If you won a big lottery

[scootrd]

I was asked the other day what would I do if I won a big lottery (which will never happen cause I don't play).
But I started thinking about it.  A few things different perhaps:

• I own an old two story 1600 sq ft house , As I  get older stairs are becoming a pain, and upkeep is getting harder. I would probably down size to a new 1200  sq FT Ranch home on a few more acres which required less maintenance.
• My wife and I would would love to stay home on the farm with our critters rather than work so I suppose we could afford to finally do that also.
• I would pay off my Mom and sister mortgage, and give my sister some college money for my nephews for when they got older.
• My buddy down the road lost his Job recently so I would give him some money to help him get caught back up.
• I would buy a whole collection of Zane Grey novels for our town library.
• In our town postal carrier has to use their own vehicle to deliver mail (Town doesn't supply vehicle) and our postal carrier cant afford a new Jeep (the old one is falling apart, and I have had to help fix a number of times) I would probably buy a new Jeep for 'em.
• I love my used Ford V10 so I probably wouldn't buy another truck anytime soon.
• I would probably purchase a Rem CDL SF.
• I could finally afford to purchase some reloading equipment and a nice Gerstner oak tool chest.
• I always wanted to see the Canadian Rockies before I die so we probably could do that.

 

Anyway , I shared these thoughts to the person who had asked the question and he thought I was nuts cause I couldn't think bigger.  Truth is other than those above , I guess there is just not much different I would do.

How about you? What would you do different if you won a Lottery?

[Heather]

The first thing I would do is pay off all debt incurred by my grandparents and pay all of our debts to GB off.  Then I would buy a chunk of land and build an underground house which is self sustained to live off the grid.  We would need plenty of farm land and a natural water source and all of the farm animals that would fit.  When all of the preparations for the end of times is complete I would invest the rest in gold.

Heather

[myronman3]

i would go to florida and and shoot some iguanas.   

[scootrd]

i would go to florida and and shoot some iguanas.   

I thought you already booked your flight.

[GeneRector]

  Howdy! If I won a big lottery I might choose the 20 or 30 year annual payment instead of a single amount.  This would create a known amount coming in every year for a long time.  First thing I would do is hire 24/7 body guards for me and my immediate family.  Next, I would hire a staff of people to screen all phone calls and mail. Only, immediate family and friends would be allowed to see us as well as whatever business deals that would be made. I would be very, very careful for any request for money. You give money once, no matter how much, and it is never enough.  There will be many, many more requests by the same people or organizations.  Then, I would make sure that any investment, be it gold, stocks, bonds, or CDs, would be relatively free of great risk to principle and interest.  Then, I would set up a trust fund for my immediate family.  Then I would plan a long vacation with the family.  Just a few things I might do IF I won a big lottery!
Always,
Gene

[mcwoodduck]

When ever we have a big lottery here I buy $5 worth and while I am out on my walk I figure out what is the cash take home.
About 34%. With the State of California broke and the federal government broke I think they will go after lottery winnings at some point and adjust the 30 year payouts, and then figure out what I would do with it. A 100 million lottery turns into 34 million after payout and taxes so I then figure out,  Invest X, play with Y, give away so much and to whom,  and if I could afford to take people hunting and shooting with me year round.

[Old Grizz]

I would buy the state of Montana, throw everone out and live in the mountains.

[DalesCarpentry]

Here is a list of things I would do if I were to hit the lottery big.
1- Buy about 300 acres with a lake on it. Build a log house up the hill from the lake. The lake would have a little dock and dock house. I would also have my own private 500 yard range.
2- Send my wife and daughter shopping.They deserve it.
3- I would buy several firearms and ammo for them. I would have a few custom long range bolt action rifles.
4- Buy a new truck and buy my wife her choice of cars.
5- Buy my father in law a house and truck. He lives in an old trailer now and drives the same make and model old truck I drive now.
6- Pay off my brother in laws house.
7- Help a good friend of mine out with some money. He has cancer and could use the money.
8- Build one very nice wood shop out back of the house.
9- Start some kind of group to get young kids shooting.
Well these are a few things I would do with a boat load of money. Dale

[Spanky]

I'd pay off all of my parents debt, buy them a big fancy RV, put alot of money in their bank account and send them on their way to see the country and enjoy themselves.
That's the least I could do for them after putting up with us 3 kids.

Oh and I'd buy a new pickup. My Ranger got smashed on Jan. 10th by some kid from NJ who was in a hurry to get to the ski resort.



Spanky

[Avyctes]

I don't play the lottery either, but if by some odd chance I actually played and won, I'd give my tithes out of it, explore other areas of giving which is something I wish I did better at, and I'd help many many friends and family members.  I don't have lavish tastes, but I'd probably have a much nicer gun collection I'll admit   And my wife would get that new living room furniture she wants.  I've read and heard so many stories of people just going down into a pit after winning a lottery that it would be something I would avidly avoid and guard against.  I like to think I wouldn't change much;  I'd probably stay right where I am, but would definitely get some of those honey-do projects done.

[powderman]

Before I spent a dime, God would get more than his share right off the top, because all good things come from him. Debts would of course be paid. Friends and family would live well and be debt free. Buy several hundred acres, build an underground house in the middle of it with only one road going in. Nice shooting range and several new toys of course.  I would do my best to build a spouse abuse center in our county, a longtime dream of mine.   I'd like to travel, nothing fancy, I'd just like to see every state in America. If it were possible to safely see old Jeruselum I'd like to go there.
HEH. When I worked at a liquor store years ago a couple guys were discussing this. 2 of them said basicly the same thing, take care of Mom and Dad, buy thisnthat. The 3rd guy said, I'd go buy a pack of cigarettes. The other 2 said , HUH??? He said yep, cause thats the last time you sorry sobs would ever see me, he was their BIL. POWDERMAN.  

[LONGTOM]

If it was a hundred million or more take home I would buy some exemptions from the government.
After all, isn't that what they just did with NEBRASKA & ALABAMA to get their vote ?    



LONGTOM

[SHOOTALL]

Get a lawyer to handle and invest it in trust funds that pay out what i want to live off of and what i want my kids to have to live off of . He could invest the rest for a profit and control gifts etc at my direction. He would insulate me from the day to day and protect me from over spending .
 OH yea , i would go to work on days I wanted to and work where I wanted to if I wanted to at all .

[rockbilly]

The first thing one should do is consult a GOOD tax attorney.  This is necessary to keep the government from getting the lion share of the winnings. Determine how the money will be paid out to you, how it will be distributed in the event of your death, etc.  I would do this hand have all the ducks in a row prior to presenting my claim for the money.  In addition, it should eliminate some of the leaches that will come out of the woodwork.

I know of one young lady here in Texas that hit the big one a few years ago, she failed to prepare properly, did not do any of these things…………..she is BROKE today. 

[m-g Willy]

Well if any of you ever do hit the big jack-pot
The first thing you should do is to e-mail ME!
That way I can intruduce myself personaly to you as YOUR best friend!

PS.-Until you win the big money ----Don't bother me!!!

[Questor]

Believe it or not, the changes wouldn't be that great for me. (I'm not rich now, by the way.) The important things will still be the same. I'll still focus on my family and friends and hobbies. The work will change but it will still be work.

But it would solve some problems related to financial security. That would be very nice.

I'd probably travel more than I do now, but not a lot more.

[nw_hunter]

I was asked the other day what would I do if I won a big lottery (which will never happen cause I don't play).
But I started thinking about it.  A few things different perhaps:

• I own an old two story 1600 sq ft house , As I  get older stairs are becoming a pain, and upkeep is getting harder. I would probably down size to a new 1200  sq FT Ranch home on a few more acres which required less maintenance.
• My wife and I would would love to stay home on the farm with our critters rather than work so I suppose we could afford to finally do that also.
• I would pay off my Mom and sister mortgage, and give my sister some college money for my nephews for when they got older.
• My buddy down the road lost his Job recently so I would give him some money to help him get caught back up.
• I would buy a whole collection of Zane Grey novels for our town library.
• In our town postal carrier has to use their own vehicle to deliver mail (Town doesn't supply vehicle) and our postal carrier cant afford a new Jeep (the old one is falling apart, and I have had to help fix a number of times) I would probably buy a new Jeep for 'em.
• I love my used Ford V10 so I probably wouldn't buy another truck anytime soon.
• I would probably purchase a Rem CDL SF.
• I could finally afford to purchase some reloading equipment and a nice Gerstner oak tool chest.
• I always wanted to see the Canadian Rockies before I die so we probably could do that.

 

Anyway , I shared these thoughts to the person who had asked the question and he thought I was nuts cause I couldn't think bigger.  Truth is other than those above , I guess there is just not much different I would do.

How about you? What would you do different if you won a Lottery?

Honestly don't know! 

[mcwoodduck]

I have a friend that said he would call all of his friends and relitives and say he just lost his job and he needs some $ for food and the house and see who says yes, then send them back their $ ten fold.

[45-70.gov]

i would  act  like rodney  dangerfeild  in  ''back to school''

[Questor]

mcwoodduck:

That's a good use of some extra income. That's cool!

[powderman]

I have a friend that said he would call all of his friends and relitives and say he just lost his job and he needs some $ for food and the house and see who says yes, then send them back their $ ten fold.

Not a bad idea, I like it. POWDERMAN. 

[Graybeard]

Since I'm not a gambler and don't play lotteries what I'd do is kinda moot as it ain't gonna happen.

But let me relate to you a little story about a fellow who worked for me who kinda more or less did win the lottery tho not exactly. This fellow lived a plain and simple life. His wife gave him $2 each day to bring to work with him and that was to pay for his breakfast and lunch if he wanted to eat. Nope she didn't fix him anything to bring so he ate at the cafeteria.

His aunt died and he was the sole heir to her fortune of roughly a million bucks. This was around the early '90s so it was then worth a whole lot more than it is today. Now he was not a poor man before cuz he was so tight he squeaked when he walked and had saved and invested in stocks a large part of what he had made prior to this. He turned the inheritance over to the same investment firm that managed his money.

He bought himself a new small Toyota pickup truck he did splurge for a 4x4 and he bought himself a couple new pairs of jeans. I think his wife got a new car if I recall correctly.

He continued to come to work with $2 in his pocket each day and nothing else in his life changed. He continued to work for me until he reached retirement age. At that time he took his retirement and went home.

I've seen him a few times since. He did for awhile move to FL in a vacation condo they bought but decided they really didn't like FL so sold it and moved back to the same house they had been living in before. Last time I saw him he was still wearing those worn jeans from when he worked for me and was still driving that 4x4 Toyota he bought.

If he changed anything else it was not obvious to me. Someone will get a huge pile of money when he dies as he did when his aunt died. The last time I discussed it with him his fortune was over the $2 million mark and still growing. Pretty much nothing changed in his life.

Let's just say that if I were to become rich I would not be like my former employee Pat.

[teamnelson]

This is always fun, and the answer changes year-to-year. Like others, it'd be a miracle for me to win since I don't play, but ...

. Tithe; set up a couple funds for my kids; pay off parents debt.
. Retire and make myself available to pastor places that can't afford a fulltime (a few thousand of those around). Maybe teach overseas at a bible college/seminary for a few years.
. Get a nice small place on or near a yacht club or with a slip (for my wife), and a sailboat (for me).
. Knock out the bucket list: hike AT, sail a TransPac, visit China.

[gwhilikerz]

I just saw something on Fox News that may be of some concern for any of you that do win the lottery. This guy won several million dollars in the lottery. You would think his world would be all sunshine and lollipops after that. He gave money to friends, family, and to those that had 'emergencies". When it became obvious that he could never find peace because of all the people hounding him it was time to get a "trusted advisor". His lady friend convinced him she was perfect for the job and he would be able to just fade away from public view.  So he gave her the job. She had him make a video tape stating that he was dropping out of society and would just disappear, leaving her in charge of his financial matters.
 He disappeared sure enough. They found him buried in the woman's back yard.

[Hooker]

I'd go fishing until deer season rolled around.

Pat

[cwlongshot]

I'd go fishing until deer season rolled around.

Pat

I LIKE THAT.. then Hunt deer till fishing season opened again...

Ahh wouldn't it be nice...

Pay off the bills, set up my family and friends. Buy another piece of property and build a home and enjoy life.

CW

[Hooker]

I already enjoy life the money would just make it easier to do more of what makes life enjoyable.

Pat

[Cabin4]

Sell our house, then quite work. Move to Idaho. Maybe near Ruby Ridge.

[gypsyman]

Set up a blind trust. Pay off my house, wife's student loan, set up my business. Then, depending on how much I won, some of you guys will like this idea. If I could, get together with some of the major company's in the firearm business. And set up a major shooting range, probably somewhere in Missouri, as it's close to the center of the lower 48.
Except, I mean a major range, all kinds of distance's out to a mile. And, the kicker would be, the motel on the range would be like a water park for adults. After a hard day of shooting, go to a hot tub and relax. Golf carts to take you out to the shooting line. Yep, first class operation. Oh Well, spent a dollar today for Fridays drawing. Wish me luck. gypsyman

[highwayman]

scuba dive the world.