn't need to work full time anymore

You're right though that your lifestyle probably inflates as you have more money.

If we won $100k it would be amazing though.

I don't think it would solve all of life's problems forever, but it'd sure be nice!

It would be for us. It would mean paying off all of our debt besides our mortgage and a large chunk in savings. Taking that off of our plate would mean I could stay home while our kids are young, my husband could get a new car and we could put more towards retirement.

It would not mean lots of expensive vacations or shopping money but for us it would be an awesome windfall.

It would be hard to know how to divide it but it would help. I would pay off my student loan and probably buy a new (used!) vehicle. The rest would probably go towards the mortgage.

@swurlygurl: I would think $1M would be enough to fully fund a retirement account (for most people) that you could draw upon from age 65. Then all the money you make from now until 65 could be used for current obligations. That would be really freeing!

100k would absolutely positively solve all our problems. Seriously. We have no debt and no desire for a huge house, so that amount would be enough to relieve all our stress and make life way easier.

@swurlygurl: as to the how long would it make a difference, it would not feel like a huge lucky break for long but I know it would open a lot of doors for us. Right now we have to be conservative with our decisions because our safety net isn't as big as it needs to be to make certain leaps. So I think long term it would have a large effect but maybe it would be hard to pinpoint what the catalyst was once we are twenty years out.

I think paying off our mortgage would be nice (of course!!) but we would probably just use $100k to buy a bigger house.

@swurlygurl: hmm, I think as frugal as we are, it wouldn't change much day to day. We live well below our means already, max out retirement funds, save a good amount each month, and our travel is limited by vacation time. We'd get to retire a ton earlier, maybe splurge on a nicer car and do all those house updates we want to do! And maybe I'd let DH hire a maid. (He wants one now and I refuse to pay for one!) A paid off mortgage would be a life changer since it would shave years off our retirement goal.

Don't get me wrong I would not turn down 100k but yeah I would need a lot more to change my life style or improve. Knowing me I would just tuck it away for a rainy day or put straight into retirement or college funds.

Since you asked what would be enough to change your lifestyle. I will say 5 Million dollars. Not that we need that much money but that would be enough for me to say... okay maybe I don't need to buy from the bargain rack ... maybe I can afford a first class ticket somewhere ... maybe I can afford to hire someone to clean my house. Basically enough for me to make BIG purchases without feeling guilty.

Less than that I would just save save save for a rainy day if that makes sense. But I'm also someone that has parents that will probably relay on me as they get older so I'm always thinking about the "rainy day".

We are not well to do by any means it's just growing up poor makes you not want to spend money even when you do have some.

Yes that would pay off our mortgage!

If invest it, so yes, after it grows and grows: it will be enough.

It wouldn't mean a lifestyle change now, but may help our lifestyle in the future. Our mortgage is our only debt, and we're not stretching to pay it. However, it would be nice to either pay down the mortgage or use money to do the renovations we want to do in order to sell and move to a house that will earn more whenever we move from this area. Or just have it in savings. An extra $100k certainly won't hurt our bank account!

@Raindrop: $5M is a great number.

For most people I think that would mean they wouldn't ever need to work ever again as long as your investments keep up with inflation and you have no lifestyle inflation. Assuming it needs to last 70 years, that is $70k/year to spend... Ahhh that would be nice!

That's a tough one... I think for us as much as it would be nice and I would never, ever turn it down, I don't think it could make a huge lifestyle change. Our household income is pretty substantial and so a 100k windfall wouldn't even touch on what we make in a year. However, it could mean a really, really nice vacation that we wouldn't normally take!

It would be a huge lifestyle change for us because it would seriously decrease our stress level on a daily basis. We make decent money and spend wisely, but we still stress daily about exactly how to best meet our financial goals. Having that kind of nest egg would be the cushion we'd both need to feel comfortable making the kind of financial commitments we'd like to make to live the life we want.

(Oh, and I was quoted $1900/month today for one infant at our preferred daycare so maybe that's why I'm stressed about money!)

Yes. I'd be able to have a 2nd kid if I either had 100K handed to me or my mortgage paid off. It'd be completely life changing for us.

Yes, it would get rid of my student loans and pay for the things we need to do around the house!