<prompt> Human: Im looking for some friendly advice. I am a single mom 26 yo with a 2 year old son. My fiancé died one year ago and at the time family and friends raised some money to help my son and I out. After paying off funeral expenses we have 14k.I have three options I have been weighing.1. Invest the money to use for a down payment on a home in the future 2. Put it in a 5293. Down payment on a used carI already have 1500 in a 529 which family members add to about once a year for my son. I can count on a lot of family contribution towards his college.I have a car right now I live in the suburbs and need a car to get around but it is at 125,000 miles and will not last for more than another year or two. I would like to get a newer car with good mileage. My day to day finances are taken care of. I can afford my rent, food, etc. without stress. I have about 5k in personal savings aside from the 14k. I want to make the most of this money to help my son. I know logically that helping myself is the best way to help him, but using the money for a car - even though I will need a new one soon - feels wrong. Investing seems smart, but then I will not be able to touch the money for a long time. The 529 is also responsible, but I know that family will be helping me out with his college. I can provide more information to help you help me. Thank you!Edit: thank you everyone for the responses so far. Just reading the advice has been very emotional for me, so I need to step away and go to bed now before I lose it completely. Thinking about my future at all is very difficult territory for me. Keep the responses coming in though, its all very helpful. Ill be back in the morning. 2nd Edit: Thank you all so much. I love reddit for this. So heres where I am now:- No new car! Its a 2002 honda civic with good gas mileage - I can maintain it and make it last for several more years. - I will leave the 529 alone, and let my family and friends make contributions to it.- I will look into investing researching Roth IRA, Vanguard stocks, ETF, Betterment, and more- I will split the money between padding my emergency fund, and investing.Thank you again.Assistant: Im gonna say option 1. If you can afford to purchase a cheap home that you can manage thats the best option. Then just start saving again.Car seems like the worst thing you could possibly do.Human: I wouldnt be able to purchase the home for quite some time. And I had been able to save the 5k because I lived with my parents while emotionally recovering from the loss. I am currently unable to save more than about 300 per month.  <response>: Hmmm... car payments would cut into that 300 quite a bit. I think it depends on how much houses cost in your area. If houses are really expensive DC, NY, etc., then realistically you wont ever be able to afford a house without increasing your income.If houses are cheaper and you can get a mortgage to substitute your rent expense, that is ultimately the best long term financial goal for you and you should prioritize a house purchase, especially if SS is paying a lot of your income should make it easier to get a mortgage I imagine. This is because it gives you financial security in the long run, as well as something to borrow against in terms of equity if shit really hits the fan, in addition to appreciation in value and something to pass on to your son.In my opinion, a 529 is not... necessary. Your son should be able to graduate with minimum debt 30k if hes smart, attends a state school, and works hard. I know plenty of people who have. 