A Big List of OTHER Things I Could Have Done With $1,000

$941.00 to be exact. Tell me, is it reasonable to pay that much for maintenance on a Honda that's only 3 years old with 50,000 miles? After you've just paid $350 less than 2 months ago for a scheduled service that was mainly supposed to include a thorough check-up on everything?

I went in yesterday to settle a troubling noise coming from the back tire area. In addition to learning that some thing called a rear upper controlled arm had come unscrewed, off track or whatever (I'm really smart about cars, as you can see), I learned that "oh by the way, you need a new battery, new front brakes, new tires (which I've already replaced once), new wipers, etc. etc.

So instead of bitching about it, which is soooo boring to read, let me take a moment to thank Honda.

Honda, thank you so much. I've really been dying to spend $1,000, and I can't think of any way I'd like to drop it more than right there with you.

But if you weren't so thoughtful to take away the choice for me, which made my life a heck of a lot easier, I'd like to list a few other things that I could have dumped it on:

1. Toping the list off would of course be any number of weekend trips. I'll put Arizona first, where dearest friend just relocated. I could totally get in to the desert. The enormity and beauty of the Grand Canyon is impressive. Like a rusty sunset. Aging over tens of thousands of years never looked so good on anyone.
2. I could soooo spend $1,000 on a single donation to any number of nonprofits that I haven't supported in the past but would like to. It's impressive how far our local organizations can make any financial contribution go--they use it to accomplish missions that serve chidren, places, wildlife so dear to us.
3. A new native plant garden for the yard. We don't use pesticides or fertilizers in our yard--they're very bad news for the health of the bay here in Sarsasota/ Bradenton. We also have some great native plants that attract birdies and wildlife. Once established, they require very little care, water or other resources. I'd love to grow that garden more than what we do a couple hundred dollars at a time every now and then.
4. Advanced camera.
5. Season tickets to the Rays for the fam.
6. New oil paint and water color supplies.
7. Any choice of about 10,000 home improvement projects.

I'll spare you the long list of additional choices.  With so many decisions to make, I'm so grateful Honda chipped in to make it all work out.

What would you do with $1,000 outside of your standard budget to randomly spend on anything?