If I Won the Lottery

Just before Christmas break, one of my students' families won 10 million dollars in the Oregon lottery. 10 million! Can you believe it? The ticket cost $1, but the dad played every week. Still, a pretty good return in my opinion. Since that time there has been several articles in the local paper about how the money has been spent and their plans for the future.

The family chose to take the money all at once. Therefore, they were only the recipients of a meager 3.3 million. They have purchased a new home, a new car, and the dad bought a truck for one of his co-workers. All the kids (I believe there are 5 total) received new cell phones and the mom purchased a new sewing machine. She also quit her job at K-Mart. (Can't blame her for that one. I shudder at the thought of working retail.) And they set up college savings accounts for all their children.

Setting up the college accounts was commendable. I am so glad this particular student of mine has something to look forward to. Motivation has never really been his thing, but since their win I have seen tremendous changes in him. He would always complete the work assigned to him, but now he is more conscientious about being accurate. As an 8th grader with a 3rd grade reading level, school has had its challenges. I think the college account has been an encouragement; the proverbial carrot dangling in front of him, if you will. Yet, his binder is still duct-taped together...go figure!

Their win has naturally left me daydreaming for quite sometime. Oh, what I would do with 10 million in winnings!

*I would take the money in installments and immediately consult with a financial planner.

*We would move into a home with enough space for us and all of our crap. Hey, this would save us $30 a month in storage unit rental fees and would save me from melt-downs due to lack of space :) This house would have at least 4 bedrooms and double car garage. The closets would have plenty of room for storage and there would be at least 2 bathrooms. (Believe me, I have the whole floor plan worked out in my head.)

*We would probably have another child because we would have the space and could afford all of the diapers, formula, and day care.

*I would NOT quite my job, but I would take a year's leave of absence and we would travel.

*I would pay off all of our debts and the debts of my family members.

*I would save for future college accounts.

I'm sure there is much, much more I would do with the winnings, but this is merely a daydream. I would have to actually play the lottery in order to have a chance to win....