Have you ever received a windfall?

[greentea]

Have you ever received money you weren't expecting or that wasn't part of your budget? If so, where did it come from and what did you do with it?

[cardtrick]

Nope, never. And I don't expect to receive anything. I'm on my own.

[MonkeyMama]

Yes, all the time.

But what constitutes a windfall? What dollar amount (minimum) are we getting at? Of course, substantial windfalls are harder to come by.

[hamchan]

By that definition it's a windfall every time I get a child support check. It's definitely not a substantial amount though.

[cooliemae]

My wife recently received a 1K bonus at work. It was a totally unexpected thing and was a very nice surprise. We put most it towards debt, but my wife used some of it to treat herself.

[disneysteve]

A couple of years after I left my last job, I got a packet in the mail notifying me that the practice pension plan was being shut down (the owner was retiring) and I would be getting a lump-sum distribution. I honestly had no idea that I was even eligible to get anything from the plan. It turned out that my share was about $22,000. Of course, I rolled it into an IRA and got a nice little boost to my retirement accounts.

[Eagle]

Have you ever received money you weren't expecting or that wasn't part of your budget? If so, where did it come from and what did you do with it?

I find it interesting that 31 of 47 posts by GreenTea were in starting new threads. That means that GreenTea returns to comment on less than 1/2 of the threads he or she starts…

[disneysteve]

I find it interesting that 31 of 47 posts by GreenTea were in starting new threads. That means that GreenTea returns to comment on less than 1/2 of the threads he or she starts…

I'm aware but nothing really "troll"-like so I've let it go. And it has spurred some good threads and discussions.

[bigdaddybus]

My family recieved our 3rd "windfall" in the last 12 months over the weekend. One of my wifes grandmothers decided to liquidate some of her retirement savings and gave gifts to all her children and grandchildren.

One of my grandmothers has been doing this for the last several years giving away 100K per year to her kids and grandkids.

Its nice to recieve unexpected money, and also a good reminder to spend time with family while they are here and you can't take it with you. My wife and I have been putting the extra money into savings and college funds.

[bjl584]

I won a lemon lawsuit on an old truck that I used to own. $8000. I saved the money.

[Zedon]

Last year I was informed we got a big raise two months after it went into affect and got a check for about $2800 in back pay. That's as close as I will get to some unexpected windfall. I don't have any rich relatives to surprise me.

[moneysma]

When my uncle passed away, he gave his money to his nieces and nephews since he didn't have a wife or kids. It wasn't expected but really thoughtful of him to do so.

I spent a small part on a new mountain bike and then invested the rest of the money.

[disneysteve]

Thought of another one. Years ago when I was young and stupid, I bought a whole life insurance policy. I canceled it a while later when I learned what a horrible idea that was.

Later, there was a huge class action lawsuit against the insurance companies for selling that crap and pushing the investment aspect of whole life. The insurers lost - since whole life is NOT an investment and shouldn't be represented as one.

I received a settlement from the lawsuit that refunded everything I had paid in premiums. It was a couple thousand dollars. I don't recall what we did with that money but I'm sure it was something a whole lot smarter than buying whole life. That was probably the stupidest money move I've ever made.

Don't ever buy whole life insurance under any circumstances!

[BuckyBadger]

Is it a windfall if you have to get hit by a truck to get it? I was in a truck vs. bike accident and ended up getting some money for my trouble. It let me pay off my (cheap) starter-condo and start a taxable investing account.

I'd rather have NOT had the money and NOT been hit by the truck, though, and "windfall" seems to indicate something positive.

[disneysteve]

Is it a windfall if you have to get hit by a truck to get it?

Sounds like my daughter. She likes getting her annuity check every month but she would much rather not have gone through the trauma, both physical and emotional, that led to her getting that payout.