Evvvvvvveryone is getting carried away with Powerball. For those of you residing in other countries or under rocks, our 44-state lottery has reached a record-setting jackpot of $1.3 billion. Yes, billion. Mike has participated in an office pool for the last two drawings (total winnings so far: $11), and I’ve twice run over to our local donut shop to get a ticket. Annabel and James always win, because I buy them donut holes, too.
The psychology of these huge lotteries always strikes me as a little bizarre (and I say that as someone who is holding onto a ticket for tomorrow’s drawing). Everyone buys a ticket when the prize is huge, but it actually makes a lot more sense to buy a ticket for the smaller lottery games (you know, where your chances of winning are a far more reasonable 1 in 258,890,850 instead of Powerball’s 1 in 292,201,338). It’s also kind of funny how everyone thinks they have a chance despite the long, long, looooong odds. Someone at the donut shop said, “I might as well buy a ticket, someone has to win, right?” Except…no. That’s why the jackpot is so high, because no one has won the last several drawings!
I saw a tweet today that said:
Chances of getting into an accident when texting: 1 in 4.
“Won’t happen to me.”
Chances of winning Powerball: 1 in 298 million
“You never know!”
Mike and I have been enjoying the “you never know” of it and spent last night talking about what we’d do with our billion dollars. Annabel wasn’t too interested in our discussions about charities and investments, and didn’t tune in until we started talking about moving into a 5,000 square foot apartment on Park Avenue or a beachfront mansion on Maui. That’s when she informed us she loved our home and didn’t want to move.
Mike: But we could live anywhere in the entire world!
Me: Yeah! We could live down the road from the future king of England, or buy an island in Dubai!
Annabel wasn’t having it, though. She wants to stay here no matter what (which is sweet, really). So, if we hit it big we’ll be right here…but I will have some really nice shoes.
Who’s playing? What will you do with your winnings? I know of a really great charity
DefendUSA says:
Aw, Annabel is so sweet. We play that game with our “big” kids. We gamble when the power ball is over 150 million. These days, I don’t want for much…I would stay in my house…I would go to Europe one more time but it has to be at Christmas. And, I would love to go to the Villeroy & Boch Factory and design my own dishes. That’s it.
Three in college and one in HS…they just hope that money could take the stress off their Dad….
Jordan says:
that’s so sweet– how I feel too. if it could take the stress off my family for money, I’d be content with whatever the amount.
Johanna says:
The chance may be slim to none, but it is still fun to dream about what one would do with all that money!
Definitely would give money to various charities (of course Friends of Maddie would be on that list :-)).
I think ultimately I would love to open an animal sanctuary with a big win.
Sara Mc. says:
We always play the ‘what would you do’ game too. Discussing it this weekend, I said “pay off credit cards, car, etc.” My mom was a little dumbfounded by my response as she said that wouldn’t even be a drop in the bucket. Priorities first because then I’d have A LOT of fun planning my future home. Good luck!
Valerie says:
I cannot even comprehend winning that kind of money. It’s very exciting to think about, that’s for sure. I bet it would be difficult to adjust, knowing you could buy anything you could possibly dream of. It really is fun to do the what if game though.
Marjorie Steele says:
We were just discussing this at work! I live in Niagara Falls Canada and there are many people actually driving over the border to buy tickets. I always wondered why they don’t split the draw and make 100 people’s lives better? Good Luck!
Kristi says:
The money spent on buying a ticket is WELL WORTH the dreams of what you would do. I liken it to Vegas gambling…
I would buy all my family houses. Definitely take me and my besties on the ‘trip of a lifetime’, maybe bring along my hubby too
Jennifer says:
I’ve always considered the lottery to be “renting a dream” for a few days. You buy the ticket and you make so many plans. My plans change each time. I know that I’m more likely to be struck by lightning than win the lottery, but isn’t it fun to rent that dream for a little while?
Maddy says:
Yup, I always considered this to be the logic behind it. You pay a few dollars to get some time pretending you could win and all the great things you could do if it did happen, which is definitely worth it. Although the lottery over there has gotten to a truly crazy amount! In NZ where I live once it hits a $30 million jackpot someone HAS to win it, which seems a bit more reasonable, cause that would more than set you up for life
Mandy says:
My husband and I have also been discussing how we will spend our billions. Ironically, ‘pay off the mortgage’ was the first on both of our lists. HA! Big dreamers here in KY!
Glenda says:
I agree with Jennifer… fun to rent that dream for a little while… because everyone thinks they have the winning #s I played Weds and Saturday last week and won a big $4 for having the power ball It’s fun to play the “what would you do” and would you get lump sum or over 30 years… oh to dream… good luck to all that are playing.
Kelly says:
We are playing, of course. My youngest is a competitive gymnast and we live in very rural Northern California. I told her if we win, we can find the best coaches in the country and move there. She refuses, saying she can’t leave her gym. So my solution is that we buy the gym, hire her coach to be at her beck and call and convince Bela Karoly to come out of retirement to coach her.
Cheryl says:
It is fun to dream, pay off bills, buy my in-laws a home, buy me a new car (mine is 17 yrs old), give some to church and charities. Travel!
Rachel says:
The office pool cracks me up because if you all won, the company would lose a big chunk of people really suddenly. I work in a research lab and we all went in together. Our lab would probably cease to exist if we won. Or maybe we’d self-fund our research (take that NIH!).
Annalisa says:
LOL. Ask Annabel what she’ll do when she’s a grown up. I guarantee hilarity.
My 5 year old finally (I.e. after a year) relented and acknowledged she might have to move next door (note: good luck getting that neighbor to sell, kid). Before that she insisted that when she grew up she’d get my room, and her daddy and I could slum it in her room.
As for the lottery, my husband quoted someone else’s estimation of the odds: “It’s the same odds you have of opening a random house’s door and finding Nicholas Cage greeting you at the door”. He still bought a ticket on Sunday. I quipped he must really like Nicholas Cage.
Toni says:
If I win I will totally donate big time to Friends of Maddie! Good luck to all!
Val says:
I would fly to Atlanta, Georgia and pay my student loans off in person. In cash.
But after that? Live small and practically and make sure everyone close to me is taken care of. And have a lot of fun.
Andrea says:
I agree with Val. Live simply. Take care of family and friends. I would also like to donate to various charities, church, and those in need. I have always wished to be able to do what Oprah and Ellen do and make someone’s life better by helping. I also think it would be fun to do be able to do random acts of kindness whether someone needs it or not, just to brighten someone’s day. Finally, I have always wanted to visit the Grand Canyon and take my family (kids,parents, sister and her family) on a great vacation. And live happily ever after. And I would love to buy good health for all!
Jordan says:
pay off my loans. find my mom a nice modest house/car. Buy some new technology (new laptop etc). Then take care of friends and family. travel and not worry about money!