Winning the Lotto

I would live in a deluxe cabin on a cruise ship seeing the world in style, till the money ran out. But I would pay off my children's mortgages, give them a hefty lump sum and buy them nicer homes first.

Pay off my daughters mortgage ….pay off my son in laws mortgage …. give my son money to buy a house ( he rents ) …. but I would not give them enough so they would never have to work…..I think work is what grounds us…..and having too much time to indulge yourself, is self destructive! Also an amount to my godson, as I’ve never ‘been there’ for him …me being atheist and him catholic! I’d then buy myself a bungalow with big garden and hire a gardener…. and lastly…I’d have my husband moved to a better care home WITH proper tv( sky) so he could watch his beloved football all day if he wished…..and not be forced to watch cooking/gardening/house DIY progs!!!
In fact ….he’s the first one I’d sort out …. no money spared!!

Best to let as few people as possible know. Help the ones you love and just enjoy life quietly.

I thought I was going mad when I saw a post from me that I couldn't remember writing. It was over 2 years ago!

DoraMarr your answer made me smile. I hope you win!

I would hesitate very much to even tell my family and friends if we won that kind of money ever. (Not that we will as we don't buy lottery tickets.)

Human nature being what it is it is sadly likely that if you did start giving your winnings away, those you gave money to would come back asking for more, or complain that you had given one of their sisters or brothers a like amount.

So if you win the lottery, use whatever amount you want, on doing the things you want, keep a sensible amount in reserve then either make a family trust, or draw up a will stating the the residue of your winnings (if any) when you die is to be distrbuted equally between x y and z.

This way, at least you won't have to listen to their complaints.

I know this conversation is an old one, but still interesting to read.
I would help my children and grandchildren, then siblings and wider family members, then friends and their children.
That would use up quite a lot, but there are many deserving cases.
Then it would be favourite charities and my church.Any left?
For the neighbourhood.Of course, I would keep some back for ourselves, but we do not need a great deal these days.

We moved house at the beginning of the year to a semi rural area and over the summer have been exploring some of the lanes nearby. Down a couple of them we came across two huge properties both totally different. One is designed like French Chateau the other is extremely modern and cubic ( I once saw something similar on Grand Designs and was German design). Both are gated properties. Chatting to dog walkers we've discovered both owners won the lottery (not at the same time) in the last 20 years and knocked down existing properties to build. One winner bought all the land around when it came up for sale to stop any possible development. Neither have children. I do wonder if they are happy living in seclusion behind the gates.

bikergran

I would remember the people that have helped me out when I was in need.

Best post of all.

I'd not tell anyone the amount I'd won - not even my son, in case he slipped up and told someone else.

I'd tell him that I'd won a fair bit of money, so that he wouldn't think he'd moved to a parallel universe (he is the one who gives me financial help) when I paid off his mortgage, all his credit cards and gave him a few million to be going on with.

I'd set up a loop-hole free Trust for him so that he'd never want for anything and the Trust couldn't give out money to his wife if he ever divorced. I'd also set up a Trust for his wife, as he's loved her for years and she's part of our tiny family.

Then I'd arrange for a sizeable yearly sum to be given to The Soi Dog Foundation in Thailand; the Fistula Clinic in Ethiopia and various other charities that I support.

I'd buy a fairly isolated property with lots of acreage (which I recently gave up due to age and permanent ill-health) but this time I'd make sure it had a cottage on the grounds for a couple who'd be cook/housekeeper and driver/gardener, and I'd buy a huge residential caravan for the three people I'd employ at good wages - they're usually p*ss poor! - to groom and muck out the horses, and look after the dogs and cats if I was too ill or off on the holidays I'd take!

It's not that I go to sleep each night dreaming of this .... well, ok, I do.

I see that I answered this question over two years ago. Well, it hasn't happened yet and my answer would still be the same, adding my new DGGD to the beneficiaries.

I'd retire early buy property for my DC, and pay off their debts from university. For me I would buy somewhere suitable for me and my widowed dad to live because he can't really manage on his own anymore. I support him with essential care and shopping but because I have to work full time I know he is neglected socially,
I'd also endow a fund to encourage older adults to go into education or career training so that it breaks the cycle of carers having to work in low paid part time jobs to fit with caring.
I too have been thinking about this a lot ?

As a kitchen designer, I’ve had four lottery winners as clients. When asked how winning so much money has changed their lives, apart from upgrading houses and cars, they all gave the same answer “family and friends”.
However much they gave away, someone was disappointed- expected more - the money affected a lot of people and also their relationships with them. They were never the same after the win.
I don’t do lotteries

I'd give £5 million to each blood relative ( so no doubling up for couples ), keep £5 million for me, and the rest, well over £100 million, would go to small charities. None of the big ones with CEOs paid extortionate salaries, but the little ones who struggle on through fundraising by friends, but do so much good. The ones I know draw no salaries, often do not even claim expenses, and do the charity work in their free time.

Doodledog

I thought I was going mad when I saw a post from me that I couldn't remember writing. It was over 2 years ago!

I would set up trusts for grandchildren. They would not get a lump sum...it would be spread out over several years. I would help my nieces and nephews. I would also help my son. Not sure about my two daughters as I never hear from them. I donate on a monthly basis to several charities...just a small amount. They would get a lump sum. I would buy a small house near the sea of course...who wouldn't. That's about it really.

My husband worked with a man who had won the lottery, his family dragged him through the courts for money and basically ruined his life. About 2 years ago when he was in a new job one of the ladies in his office told him she had won the lottery and he was the first person she had told because she had just checked her ticket. My husband rang the man from the previous job and asked if he would talk to the lady who had won, which he did. She was really happy with the info he gave her and said it would stop her having lots of heartache in the future from family.
I would still like to win though but when I do it is always £2.30 or £2.70.

I always promised myself if I ever won the lottery I would give half to charity although with £170 million it would be hard to find enough charities I support and difficult to monitor how it was spent.
I would then give to all relatives to varying degrees even those who couldn't be bothered to even send me a card on the recent demise of my DH. Not that I'm particularly well meaning just that it is so very much money probably easier to spread it around. The most would go to my Ds and family of course.

I have a very small circle of friends, personal friends I mean. So I'd have no problem knowing who to help there. I have 2 siblings, both of whom are well off and don't need any help. So thats good.
I have 2 children of my own and a stepdaughter I'd help straight away. 2 stepsons who don't bother with me, so I'd not really bother with them. (One doesn't bother his dad unless he wants something, while the other is self sufficient).
I'd buy myself a nice bungalow somewhere, after I'd sorted the 3 children. Put money in trust for all the grandchildren, as well as some in day-to-day accounts for them.
Make a will!!
I'd have a craft room so my crafts didn't take up space in our living room. An indoor-outdoor pool would be nice but not a must have.
I think I'd like a little holiday home somewhere, but in the UK.
I'd help locally, like youth centres and charities but I'd like to remain anonymous as I'm a socially quiet person anyway!
I'd pay for the outside of where I currently am to be sorted out, so my neighbours I've had here could have gardens instead of the dumping ground we now have - 2 have gardens, 2 have not! My neighbours inquired a while back and it would cost them in the thousands to have it sorted, which none of us can afford!!
I'd help charities like 'Love Quilts UK' who rely on volunteers to cross-stitch squares to send off to be made into quilts for very ill and dying children, up to age 19. There's an American one, too.
That's all I can think of right now.

I think it's an obscene amount for any one person to win, it should be spread over more winners or amount reduced. Probably would spoil your life rather than enhance it!
I would keep quiet about the amount I'd won, obviously help out my family but not so they could sit back and do nothing, think people have to strive for something in their lives to make them a better person.
And if course my favourite charities would benefit.

I do the lottery occasionally for no other reason than my life could cope with a new challenge I think. No decisions or plans on what to do with lots of money. Just the pipe dream is enough for an occasional flutter and really it is just a small charitable donation or contribution to making someone else’s dream a reality.

To win this amount at my age now would be perfectly fine with me. When younger I'd no doubt have gone on some mad spend, spend, spend.

I'd not tell a soul. Give the children some money. And donate large amounts to animal charities.

Then I'd just wander around giving to anyone I felt needed it.

DH won a Lottery ticket in a raffle today. He could have picked a bottle of wine instead.

Not a single number, the wine would have been nice.

It would be interesting to see if my estranged family crawled out of the woodwork.
It would be shared with my husband and nobody else.
Certain charities that should, by rights, be government funded, would benefit.
But individuals can go whistle.

I realize that the amount in the original post has already been won by someone - I wish them well!

I also agree with others that that is an obscene amount of money for one winner, and I think it would be better to have more, smaller prizes. We currently have a lottery that has a 70 mill CDN jackpot. Far too much for me to even consider how to spend! It would mean money managers, tax accountants and lawyers. I'm sure for very large winners they will set up their own charitable foundation to sort out donations. Mind you, I do have a ticket....