The Prosperity Game - Day 49

More gold again today! I've done some research and have found gold bullion from different parts of the world. Today I travel to Austria (in my mind at least!) to happily spend $49000 on these beauties:



This is an Austrian Philharmonic, a legal tender coin in a Euro denomination, although I wouldn't recommend using it to buy something for 100 Euros; whomever you pay with it will be extremely thrilled though! This is a 24-karat gold coin, so it's best to handle it gently, just like the Canadian Maple Leaf from two days ago. I think 49 of these beauties will be just right! I'm just loving my gold collection, and there's plenty more to come! Stay tuned for GOLD FEVER - Round 5! :-)

The Prosperity Game - Day 48

I'm still going on a gold theme for today, and there is certainly no shortage of bullion to buy! There are so many neat gold coins to own, so I'm continuing my adventure into the gold minted in other countries by traveling to South Africa (financially) with $48000:





This is a golden Krugerrand, a legal tender coin of South Africa. All of the bullion that I've purchased has been legal tender, which means that it does not need to be assayed or melted down to confirm gold content when reselling. This coin, like the American Eagle, contains 1 oz of pure gold, with some additives to make it more durable than pure 24-karat gold, which is soft and dents easily. I'll be purchasing 48 of these today to add to my growing gold collection! I love just pondering in amazement how such a small coin packs such a financial punch! GO GOLD! :-)

The Prosperity Game - Day 47

Ahh, it feels so good to be buying gold! I've been purchasing American Gold Eagles, but I would like to mix it up a bit and get something a little different, just for a change of pace. So how about some of these for $47000:





This is a Canadian Maple Leaf gold coin, obviously named when you see the reverse side! It is a 24-karat gold coin, meaning that unlike the American Gold Eagle which is 22-karat but contains one ounce of actual gold (so the weight is a little over one ounce), the Canadian Maple Leaf is purely gold through and through. I'll be buying 47 of these today to add to my collection. Let's see tomorrow where else I can find neat gold bullion from!

The Prosperity Game - Day 46

So I've had 45 days of buying lots of neat things so far, and I've spent a total of $1,035,000! That's quite a bit of money! It's been a lot of fun discovering so many new toys out there for me to enjoy. Frankly, though, for the time being I'm toyed-out. I'd like to focus on building an investment portfolio for a while. That would be good fun to do! And if I find a neat toy somewhere along the way, then I'll take a day off of investing and make it mine!

So, today, I'm going for my most favorite investment vehicle:



I'm going to start today with some more American Gold Eagles. I've already purchased 25 coins back on Day 26. Today's price is just a bit below $1000 a coin (ounce of gold), so I'll be buying 46 ounces worth of Eagles, bringing me to a total of 71 ounces. I plan on adding a lot more gold to the collection, but this will be a nice start :-)

The Prosperity Game - Day 45

OK, now I'm back to some house renovations! With $45000, I should be able to take care of most everything I've been looking to complete.

First off, I'm going to finish off the basement. I'll add in a bar against the north-facing wall so that I'll have ample storage stage for my collection and plenty of countertop space for people to sit and enjoy. Also a pool table for the room, along with a comfortable couch, love seat, and chair to sit on. I'm going to expand the radio room by about 2 feet to give myself a little extra breathing room there. In the crawl space underneath the family room and the space underneath the basement stairs, I'll be adding in shelving to maximize storage space.

On the first floor, I'll be replacing all of the doors and door jambs. The tile in the foyer, downstairs bathroom, and the hall leading up to the kitchen will be replaced as well. I want to put hardwood flooring in the remainder of the downstairs, including the living room, dining room, and family room. What a nice touch that would make!

On the second floor, I'll again be replacing all of the doors and door jambs again. Up comes the old shaggy carpet with some nice neutral beige carpet. New bathtubs, cabinets, and tile flooring in both the master and main bathrooms with a new sink and fixtures in the master bath.

Have I hit $45000 yet? Well, just in case I haven't, I'll buy some wine to put down in the bar to cover the balance!

The Prosperity Game - Day 44

Did I say something about finishing a basement today? Well, I'll get to that eventually :-) What's the rush? There's still so much else out there to enjoy! I'm happy that in my searching I've found yet another beautiful piece of art that I can add to my collection. $44000 buys me this fascinating painting:



This is a painting titled "Void Dancer" by Aya of StarWheel Mandalas. It is a 6' x 6' acrylic on canvas painting representing Power. I like the colors used in the painting, bright and energetic. I could spend hours just appreciating all of the small detail painted into the pieces of the mandala, so much intricate design! Let's see if this painting gives me power to find more things to spend money on tomorrow! :-)

The Prosperity Game - Day 43

Ok, I sort of lied. I'm going to skip on basement renovations today because I found something pretty to buy! I love buying beautiful things that I can appreciate. $43000, here ya go:



This is an Acid-Cut Back Vase, "Dragon" pattern, 14 inches high and 8 inches wide. This piece was made around 1925, and was typically intended to be use as a lamp base, as you can tell by the shape! It is currently available from Steuben Glass in New York.

As described on the website:

"This is an example of a double-acid etched vase in which two layers of glass are cased together and acid-etched twice, to reveal both the dark outer layer of the dragon and the inner scroll pattern on the blue. It is both a labor-intensive piece, and a complex design."

I bet I can spend hours admiring this piece and the intricacy of this design! But where to put it? Maybe in the new 4-season room? Or in the renovated finished basement that is coming tomorrow (or someday soon if I find something else beautiful to buy tomorrow!) :-)

The Prosperity Game - Day 42

I bought my first house almost two years ago now, back in 2007. It is a great house that I absolutely love! The size is right for me, I love the layout, the front porch, the trees in the yard! I plan on keeping this home for a very long time. So if I'm going to be here a while, why not add some improvements to it? I've got a $42000 budget, so let's start spending it!

First off, I'm going to tear out the original deck that is off of the dining area next to the kitchen. In its place, I'm going to add a 4-season room with ceiling-to-floor windows, with screens on the bottom windows so I can enjoy the breeze flowing through! All of the windows will have shades for privacy and keeping the sunlight out if it happens to be coming too intensely through the trees at certain times of the day. I'm thinking a 12' x 15' room would work out fine. Of course, no 4-season room would be complete without a nice jacuzzi, so I'll be adding one in there. Some nice, comfortable furniture would be great so that I can sit out there and read, or enjoy a cup of coffee. Also a Bose sound system so that I can enjoy whatever recordings I'm listening to.

Then, off of the side of the room, I'm going to build a new deck that runs the remaining length of the house, and have it be 15' wide to match the width of the 4-season room. I'll get a nice grill to put on the deck so I can cook out back. That would be fun!

I don't think that will have used up all of the money, so I'm going to work on the kitchen. Really, I have new appliances that I got when I bought the house, and I'm happy with them, so I don't need anything new there. So I'm going to replace the cabinets and countertops (thinking marble for those), and also replace the linoleum floor with tile. Going to replace the pantry shelving as well to help make more efficient use of the space.

That should take care of this chunk of home improvements for the time being! If there's any money left over, I'll use it for tomorrow's set of renovations! :-)

The Prosperity Game - Day 41

Musical instruments are really beautiful. Think about how someone originally came up with the idea for the instrument in their mind, envisioning it producing a sound, and then from that idea, crafted a piece that brought their idea to fruition! And not only have many of these people created something that produces beautiful sound, but the instruments themselves are a sight to behold! The craftsmanship required to make them is certainly beyond my understanding where I stand, but I don't need to know about all of that to enjoy the sight of them. For $41000, I can have one in my home:



This is The Art Nouveau concert grand-sized harp, available from Swanson Harp Company in East Boston, MA. It stands 6 feet tall, weighs 88 pounds and is entirely hand-carved by master carver Will Neptune. Won't it look pretty in the house?! I suppose I'll be taking harp lessons along with piano lessons too! Or I'll just find some friends that would like to come over and play it. Maybe the people in the photo?? That sounds like it would be more fun anyways! :-)

The Prosperity Game - Day 40

I just love Apple products! I feel like the people that create them really care about what they're producing, and strive to give consumers the best that they can imagine. So how can you make Apple products even better? Well, a few days ago I bought a platinum iPhone with diamonds used to make the Apple logo on the back. I really liked the diamonds, so when I saw this beauty for $40000, I couldn't resist!



This is a 1GB iPod Shuffle, coated with diamonds, gold and platinum. I love the aesthetic aspect of it, it's just beautiful to look at, and even if the batteries die out on it, it will still retain most of its value! I doubt I'll ever use it as a Shuffle, but wouldn't it make quite an interesting display piece of technological bling? :-)

The Prosperity Game - Day 39

I looked around for things to buy today at the $39000 level. Most of the choices were cars, campers, and mobile homes, with an occasional sprinkling of farm equipment! However, I did find this beautiful piece in the mix that I thought I would enjoy:



This is the Horizon watch, crafted by Marc Newson. It is crafted from platinum and features a single-shell case and sapphire front. I personally just like the design, especially the face of the watch. It's simple, but interesting to look at, and just overall neat! :-)

The Prosperity Game - Day 38

On Day 28, I mentioned that I had taken up an interest in Cognac and Scotch some years back. I already have a great collection of Scotch at home, from floral Glenlivet to peaty Laphroaig. My most favorite Scotch, though, is Macallan. Even their basic 12-year single malt is just fabulous, and as they increase in the years, it gets even more smooth and refined, with greater depth and subtleties in the taste. The best one I have is a 25-year single malt, but why not go for something even older and grander, something with a finish worth $38000!



This is a bottle of 1926 60-year Macallan. It is beautiful, the culmination of years of care and attention to detail. This is the kind of spirit you savor when you're relaxed so your senses can contemplate the complexity of this work of art. And, no worries about drinking it too quickly. A Scotch of this caliber will have a long enjoyable finish to revel in!

The Prosperity Game - Day 37

I am absolutely in love with my iPhone! Words can't even describe how happy I feel every time I think about this amazing device! It has certainly revolutionized my life, even in ways I have yet to discover. So I currently have two devices now that I use pretty regularly, but I've been contemplating purchasing a third. But this time, I want something that will show how much I really love my iPhone. I want something that makes it look like a million dollars! Well, maybe this isn't a million-dollar look, but it's certainly worth $37000:



This is a platinum iPhone, made from 230 grams of platinum. And to make it extra special, it has an Apple logo encrusted with 53 diamonds! This work-of-art is available from Stuart Hughes. It just makes having an iPhone even more special! :-)

The Prosperity Game - Day 36

A few days ago, I purchased a 1938 Chevy Sedan. Well, I started thinking about it and realized it would be all lonely by itself in the garage, so I needed to get it a playmate! $36000 later:



This is a 1948 Morgan. It is a 2-tone blue car, hand-assembled on a wood frame. I'll be honest, I don't know much about it yet. I got it just because I liked the blue color and it looked cool, so I'll have to read up on it to know more about its history. I'm sure I'll appreciate it even more then, but in the meantime I bet it'll be fun to ride around in! And my Chevy Sedan won't be alone anymore :-)

The Prosperity Game - Day 35

I've been itching for a new toy to play with for a week or so now, something really fun and totally cool. I ran across this and it was a total no-brainer, probably the best $35000 I'll ever spend!



This is a 2005 RAF 2000 GTX FI Gyro Plane, an experimental light sport craft. With a 23-gallon tank, It can fly for around 3 hours cruising at speeds up to 60-70 miles/hour. Guess it would be helpful to know how to fly it too! I'll take some flying lessons and then I'll be up, UP, AND AWAY! :-)

The Prosperity Game - Day 34

Since I've been expanding my mind to find new ways to spend money, let's go down another interesting path in the Prosperity Game: New York City. What an amazing city to visit. I don't think anyone could ever be bored living in such a busy and happening place. So when visiting the city, why not spend a night in luxury? Would $34000 be enough for a night's stay?

NYC's Most Expensive Room: $34000 Per Night

This article describes a good bit about this room at the Four Season Hotel in New York, and the pictures and accompanying video just about says it all. It sounds like it would make for a very comfortable stay. Why not enjoy a nice skyline view of the city and a butler to take care of all your needs for the day, seems pretty nice to me! Maybe I'll just stay in the room for my entire visit! :-)

The Prosperity Game - Day 33

I'll be honest, it's been a stretch to find things that I'd like to buy with all of this money lately. Looking around today, I decided to try to expand my interests into a new arena, and it turns out that there are lots of options available, especially for $33000:



This is a watch from Jacob & Co in New York. It has 8.5 carats of diamonds on the bezel. Unfortunately, there's not a lot of information about the watch itself on the website for TNS Diamonds, but it looks pretty, so why not get it? I typically don't wear watches, but it might be nice to wear it out on occasion as an accessory to match my clothes. I checked out the Jacob & Co website and they really have some beautiful timepieces, so I think I'll be going back there again to see what else I can find :-)

The Prosperity Game - Day 32

Well, I'm back to finding some neat art today. I seem to be gravitating toward nature scenes and mountain, and today is no exception. $32000 brings this beautiful vista into my life:



This work is called, "A Midsummer Evening" by Alfred de Breanski, Sr., a 24" x 36" oil on canvas painting. I love how the mountains slopes fall steeply into the lake below. It feels quiet and peaceful in this place, somewhere nice to hide away in for a spell! :-)

The Prosperity Game - Day 31

I think today I'll get something a little different, for no other reason than just purely for the fun of it! How about spending $31000 on a blast from the past?



This is a 1938 Chevy Sedan. Looks pretty neat, I bet it'll be fun to drive around town :-)