There is a game that I like to play with my husband called “if I won the lottery”, and it is exactly what it sounds like. We plot how we would spend the millions that would suddenly appear in our bank account. But would it answer all of our problems?
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If I won £500,000, there is no doubt about it, we would buy a house outright. Not a big house, just big enough to fit our large family. Maybe with a bedroom each for the kids, an office space for me, and a big kitchen so we could get the whole family around for special occasions. Not having to pay rent or a mortgage would free up a lot of our money, so we could enjoy spending what we make from our jobs on the kids or nice holidays. We would still have to work, although having a proper home office space would make my job a lot easier. I would have a space that can keep my random ideas. It would be painted baby pink with white furniture, a giant rose quartz would sit on my desk with a scented candle while I type out blog posts instead of doing it all on the dining table.
If I won £1,000,000, I would still buy a house, but we could probably leave our jobs if we made the right decisions about how to invest the remaining cash. Would it be a life of luxury? No, but it would be very comfortable. However, would I leave my job? The customer facing one? Absolutely, in a heart beat. My writing job that I have built from the ground up? Absolutely not. Would my husband leave his job and become a house-husband? Believe me when I tell you that this man would ditch his job instantly to spend the day making me coffee while I craft questionable prose in my imaginary pink office. He would do school pick ups, make me lunch and dinner, and would rub my tired brain at the end of every evening. His only question would be, “do I have to work my notice?”
What about a big jackpot? We are talking a few million pounds, even a few hundred million pounds. I would still buy that comfortable house that I can put my pink office, the large kitchen, and a bedroom for each of the kids. We would go on holiday a few times a year. Hell, we could even spring for the big spenders package at Disney Land and get breakfast with that giant rodent. I done the maths at this point and I can honestly say I would struggle to spend more than £5,000,000 (which sounds kind of stupid). So what do you do with the other 90-odd-million that is rattling around your bank account?
I don’t know about anyone else, but once you get into the big money amounts, it becomes a bit harder to imagine what you could use the money for. Of course, you could stick it all in the bank and your family for the next couple of generations could live a very easy life. You could be a wonderful person and donate a heap of it to charity. Or how about investing in some local businesses?
The problem is not what to do with the money, I’m pretty sure that you could find something to do with a sudden windfall of cash, it is what could change if you were that lucky? Or, more importantly, would you tell anyone that you have won? The Curse of the Lottery has become a talking point in recent years after people who have won big, have lost it straight away. People have gone public and found themselves surrounded by people who just want a slice of the action. And, as nice as it would be, would that amount of money be worth turning your life upside down for?
There is no real answer to these questions, and only you know what you would do if you suddenly found yourself getting a big ol’ cheque because you managed to guess what numbers come out of a machine one day. I do know that if I won the lottery, not much would change other than the house I live in. And maybe the car that I drive. Oh, and the clothes that hang in my wardrobe. Maybe a trip to Disney Land. How much does a personal chef charge?
What would you do if you won the lottery? Let me know in the comments!