This is kind of a spin off of my other thread “counting on money that isn’t there yet” but, this one has some personal attachment.

DH and I play the lottery. Scratchers, that is. Well for Mother’s day he took me out to eat, and he bought us both a scratcher to do while we sat and waited for our food. (not a fancy restaurant ) anyways, they are both the same type, we scratched them and they were losers. BUT if you play lottery you know you ALWAYS get the tickets scanned. We went to scan the tickets and the lil machine kicked out a receipt that sound amount to great to pay, please contact Idaho Lottery. I about died! So, I’ve been hownding Dh to call since Monday. So I’ve had 3 days to “Imagine” what it would be like to win $26,000. Can you imagine! Off of a $3 ticket? WOW! Well DH finally gets a hold of the Idaho lottery today and the reason it says that is because (this is what they say, not sure I believe it entirely) AT THE VERY SAME TIME we went to scan our tickets a girl 45 miles away was scanning her ticket worth $26,000 and it jammed the system. BOOOO!!! They said they had to reset the tickets (?) and that they will scan now. We haven’t went and rescanned them yet. But ugg, can you imagine that much money!!

So my long drawn out question is, What you do if you won the lottery?

I would buy a house in the country and have lots of babies. Those are the two things in my life I wish I could do right now!

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Wendy~Self-proclaimed hippie momma to Bob and Jamie

Every once in awhile we fantasize about it, but we don't play the lottery. Kind of stupid to fantasize then, huh?

I have heard the horror stories of people who do win. It seems to wreck marriages.

I guess I would spend some to finish out our home nicely, window coverings and maybe some landscaping.

Shore up the retirement fund better. That is boring, but I couldn't enjoy anything else if that didn't get done.

Visit my in-laws.

Have a long talk with hubby about who needs help and how we could do it best.

Well you have to play to win and i don't play LOL so I never think about it. My dad wastes his money every week (for at least 20 some odd years) on lottery tickets. He wins a few dollars here and there but nothing big. Personally, I'm too much of a realist-he could have been putting that money in a savings account (he spends $5-10 a week) all these years and had a nice balance by now. JMO

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I am only one, but I am one. I can not do everything, but I can do something. I must not fail to do the something that I can do. -Edward Hale

knowing my luck I would fall over dead of a heart attack or something & never get to enjoy the money! BUT... at least my family would be taken care of!

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Lookin' for a bargin?? Check this out - http://mommysavers.com/boards/grocery-bargains/

I think it is fun to dream about it!

I know just the house on the lake that I would buy!

Marlene

i would save half of my money for emergency uses. . the other half would be for my family needs and wants. i would also invest some part of it. .

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every penny counts!
for my baby

I don't agree with gambling, so I never play. But I do enter the PCH sweepstakes at least once a month. I have only ever ordered a magazine once from them, all the other times I just enter for free. I would have bought the magazine anyway.
So, I would tithe buy a house, and some great homeschooling materials. New fuel effient cars too. Invest I guess. Hubby would quit his job and focus on helping abused children, and go on all the mission trips to Mexico. I would keep my little job at church. Besides getting a few tiny luxeries like clothes that fit well, and a small vacation each year. I really can't think of much else.

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"Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly, and applying the wrong remedies."
-- Groucho Marx

If I won $26,000, I would buy a car today. It's next on the list of things we're saving up for.

If I won, $260,000 I'd pay off the mortgage and max out our retirement and kid's education funds, after I bought the car.

If I won, $2,600,000, I'd buy the car, pay off the mortgage, max out retirement and kid's funds and put the rest in an income fund to pay myself until I'm 100.

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A guy I work with won $100,000 on the raffle ticket things they do here in MI (and probably other states). I saw when he won, it was pretty funny. He's a pretty good sized guy, and I thought he was going to go down - they were checking the numbers at work at the end of the day, and his came out. He started hyperventilating and everything.

I think he ended up putting half in savings, then used the other half to get some "wants" - a new Wii was one, and to work on his house. He had a lot of things he was trying to work on in the house, and he used that money to ramp up production. He already was pretty comfortable in living, car paid off, had purchased the house with 20% down, no other debt, living within his means, so he continued to spend the extra wisely. He didn't change either, still was the very nice, shy, and good guy to work with. He didn't talk about it much either. I still won't forgot how he looked though when he found out!

I'd have to play to win. I don't even remember the last time I bought a scratch off ticket - years ago. Every now and then I'll get a $1 Big Game ticket, probably once every few years.

If I did manage somehow to fall into a large chunk of money, I'd pay off the vehicles and house, and then use it toward working on our house. I can't think of anything crazy or extravagant to use it on. I'd also save for college for the baby, and our retirement.

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