No, not really.
But on Christmas Eve, the lottery here was up to some enormous sum...either 7 million euros or 20 million euros...I honestly don't remember. Anyway, for the first time in my life (I think), we played the lottery. We spent 11 euros (split with my sister-in-law, so we actually only spent 5.5 euros for a chance at winning half of the amount). We chose numbers that were either meaningful to us, or made a pretty pattern on the ticket.
All night we kept saying things like: "This is our last dinner before we become rich."
We were certain we would win.
We did not.
Oh well.
This week's Friday Five questions made me think of that...so I decided I'd answer them.
You have just won one million dollars:
1. Who do you call first?
Samy, if he's not already with me...then my parents.
2. What is the first thing you buy for yourself?
If I was thinking about it, in terms of "what would I like to buy first with my new fortune", I'd go out and get a nice bottle of Champagne. However, knowing me, the very first thing would probably be something inconsequential...like groceries or a coffee, or something...just because I'd take lots of time to plan the material things I'd like to acquire. Some things that would come up in the first several weeks would include a dishwasher, and assorted other apartment furnishings...of course we're probably gonna be doing that with or without a million bucks of magical income. So perhaps I'd treat myself to a shiny yet tasteful piece of jewelry.
Within several months, I would buy a modest house (cash) somewhere in the area where we live (a real *house* not another apartment). I would then rent out our apartment, and let it pay its own mortgage.
3. What is the first thing you buy for someone else?
I would buy Samy a grand piano to put in the aforementioned house. This purchase would have to wait for the house, as there is no place in our apartment for a grand piano. (His Yamaha upright is fine, though...so don't feel sorry for him if we don't happen to get that million.)
4. Do you give any away? If yes, to whom?
I would give a pretty large chunk of money to my church, which is in pretty serious financial trouble at the moment. Hopefully this million will come before February 8, when we will meet to decide which programs to cut. (I'm quite troubled about this, but without my fake million I'm too poor to do much about it.)
5. Do you invest any? If so, how?
I guess I'd invest whatever is left after these initial crazy expenditures. I guess I'd do it in the most diverse way possible. Afterall, one million dollars minus whatever I bought isn't a huge huge huge amount of money, and I'd want to make it last as long as possible.
Of course you've heard the lottery referred to as the following...
1. a tax on people who are bad at math
2. a voluntary tax
That being said....I do buy a ticket on occasion. Only $1....for a good days worth of total escapism=money well spent.
I guess I'm bad at math after all
Usually just driving by the current-jackpot billboard on I-64 does it for me, and I drive that route every time I come home from church ($85M today). So in the past couple of months with these multiple jackpots, I've purchased six or seven around-the-world plane tickets, a decent-sized house in Fauquier County, VA, some unspecified type of housing in Florida, a condo in Montreal, and an entire fleet of SUVs. The private plane is on hold until I decide whether I'm dedicated enough to stick it out through flying lessons, though. ;-)
Come to think of it, I probably need to alter my route home from church, to avoid getting so materialistic five minutes after I leave.
Still not a religous man. Having never bought a lottery ticket, I am not giving God a chance to make me rich...I noticed you didn't mention paying off your PD scholarship or buying your poor old grey haired Dad a jet... Come to think of it a million dosn't go as far with jets as it used to. Youre right hon a million just isn't that much any more, only a million three or so euros.