Top Ten Ways to Spend $10,000 in Cedar Rapids

What would you do if $10,000 magically appeared in your bank account, and it WASN'T a mistake?

Here are my Top Ten Ways to Spend $10,000 Cedar Rapids-Style.

Indulge your Inner Musician with a Grand Piano! West Music in Coralville has Steinway Pianos. Tickle the ivories and impress your neighbors with the classiest addition to your living room or parlor.

Remodel Your Home. Call the team at Done Done Services and give your kitchen, or bath an entirely new look! Granite countertops, new cabinets, oooh! Their Award Winning teams do everything well, so let your imagination roll around with lots of those HGTV ideas you've always wanted to try.

Become a Season Ticket Holder with seats for the Cedar Rapids Kernels A Season Ticket to any event is a sure sign of ultra-cool. Heck, you could probably score a private box seat for your entire clan! And if you're more the 'arts and culture" type, buy a ticket to every show at the Paramount Theatre!

Fund Your Nest Egg - Invest in your future! Start or grow your retirement fund. Visit the staff at Farmers State Bank for some practical investment advice. Roth IRAs, stocks, bonds, and mutual funds.

Learn to Cook. Really cook! The Kirkwood Culinary Kitchen at New Bo Market offers incredible cooking lessons and classes that will delight and inspire you! Then, makeover your kitchen with top-of-the-line appliances from Scratch & Dent Appliance Warehouse.

Build your Man Cave with every high-tech, electronic gizmo your could ever want from Big Dog Satellite. Add some nice theater seating from Roommakers Furniture. Finish it off with a pool table from Ozone Billiards.

Throw a Big Block Party. Shut down your street. Get a permit first. Contact everyone you know. Get Hy-Vee to cater it with everything: food, beverages, snacks, treats, desserts! Buy some balloons, and book some entertainment. Live it up, and be the life of the party!

Landscape Your Yard. We all love Mother Nature! Trees, shrubs, gardens, lawns! Be the envy of all your neighbors when you hire Peck's Landscaping to beautify your little corner of the world. Go green!

Go Back to School. Retool yourself, with a new career doing something you love. Kirkwood Community College can help develop an educational path and plan that is perfect for you.

Be a Philanthropist. Giving makes you feel good and is good  for you. Studies show that generous people live longer and are happier than selfish cheapskates. Make a donation to Tanager Place, First Hope Animal Rescue, or to any of these wonderful organizations in the Cedar Rapids/Iowa City area.

Have you any better ideas you'd like to share? Tell me! Comment below.