Search This Blog

Friday, February 10, 2006

$1 for a dream

Ever since Powerball came to Oklahoma last month, I've heard people on television, on the radio, in the check out line talking about what they would do if they hit the big jackpot.

That's what makes the lottery so attractive. Here's the ordinary Joe or Jane, happy with family, happy with job, but able to plunk a buck down for a dream of something out of the oridinary.

I've never been much for gambling, but I broke down and bought a Powerball ticket today. Tomorrow's drawing is worth an estimated $250 million. My chances of winning are nil, but hey, it's a dream. So dream I will...

Pay off the bills
Pay off the student loans
Buy a house for us, for my parents, for each of our children (Hey, real estate here is not as high as in NYC or other places. And despite what Charles Barkley says, we don't all own chickens.)
Probably buy a nicer car.
Set money aside for the grandkids in a trust
Give some to charity.
Save the rest, invest and make sure it's there when we're ready to "retire" and travel.

I doubt that I would quit my job. My husband would probably quit his and finish his master's degree, then go back to work.

I hope that we wouldn't blow it, but the temptation would be great. We probably would take flying lessons and buy a plane, just because it's something we've always wanted to do.

So what do you think? How often do you buy a lottery ticket, and do you allow yourself to daydream a little bit?

3 comments:

Gina said...

I rarely play the lottery. I do daydream about what I'd do if I played and won a big jackpot. But I know I wouldn't want to stop working even if I won millions upon millions of dollars. I might scale back my hours, but I wouldn't quit altogether because I'd go stir crazy.

Anonymous said...

I would go into work and tell my boss I quit. I wouldn't ever have to step foot into Student Death ever again and touch another single chart as long as I live. I wouldn't have to deal with the med student jerks that think they are GOD and should be waited on hand and foot. I could tell them to shut up and sit down like the rest of the sick students waiting, oooh that would be so great to do. I could take more than 12 hours a semester and get to graduate before May 07. And I would move far away from Columbia,MO. Maybe even finally to NYC. I could afford to live there then and even have M in a private school. My dream cost me four dollars though, but that was a good four dollar dream. -S

Anonymous said...

I would totally quit all my jobs. I'd volunteer at the zoo and keep myself busy running my charity. Oh yeah, and cruising around the world wouldn't be conducive (sp?) to any kind of real employement.
Let's see....20-40,000 a year, versus interest on 150 mil......nope, no need to work. I could live great and still have plenty o-money left over. of course I've had years of training living on nothing :-).
C.