How Much Money Do You Need to Change a Life?

So my hubby and I just finished watching Beauty and the Geek Season 4. This is one of my guilty pleasure shows and it's about a bunch of socially inept geeks and a crowd of gorgeous people working together to change themselves. The winners are supposed to be the couple that went through the largest transformation. This season one of my husband's college classmates was on it. At first he would laugh at me when I watch the show and then he saw the lone female geek Nicole Morgan and said, "wait a minute, she looks like my friend Niky". Then I looked up her bio and indeed she really is my hubby's former classmate. It was quite amusing when he pulled out his Caltech yearbook and found Nicole's picture and then commented, "they made her geekier looking for the show." Since then he has rooted for Nicole to win, but unfortunate the final winner was determined by a vote and I think Nicole's partner Sam was not very popular with the voting audiences so they lost as a team. The prize is $250,000 split between a couple, and as the host announced the prize he said, "a couple's life is about to change!" My hubby and I both said along the lines of, "that's not enough money to change their lives!" So after the show I thought about how much money people would need to change their lives. I thought about the events that defined the state of my life, and perhaps I was wrong to say that half of $250,000 can't change someone's life. Here are some ways someone's life could change and their associated costs.

1. Get an education -- $125,000 is enough for someone to go to college and get a degree that propels them into a good career. Or it could be used for a professional degree or vocational training that could be used to start a new life.

2. Pay off debts -- I think $125,000 can make a big dent in most people's debt. I truly believe that being free of debt that continually drains you is a good thing that can change people's lives.

3. Get married -- Previously, I wrote about how much a wedding costs these days. Nevertheless I think it's important to have a wedding without going into debt. Marriage is absolutely life changing.

4. Have a child -- One of my friend is pregnant right now and another one had a baby about 1.5 years ago. The process of raising a child could cost up to a million dollars, but every mommy I have met say that having a child changed their perspective on life.

5. Donate -- I sincerely hope that donating a bit of money or items every month or year changes someone's life out there. A small donation of $20 can buy a flock of chicks for a family in need and feed malnourished children. It really doesn't take much to change someone's life by giving.

Everyone's circumstance is different, but the important thing to remember is how we use our money. We don't necessarily need millions to change our lives, but we need to be open to change and be willing to direct our resources towards improving our lives. I hope the winners of Beauty and the Geek will use their windfall wisely, and truly change themselves and the world.