What You Could Do With $180 Million Instead of Buying a Picasso

A world record for art at auction was set this week when a painting by Pablo Picasso sold for just under a mind-blowing $180 million. Who spends that kind of money on art -- and why?? The bigger question is what could you do with that money instead? The answer to the first question is, we don't know who spends $180 million on a painting because they have chosen to remain anonymous. As for the why, the answer is simple --because they can. Yes, I wish I could, but even if I could, I wouldn't!

Sure I would love to have that kind of money. Who wouldn't? But, I can guarantee that if I did, I wouldn't be spending $180 million on a piece of art. And don't get me wrong. It's not that I don't see value in art. It's not that at all.  The point is, I would never spend that kind of money on something to hang on the wall. (Although if I had that kind of money, I would lay down $5000 for some high-tech television for the wall.)

It is difficult to fathom exactly how much $180 million is. But, maybe this will help.

*$180 million is the equivalent of spending $493,000 a day, every day, for an entire year!

*You could drive a different,  brand new $30,000 car every single day for 15 years

*You could buy  the most expensive house for sale in Grand Junction 72 times

*If you laid 180 million one dollar bills end to end, they would stretch from Grand Junction to the South Pole and back

*You could buy 2.2 million tacos

The point is, $180 million dollars is a lot of money to spend on wall art, regardless of who is responsible for its creation. The fact is, there are plenty of other equally ridiculous ways to spend $180 million.