Many of us dream of winning the lottery. I have to admit that I do, too, and that's why I keep on buying lottery tickets or entering contests. It's that allure of "What would happen if I didn't have to worry about money?" Am I right?
But what does happen when you win the lottery? Does it change your life for the better or the worse? That was the recent question asked in a Reddit community, and here are a few interesting answers to it.
"I dated a girl in high school and she seemed very middle class but had really nice cars, a cottage, and went on a lot of her trips. She said her dad was retired and her mom worked at McDonald's which threw me way off. It was three weeks into our 'relationship' she told me her dad actually won the lottery but she doesn't tell anyone so they don't treat her differently. I never did. We didn't last, though."
Ah, too bad, ha, ha.
"Best friend won over $1.1-million during a company trip to Monaco. He did nothing with it for six months, ended up buying a race team, and became co-owner of a small race track. Lucky bastard."
Whoa, must be nice, huh? I wouldn't mind that at all, ha, ha.
"My brother came into a lot of money. $140k to be precise. He spent $50k on a car and wrecked it within a month. He is now back to zero and living paycheck to paycheck. He did, however, pay for his uni upfront."
On the other hand, there's that.
"I know a man who has won and it got really bad. The whole family wanted to have a piece of the cake, all they did was have fights about the money."
Honestly, I can see how that could happen, especially when you have a large family. Personally, I would just like to keep it quiet.
"My husband's mother met a couple on a cruise who had won the lottery (quite a sizable amount) they had a huge huge mansion to live in designer clothing, cars, you name it but were completely miserable. They said that it tore their family apart because they are all after their money if they don't give them any they are considered stingy (mean) if they give it out they are looked upon as showing off their wealth."
Wow!
"A former coworker of mine won $24,000. He immediately quit his job and came back for another one a week later. He obviously didn't get his old job back."
Yikes! First of all, $24,000 isn't a lot of money so I don't know what this person was even thinking. Second of all, it's not good to burn bridges. I guess that's the life lesson he learned, right?
"Someone I know won years ago and it was shocking how quickly he went through the money. Gave so much away to 'friends' and family members. Basically, anyone who asked (or demanded) money. He partied and drank the money away."
I feel bad for this person, that's for sure.
"I had a family member win a pretty sizable amount of money about 16 years ago. They could've paid off their debt, bought a home, saved the remainder, and lived comfortably for years. Instead, they gambled, gave away money to friends, and needlessly spent money on things they didn't need. And now, they are flat broke."
Not surprising at all.
"My mom's uncle won a couple million in the regular state lotto. He blew it on a huge house and fancy cars. He forgot that property taxes on a mansion are outrageous."
See, this is exactly why I would never keep a huge house. The property taxes alone make it not worth it. But some people just like to show off.
"Knew one person who won the lottery. He paid his back child support, and bought [himself] a place to live and that took most the money."
Sometimes, the money just doesn't go that far and that's just a fact.
"Seen people come into money through settlements and such, they get a girlfriend and a car, and live large for a period. Then the money is gone, the car is in bad shape and the girlfriend left."
Those are just a few sad facts of life. Am I right?
"The absolute worst catastrophe I saw was from one friend. He received $2.3-million as an advance. He immediately spent $1-million as the down payment for custom-ordered exotic cars that would be arriving in months. He then proceeded to spend $50,000 a day on sex workers, drugs, and alcohol for his friends."
Wow, I have no words, really.
"My younger siblings had a high school teacher who won $21-million. He had to leave his job teaching (which he loved) because students and fellow teachers were harassing him for money."
Oh, man, that's not right.
"My ex-girlfriend's aunt and uncle have won three times: $1-million, $50k, and $1.2-million — all in the span of 4 or 5 years. They bought new cars, remodeled the house, didn't pay off any debts, and didn't pay off their house or cars. They are currently in more debt than they were before the lottery."
When will people learn?
"I remember a local family who won $10-million, like, 25 years ago. They bought a giant house and all the cars, quit their jobs, etc. Today, they no longer live in that house and last I heard, they don’t have a penny left."
Oh my! That's unfortunate, huh?
"A friend of my boyfriend's parents apparently won a jackpot at the casino when she went in on a whim.... she became addicted and eventually gambled away her winnings, and then hers and her husband's savings."
That's quite sad, no?
"My Dad's neighbor won about $500k from the lottery. Within 2 weeks he had bought a new double-wide trailer, a brand new dually truck, and a MASSIVE ring for his brand new girlfriend (For some reason she showed up as soon as the money hit his bank account. Weird right?).
A month after that he had added a new 4-wheeler, a new car for his girlfriend, and an RV. Fast forward a little over a year later and his trailer was already dumpy, his truck was totaled, his girlfriend had suddenly disappeared and he was wondering where all his money went. Now he's an alcoholic."
OMG!
"Years ago, someone in my hometown won the lottery and it went right to their head. They bought a red Ferrari, crashed it a week later. It was a write-off so they bought another one. They currently have nothing to show for it, which is sad because it was enough to change lives."
Oh my goodness!
Winning the lottery would be great, and it can definitely change your life. The only issue is whether you let it go to your head or can you handle the situation well? I guess that's the biggest lesson we can learn from these examples here, huh?
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