Celeb. Craziest Purchases They’ve Ever Made.
Celeb. We’ve all made a jackpot bucket list at one time or another. A list of things we’d do or buy once we hit the multi-million big one. Sure, you probably have super sensible things on your list. Like pay off debts, and buy a new house or car. But we hope you’ve got a few crazy things on it too. Because what’s the point of winning millions if you can’t be a little frivolous with your cash, right?
Of course, if you’re a celeb, you don’t need to wait for a casino jackpot to go completely mad with your purchases. You can spend, spend, spend right now! Take a look at what these rich and famous folks got up to with their money, and take some inspiration for your own future must-haves!
Celeb or not, these things are cool
1. A Hawaiian island – $500 million
Why go big or go home when you could go big and buy an entire island instead? That’s exactly what tech billionaire Larry Ellison did in 2012. He bought 98% of Lanai, a Hawaiian island, for more than $500 million! Kind of puts your last budget beach holiday to shame, doesn’t it? Just think about the convenience. The luxury, and the unbelievable bliss of owning your very own piece of Hawaii! We’re not sure if even a casino jackpot would extend to buying a $500 million island. But we can still dream.
2. An entire town – $20 million
Ok ok, let’s scale it back a bit then. If a whole island is a bit rich for your blood, what about a whole town instead? If that sounds good to you, then you’re thinking along the same lines that celeb Kim Basinger did. She bought the town of Braselton, Georgia for $20 million back in 1989. While her original idea was to transform the 1,600 acre space into an attraction of sorts. With movie studios and film festivals drawing crowds in. Unfortunately just five years after making the purchase, she was forced to declare bankruptcy. And had to sell the town for $1 million, incurring a significant loss as a result.
Play it safe
Basinger isn’t the only celebrity to ever invest in a whole town though. Shark Tank star Mark Cuban followed in her footsteps when he purchased the town of Mustang, Texas, for $2 million. At the time, he was reported to have said that he wasn’t sure what he would do with it. All we know is that being rich enough to own an entire town is a serious flex indeed.
3. A humidifier – $2 million
Who on EARTH would spend an unbelievable $2 million on a humidifier when you could find a very decent one for just a few hundred dollars instead? It sounds extreme, but when we tell you that it was purchased for one of the world’s most iconic vocalists, it starts to make a little more sense.
The answer to the $2 million question? Celine Dion of course. This celeb who’s known to protect her vocal chords at all costs, literally. But when her voice is her bread and butter, can you blame her? In fact, the $2 million humidifier was actually part of her famous $100 million three-year residency deal at Caesars Palace. And was hung overhead during performances in order to protect her voice from Las Vegas’s desert climate. Which actually sounds pretty sensible if you ask us. Although if we ever need a humidifier, we’ll go for a less expensive one. Her heart may go on but our budget does not.
Who needs a budget when you have money
4. A solid gold bathtub and Bengal tigers – $2 million
Now this is the kind of celeb craziness we’re here for, and of course it had to come from Mike Tyson! The celeb who, during his marriage to actress Robin Givens. Tyson spent $2 million buying her a 24-karat gold bathtub. Which might sound out of the ordinary but in fact was part of the former boxer’s pattern of overspending. Later, Tyson shelled out another $150,000 for the purchase of two white Bengal tigers. Whose upkeep cost him a further $4,000 every month. We’re not in the business of telling people how to spend their money, particularly when they’re about a million times wealthier then we’ll ever be. But maybe kittens would have been a little easier on the bank balance?
Gold gold, and more gold
5. A comic book collection – $1 million
If there’s one actor who’s synonymous with the word ‘extravagant’, it’s Nicolas Cage. The celeb known for his outlandish spending on over-the-top items like yachts, mansions, islands, a jet and even a castle. But perhaps his most famously outrageous purchase was a comic book collection. Including the first Action Comics appearance of Superman ever. For which he paid an incredible $1 million. Of course, that’s not the end of the story. In true Nicolas Cage fashion, the collection was later stolen. Then recovered, then sold for $2.1 million. Netting Cage a nice little profit. Just one of many cases where the truth is stranger than fiction.
Can’t forget about your furry friends
6. A dog house – $325,000
You know how when you’re in trouble with your partner, you’re said to be ‘in the dog house’. Well if that dog house is anything like this next celeb purchase, then we wouldn’t mind being in it at all! Remember back when Paris Hilton was the ultimate ‘It Girl’. The face of countless newspapers and magazines. And was never seen without one of her beloved mini pooches by her side, or in her handbag?
Well, in a 2009 interview she revealed just how much she loved her dogs. By having commissioned a custom-made dog house for them. Complete with designer furniture, and heating and air conditioning as well. Care to guess how much this palatial 300-square-foot house came to? An unbelievable $325,000! As we said, absolutely no complaints from us being relegated to this dog house. In fact, we’d buy some groceries and just move in permanently. Good luck getting us out!
Found any inspiration for your own off-the-wall purchases yet? Then get them down on that bucket list, and start making your play for that ultimate multi-million jackpot today!