How would you...

...spend $1,000 inheritance money? A holiday? A purchase? Debt/mortgage reduction? Save it for a shortfall? It's a decision I now need to make and I'm not sure what to do with it. I'd like at least part of it to be memorable and not just spent on day to day spending.

Depends on how much of a dent $1000 will make to your debt/mortgage.
Or how often you get to have a family holiday?
$1000 wont go far on a 200k mortgage, but will pay for a nice holiday.
Sadly it wont cover the cost of a plasma TV.
Spend it on something you wouldn't normally buy or get to do. As its money you wouldn't normally have.

Depends on what you want to do.. you could stick $100 in a bank account for each of the girls so that it would be a nice start and build some interest.. that way it would carry on and perhaps help the girls out later on?

otherwise, i guess, use it towards paying off some bills and take that holiday.

Janine and Deb, the girls get that much each too (another thing I need to think of what to do with lol)

I'm liking this jewellery idea. I've always wanted a right-hand ring. Hmmmm.....

When my mum passed away there wasn't any cash but she got an IRD refund and my share was $500. So I spent this on a pair of diamond earrings for my wedding day. I too wanted something special - and for me it was extra special because I wore them when I got married.

Maya wrote: I'd buy a new washing machine. But only coz I'm boring and I need one.

Tehehe Emma, that is so practical I would probably do the same. But a nice piece of jewellery would be a nice way to remember your nana.

Teresa.. I would say with the girls money.. think very carefully before considering something like putting it is trust or anything like that if you do head that way, simply because mike had money put in trust for him after his nana passed when he was 13. he was to get it when he turned 20, to the sum of over $20,000, however with all that happened around that time with 9/11 etc.. we found out that hello, by putting it in trust, it means they are free to use it to invest and then you get the return of whatever the dollar is at at that time you take it out again, so for mike he lost out on around $5,000.

definately get something special for yourself! if it were me, i wouldn't use it to pay a bill or mortgage.
my mum brought a nice huge coffee table with her money from her dad when he passed.
as for the girls money, i'd put that in an account and then put a small amount into it each week.