If you wow the lottery

[Pat Pixley]

Know seeing the eight lucky people who just won the
 lottery I'm real happy for them.
 So I was thinking what if I wow the lottery?
  the new house for the wife and the new garage
  for me for the soda machine collection and then
 there is the dream machine's that we talked about
 earlier on this site.
  But I would have to keep the job  Monday- Thursday
 and Friday would be Pat's day for what ever the day unfolded
 Then I would have to take care of my daughter and her
 college needs. Then invest the rest.
 So  what would you do '>??    '>

 Pat

[loman4ec]

The first thing I would buy is a F350 dully diesel with a huge car trailer to pull around the country looking for machines and classic cars.

[firemun]

Hmmm, pay off my student loans...if the jackpot was big enough   '>   I would certainly try to make my family's life better as well as a few charities, churches and missions.

For a number of years I was involved in racing...and the running joke was:

The way to make a small fortune in racing is....to start with a large one.  I think collecting machines also fits this business model.  

I am sure I could work my way through several million building my dream garage and buying tools and equipment to fill it.  Down draft spray booth with an oven, powder coating equipment, chroming vat...you get the picture.

jeff

[collecture]

Hmmm...
1. Hire a full time lawyer to set everything up for my wife and kids should I die the next day.
2. Buy a bigger house with everything I could want in a house, but not too big.
3. Go to Hawaii and stay on a private beach with the family and no expense worries.
4. Continue on with life pretty much as it is now - I'm pretty happy now and wouldn't want to change too much. Well - maybe I could buy a $5300 Lyon and not blink an eye.
That would be the plan, but "Money changes everything..." Isn't that how the song goes?

[firemun]

Quote

Money changes everything..." Isn't that how the song goes?

I know there are plenty of stories of winners lives really taking a turn, some for the better...some for the worse.  I know 2 folks who both won over 10 million each (both from diffrent states for those who are wondering on the probability of knowing 2 people that hit as winners).

One was a part time wino before the lottery.  The lottery win allowed him to pursue that endevor full time and he drank himself into the grave less than a year later.  His family came apart at the seams fighting over the money when he died and brothers and sisters now do not even speak to one another.

The other winner (aside from having to move to another state to get away from people who knew he won) lives as happy as a clam.  He and his family do whatever they like, have a nice home and really seem to do very will wit the money.

I guess some folks are capable of handling it...others are not.

jeff

[Eric]

I bet there would be a lot of stress with it... extended family needs, friends... seems
you can't keep it quiet.. those guys wearing hats and glasses, that was a good idea.
Every charity is gonna find you. It would be crazy for a while... But I'd take those chances...
As for me... build our dream home (with a dream garage) wife could finally stay home and
raise the kids (not the daycare), No bills, a restored 1950 Studebaker Starlight Coupe sitting
in the garage , Do a lot of investing and maybe go into business with my brother building
homes like everyone else here in Franklin County Missouri.
Oh yeah... and find one of those Quikold Standards that I've been looking for!

[jasmine64]

open a B&B.

Restore a victorian in my hometown that is very neglected.

Pay off all the bils.

Get therapy for my soda machine addiction.

Expand my home business.

Hire someone to teach me how to work Frontpage 2003 correctly,
it's driving me nuts.

[collecture]

Firemun,
That first story is very sad. Addictions are a very tough thing to break. I have known many people with some serious drug addictions and it is so hard to help them unless they want to be helped. Most of them just wither away as they just can't handle life without some sort of stimulant. It just goes to show that money can't solve all your problems. Fortunately, like jasmine, my addictions are not lfe threatening.

I'm thinking a slightly bigger house, a couple of new cars, a nice vacation and a few new machines.  I would set up and education fund for my kids and then I would go out and find a job that I want to do and not worry what it pays, I'm thinking some job at the local golf course.  

I don't think that money changes everything, it just magnifies what was already there.  If you are good with money before odds are you still will be.  If your are the type that mismanages money then odds are you will mismanage this too.  There are quite a few stories of winners and how fast they were able to spend it all and file for bankruptcy after winning the jackpot.  Some were too generous and thought that it would never run out and ended up going broke due to charitable donations and parties with friends.

Heres to dreams....

[sodaworks]

I don't know what all I'd do but I do know the first thing I would do is "hire" the local high school marching band to parade around the cement plant I work at playing "Take this job and shove it"  '>