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I'm sure you've heard someone say "one day, when we win the lottery" before. But what if you did win the lottery? Would it change you?
You go to the newsagent, go through the whole ritual of buying a ticket like you do every week. You think to yourself that you'll never win, it's always going to be the dream that never comes true. Only this time it does. After all these years and all those pound coins you finally hit the jackpot.
Now that you're a millionnaire, you can finally quit working for Thomas Cook or that temporary accounting job. The morgage, all those bills you use to worry about, they don't matter anymore. It's as if all this weight has been lifted off your shoulders, your money problems are all behind you now. You can finally enjoy life.
Oh, if only it was that simple, along with the big novelty cheque you get a whole set of new problems. You've already started arguing with your partner about how to spend the money. Your family has been sending requests for financial help. And now your best friend isn't talking to you because he feels the money has changed you, but you know it's just because he's jealous.
Still want to win the lottery?
----
So what would you do with all the money? Would it change you at all? Do you think your family or your friends would see you differently now that you're stinking rich?
GP would it solve all your problems?
Kawada you could finally move to Japan and give up the idea of teaching.
@ngel you could buy your boys anything they wanted, but would your sisters be jealous of your new wealth?
pb, you can tell your daughters tales of princesses and you can bring them up as one. Or would they turn into spoilt little brats when they're older?
You go to the newsagent, go through the whole ritual of buying a ticket like you do every week. You think to yourself that you'll never win, it's always going to be the dream that never comes true. Only this time it does. After all these years and all those pound coins you finally hit the jackpot.
Now that you're a millionnaire, you can finally quit working for Thomas Cook or that temporary accounting job. The morgage, all those bills you use to worry about, they don't matter anymore. It's as if all this weight has been lifted off your shoulders, your money problems are all behind you now. You can finally enjoy life.
Oh, if only it was that simple, along with the big novelty cheque you get a whole set of new problems. You've already started arguing with your partner about how to spend the money. Your family has been sending requests for financial help. And now your best friend isn't talking to you because he feels the money has changed you, but you know it's just because he's jealous.
Still want to win the lottery?
----
So what would you do with all the money? Would it change you at all? Do you think your family or your friends would see you differently now that you're stinking rich?
GP would it solve all your problems?
Kawada you could finally move to Japan and give up the idea of teaching.
@ngel you could buy your boys anything they wanted, but would your sisters be jealous of your new wealth?
pb, you can tell your daughters tales of princesses and you can bring them up as one. Or would they turn into spoilt little brats when they're older?
Page:
I read an article recently about lottery winners. I think it was on the BBC news website somewhere, but I can't find it now. Apparently the vast majority of lottery winners have become less happy after they won, some even suicidal.
As far as I remember the reasons were similar to those mentioned here - loss of family and friends, and loss of purpose in life. We need something to strive for, and without it I think people lose their way very quickly. What you strive for doesn't have to be wealth and material stuff, but I think people are so used to thinking so much about money, that when they suddenly have all they want they don't even think about perhaps working for charity or something.
The other thing that happens quite a lot is that winners run out of money, incredible though it seems. As you pointed out £1 million isn't as much as you might think, and neither is £10 million. People give up work, buy an enormous house (or a few houses), a couple of flash cars, and go on an expensive holidy. Their expectations change - where they were happy to shop for clothes in River Island now they will only buy Prada; Pizza Express was nice before, but now it has to be the Ritz, and so on. This lifestyle costs so much more to sustain.
So, in brief, I think it probably does solve immediate problems, like how you're going to afford the electricity bill, but it also creates a whole load of new problems. And if you're not careful you end up back at square one.
I also don't do the lottery as it's gambling, so I'm not likely to win anyway.
As far as I remember the reasons were similar to those mentioned here - loss of family and friends, and loss of purpose in life. We need something to strive for, and without it I think people lose their way very quickly. What you strive for doesn't have to be wealth and material stuff, but I think people are so used to thinking so much about money, that when they suddenly have all they want they don't even think about perhaps working for charity or something.
The other thing that happens quite a lot is that winners run out of money, incredible though it seems. As you pointed out £1 million isn't as much as you might think, and neither is £10 million. People give up work, buy an enormous house (or a few houses), a couple of flash cars, and go on an expensive holidy. Their expectations change - where they were happy to shop for clothes in River Island now they will only buy Prada; Pizza Express was nice before, but now it has to be the Ritz, and so on. This lifestyle costs so much more to sustain.
So, in brief, I think it probably does solve immediate problems, like how you're going to afford the electricity bill, but it also creates a whole load of new problems. And if you're not careful you end up back at square one.
I also don't do the lottery as it's gambling, so I'm not likely to win anyway.
I wouldn't even attempt to live off £1 million for my whole life. If the winnings were more like 8 or 9 million, which they frequently are on the lottery, then I think you could live comfortably for 40 or 50 years.
I wonder how easily you could live off £1 million for the rest of your life.
If you had a normal bank account, and let's say the interest balanced out inflation, so it was neither gaining or losing real value.
If you want to buy a nice house, that's going to take a big chunk out of your million. At least it will if you stay in this country.
A nice house - say £250k.
A little 'mad money' to celebrate, buy a flash car, helps out your friends and family financially, say £150k before you 'settle down' with the money.
Leaves you £600k.
Let's try to stretch that out for 80 years of life. It gives you £7,500 a year to live on. £150 a week. After you've paid for your house of course.
Still, it's not much, doesn't buy you a particularly lavish lifestyle. And you've got all those long empty days to try to find yourself something to do, something to entertain you and keep you sane.
So at some point in your life, you'll have to go back to work.
Or you'll have to gamble your money on investments - that'll probably take a lot of work on your part too, and if you screw up you could have even less than you started with.
If you're not skilled and qualified, with a good work ethic and the right people skills, you probably can't get a job you genuinely want, one where you'd be happy in your work.
So for that million you're stuck scraping by financially, bored out of your skull, or you're playing the stock markets, living in fear of blowing it all, or you're in a dead-end job you hate to make sure you're really financially comfortable. Just like now.
Great.
So the money doesn't 'fix' you for the rest of your life outright, not until you win substantially more.
I'd still like it. I could go back to uni, go on holiday, it'd take the pressure off me financially while I look for 'real' work.
It's just not the cure-all it's cracked up to be.
If you had a normal bank account, and let's say the interest balanced out inflation, so it was neither gaining or losing real value.
If you want to buy a nice house, that's going to take a big chunk out of your million. At least it will if you stay in this country.
A nice house - say £250k.
A little 'mad money' to celebrate, buy a flash car, helps out your friends and family financially, say £150k before you 'settle down' with the money.
Leaves you £600k.
Let's try to stretch that out for 80 years of life. It gives you £7,500 a year to live on. £150 a week. After you've paid for your house of course.
Still, it's not much, doesn't buy you a particularly lavish lifestyle. And you've got all those long empty days to try to find yourself something to do, something to entertain you and keep you sane.
So at some point in your life, you'll have to go back to work.
Or you'll have to gamble your money on investments - that'll probably take a lot of work on your part too, and if you screw up you could have even less than you started with.
If you're not skilled and qualified, with a good work ethic and the right people skills, you probably can't get a job you genuinely want, one where you'd be happy in your work.
So for that million you're stuck scraping by financially, bored out of your skull, or you're playing the stock markets, living in fear of blowing it all, or you're in a dead-end job you hate to make sure you're really financially comfortable. Just like now.
Great.
So the money doesn't 'fix' you for the rest of your life outright, not until you win substantially more.
I'd still like it. I could go back to uni, go on holiday, it'd take the pressure off me financially while I look for 'real' work.
It's just not the cure-all it's cracked up to be.
I wouldn't really want to change my life in any drastic way. I'd just use the money to enhance my current lifestyle.
For example, instead of only being able to afford £30 for a night out, I'd take £300. I'd buy more games as well, because I can hardly ever afford to buy them.
I wouldn't want to move house because I've lived in the same house since I was born nearly eighteen years ago and I've no desire to leave yet.
I would probably quit college though if the amount was sufficient to live off for the rest of my life. My family would get a generous share of course.
For example, instead of only being able to afford £30 for a night out, I'd take £300. I'd buy more games as well, because I can hardly ever afford to buy them.
I wouldn't want to move house because I've lived in the same house since I was born nearly eighteen years ago and I've no desire to leave yet.
I would probably quit college though if the amount was sufficient to live off for the rest of my life. My family would get a generous share of course.
Machie wrote:
> GP would it solve all your problems?
I would say no as it's only money after all and that isn't really the cause of my problems at this time. I can't be too sure whether it'll change me as I like to think I have a balanced view on money but you never know until it actually happens.
Of course, it'll never happen as the lottery is a form of gambling and I don't gamble but that's neither here nor there.
I'd probably do a few things that I would have done if I had some money, like driving lessons, buy some consoles and games etc but I'd probably end up helping my family. Pay off their mortgages and debts etc.
> GP would it solve all your problems?
I would say no as it's only money after all and that isn't really the cause of my problems at this time. I can't be too sure whether it'll change me as I like to think I have a balanced view on money but you never know until it actually happens.
Of course, it'll never happen as the lottery is a form of gambling and I don't gamble but that's neither here nor there.
I'd probably do a few things that I would have done if I had some money, like driving lessons, buy some consoles and games etc but I'd probably end up helping my family. Pay off their mortgages and debts etc.
> @ngel you could buy your boys anything they wanted, but would
> your sisters be jealous of your new wealth?
If i was to win millions my sisters would benefit from it, although there would be some jelousy, no matter what there never happy and always seem ungreatful.
My boys could have anything they wanted but i wouldnt spoil them rotten, i would make sure they still wanted for something ;) its nice want and not always get. I think if i was to have everything i ever wanted wouldnt my life be boring.
I wouldnt go ott either, id get a house and make sure it was all paid for, id finally get my driving out the way pass my test and by a decent car. not having to worry about paying bills etc would be good enough for me.
> your sisters be jealous of your new wealth?
If i was to win millions my sisters would benefit from it, although there would be some jelousy, no matter what there never happy and always seem ungreatful.
My boys could have anything they wanted but i wouldnt spoil them rotten, i would make sure they still wanted for something ;) its nice want and not always get. I think if i was to have everything i ever wanted wouldnt my life be boring.
I wouldnt go ott either, id get a house and make sure it was all paid for, id finally get my driving out the way pass my test and by a decent car. not having to worry about paying bills etc would be good enough for me.
I'm sure you've heard someone say "one day, when we win the lottery" before. But what if you did win the lottery? Would it change you?
You go to the newsagent, go through the whole ritual of buying a ticket like you do every week. You think to yourself that you'll never win, it's always going to be the dream that never comes true. Only this time it does. After all these years and all those pound coins you finally hit the jackpot.
Now that you're a millionnaire, you can finally quit working for Thomas Cook or that temporary accounting job. The morgage, all those bills you use to worry about, they don't matter anymore. It's as if all this weight has been lifted off your shoulders, your money problems are all behind you now. You can finally enjoy life.
Oh, if only it was that simple, along with the big novelty cheque you get a whole set of new problems. You've already started arguing with your partner about how to spend the money. Your family has been sending requests for financial help. And now your best friend isn't talking to you because he feels the money has changed you, but you know it's just because he's jealous.
Still want to win the lottery?
----
So what would you do with all the money? Would it change you at all? Do you think your family or your friends would see you differently now that you're stinking rich?
GP would it solve all your problems?
Kawada you could finally move to Japan and give up the idea of teaching.
@ngel you could buy your boys anything they wanted, but would your sisters be jealous of your new wealth?
pb, you can tell your daughters tales of princesses and you can bring them up as one. Or would they turn into spoilt little brats when they're older?
You go to the newsagent, go through the whole ritual of buying a ticket like you do every week. You think to yourself that you'll never win, it's always going to be the dream that never comes true. Only this time it does. After all these years and all those pound coins you finally hit the jackpot.
Now that you're a millionnaire, you can finally quit working for Thomas Cook or that temporary accounting job. The morgage, all those bills you use to worry about, they don't matter anymore. It's as if all this weight has been lifted off your shoulders, your money problems are all behind you now. You can finally enjoy life.
Oh, if only it was that simple, along with the big novelty cheque you get a whole set of new problems. You've already started arguing with your partner about how to spend the money. Your family has been sending requests for financial help. And now your best friend isn't talking to you because he feels the money has changed you, but you know it's just because he's jealous.
Still want to win the lottery?
----
So what would you do with all the money? Would it change you at all? Do you think your family or your friends would see you differently now that you're stinking rich?
GP would it solve all your problems?
Kawada you could finally move to Japan and give up the idea of teaching.
@ngel you could buy your boys anything they wanted, but would your sisters be jealous of your new wealth?
pb, you can tell your daughters tales of princesses and you can bring them up as one. Or would they turn into spoilt little brats when they're older?
Page: