The lottery is huge in New York State. HUGE. There are commercials for it all over the place, it has its own massive booth centrally located at The Great New York State Fair, and I frequently get in line behind people at the grocery store who are buying 20 different tickets requiring the recitation of approximately three thousand numbers. Irritating.
I don't remember the lottery being such a big deal in Arizona, but its presence is inescapable here. Which brings up the really fun question: What would you do if you won the lottery?
Now, my odds of winning the lottery are a big, fat ZERO, because I've never bought a lottery ticket in my life. But say I did buy a lottery ticket, and I did win, what would I do? I'm talking a really big, life-changing jackpot, not some piddling million dollars (pfffft). Like the Powerball thing, which is currently up to $118 million. With a $60.3 million cash value, whatever that means. So we'll say I ONLY won the $60 million. What would I do?
I have a hard time answering this question, because a lot of the typical answers don't apply to me. Quit my job? Don't really have one of those. Travel? Don't really like to leave my house a lot. Donate to charities? Well, yes, but that one is a little bit obvious, right? Buy a car? Yeah, I'd probably do this one. I would even go crazy and buy a brand-new car with, like, 6 miles on the odometer, depreciation be damned! Wild, I know.
I guess what I would most like about having that much money is not having to worry about the everyday things. The mower breaks? We'll buy a new one! The roof needs to be replaced? No problem, I'll just write a check! That would be nice.
But I'm sure none of you are as dull as I am, and you all have much better ideas about how to spend $60 million. So fill in the blank:
If I won the lottery, I would _____________________.
16 comments:
John and I haven't taken our honeymoon yet and don't plan to until 2010 - at which point it will likely be put off for another ____ years. If I won the lottery, I would tell the world "Peace out, I'm going on my honeymoon," followed by philanthropic donations.....
All the donations aside, I'd absolutely quit my job, pay off the mortgage & student loans, go back for a more extended trip through England (and Europe), send my parents to Rome like they've always wanted, and fly all my friends to a beach house for a huge reunion/vacation. Oh, and I might buy some new clothes, too.
I'd probably also pay Sarah Palin to go away.
I found your blog by way of my friend, YD, and I was immediately drawn to this post.
As non-lottery-players, my husband and I often like imagining what we would do if we actually won the lottery. Neither of us have ever purchased a lottery ticket. Not once.
We imagine ourselves buying a bigger farm with a farmhouse that would hold many more children (we're adopting). We would like to create a grant for military families like us who want to adopt.
We wouldn't want the lump sum either.
We would want to send money to Ninos de Mexico (an orphanage in Mexico City)
We would need a large can for all the kids.
That's it.
Love your blog!
Lacy
1 - quit my job
2 - redo the tiny kitchen in my 1920's era small house
3 - pay for my kids to go to college
4 - travel, travel, travel
5 - donate lots of money to the many small, struggling theatre troupes around town
But, like most of the other posters, first I would have to start actually buying tickets.
Ooh, I think it would be so much fun to go to my banker, ask him to anonymously identify some good people struggling to pay off a lot of debt. (You know, school loans and the such, they're really making an effort), then anonymously pay off everything they owe. How fun would that be???
Every once in a while I buy a ticket and am totally surprised when I don't win. Because I think that if all of a sudden the urge to buy one happens, then it's probably because I'm SUPPOSED to win. Apparently not.
We just had this discussion with friends on our way back from Crater Lake. Apparently, I totally suck. They wanted trips and travel and new cars and boats... all I could come up with was:
a) hot tub (I'm always cold)
b) outdoor pizza oven
c) property for a fainting goat and chickens
I mean, I'd pay off any bills but as far as stuff to WANT.... um, maybe a composter for in the house? A personal teacher for some quick lessons on the sticking points of knitting and quilting?
I think growing up on the ranch somehow taught me not to bother "dreaming" or at least not to "dream big" because what we have is what we have.
Oh, and a hoophouse so I could grow for more than 58 days.
If I won the lottery, I would:
1) QUIT MY JOB! (That would be the happiest moment of my life.)
2) Pay off all my debt and all my family's debt.
3) Give money to charities.
4) Give money to my mom.
5) Buy a house.
6) Live a little.
Oh, impossible lottery money (since I have also never bought a ticket). To stick with the superfical and fun stuff...I wouldn't quit my job (sorry to all those who hate their own - I love mine), but I would have to skip a month or three so I could travel. Ireland, Scotland, Africa - I would never be able to donate blood again! And pay someone to fix all the tiny, annoying things in my house that *I* should fix, but am too lazy to do so (new cabinet hinges, doors that swing right, the annoying cracked tile etc). And I would never clean a floor again....
I'd do the same as you, just live without ever having to worry again about how to pay for necessities. If that's boring, then I like boring.
Sheila
No way anyone can resist that question. It's a must answer.
I'd pay off my house and then make it perfect and then never ever move.
I'd pay off my family's debts and let my parents retire without concern for their health care or MediCal or whatever that stupid nonsense is that's always ripping them off.
But the voice of Bubba saying, "Lottery tickets are a tax on the stupid" rings too loudly in my head to ever allow me to get a ticket, so...
after charity...
i'd set up a college trust fund for all my nieces and nephews, grandkids, kids... full ride for four years... as long as you carry a 2.0... then if you want to go to grad school we'll talk...[i'm a sucker, i'd say yes]
then... i'd buy my dad a car because he totally deserves a new whatever he wants...
my in laws a house... but that's all because they hate me.
then i would move to anywhere but where i am at now...
and last i would take my kids and husband on vacation...
I'm getting in on the bandwagon here. I'd pay off family debts if any and then look for a house with indoors pool and hot tub with a room for my personal gym.
Quit my job to go on a cruise. After traveling i'd go back to school for a while before going to work again.
If I had a nickle for every time I thought about this, I probably would have $60 million.
I think I probably would quit my job, even though I don't hate it, so Joel and I could travel. I'd buy my parents and Joel's parents their dream house. I'd try to set education trusts or something for my nieces and nephews...
AND I think we'd try to buy a little vineyard or something? Would I even have enough to do that? $60 million doesn't go as far as it used to!
Unless someone stopped me I'd probably end up giving most of it away. Family, friends, random people on the street. How cool would that be to just walk up to someone and just hand them a thousand dollars? I'd love to see the look on their face.
Quit the job, distribute chunks to my family, travel, marry Jake.
First things first for me: a lovely locker room at the barn where I ride--whirlpool bath included. And then--land and a good herd of Guernseys and a nice little cheese-making plant. And an accountant and farm manager. And a new vehicle for Kristin and one for P. A good start--
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