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To think winning £110M overnight would solve a lot of problems but bring a whole set of new ones?

284 replies

SereneFinch · Yesterday 08:04

Someone in the UK won £110M last night and I was just thinking about how they’re feeling this morning.

All your money worries are gone, you can buy a nice house, quit your job etc.

But I wonder if those problems are replaced with new ones. Some people in your life might be jealous. Or expect handouts and get angry about who gets what.

And then your DC. Do you tell them they still need to do their homework? That they’ll still need to have a job/career one day?

I’m not saying it wouldn’t be great, I'm just wondering if it swaps one set of problems for another.

OP posts:
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Timeforachange26 · Yesterday 21:44

pokewomans · Yesterday 21:42

Why bother playing the Euromillions if you don’t want to spend much?!

I don't play. I do the the normal lottery though ( once in a blue moon) . But " stuff" doesn't interest me

Genevieva · Yesterday 21:43

I think I’d set up a charitable foundation if I win this sort of money. I’d pay myself an annual salary and give the profits from the capital to charity. I’m really keen on educational opportunities for children, so I’d focus on that.

DontEatTheMushies · Yesterday 21:42

This is why I have a small circle of friends - and I woul dbe suspicious of any new ones!

As for relatives - only 2 I know that would possibly be dicks. The rest are all set up well so wouldnt even need whatever help I could give.

I would feel very stressed though trying to set up a social housing initiative...

Timeforachange26 · Yesterday 21:42

PoloThePolarBear · Yesterday 21:36

Well sure @Timeforachange26 if you don’t spend it people won’t know, but obviously most people do want to spend their money and wouldn’t really keep the same lifestyle if they had £110m in the bank!

Bjt I would have the same lifestyle. I like my life, why would I change it

pokewomans · Yesterday 21:42

PoloThePolarBear · Yesterday 21:36

Well sure @Timeforachange26 if you don’t spend it people won’t know, but obviously most people do want to spend their money and wouldn’t really keep the same lifestyle if they had £110m in the bank!

Why bother playing the Euromillions if you don’t want to spend much?!

pokewomans · Yesterday 21:40

jonnybriggswasgreat · Yesterday 21:38

Giving up work would be hard to explain. Maybe lie and say your new job that’s only WFH.

The rest can be explained by lies people have posted here - an inheritance, a pension payout, smart early investments. You can say you’re visiting friends or family to explain the travel, or just say you’re travelling somewhere cheaper than where you’re actually going to.

But we are talking about 100m, I could “hide” 10million or so and palm it off as inheritance but not 100m because my family and friends actually know each other 😆

jonnybriggswasgreat · Yesterday 21:38

dreamingofgoodhair · Yesterday 21:17

People saying they wouldn’t tell anyone, would you move ? Would you buy new cars , travel etc ? Give up work ?
You can’t explain those things away by the odd bonus and normal investments.

Giving up work would be hard to explain. Maybe lie and say your new job that’s only WFH.

The rest can be explained by lies people have posted here - an inheritance, a pension payout, smart early investments. You can say you’re visiting friends or family to explain the travel, or just say you’re travelling somewhere cheaper than where you’re actually going to.

PoloThePolarBear · Yesterday 21:36

Well sure @Timeforachange26 if you don’t spend it people won’t know, but obviously most people do want to spend their money and wouldn’t really keep the same lifestyle if they had £110m in the bank!

Timeforachange26 · Yesterday 21:31

PoloThePolarBear · Yesterday 21:19

True, but you don’t have to spend all of it for people to notice.

It depends on what you spend it on doesn't it. For example I generally travel a couple of months a year. Nobody would bat an eyelid if I increased it to 3 months and they wouldn't even know what I was spending abroad

I've no need for a large house or a sports car/ yacht etc

Nor am I interested in designer clothes.

So I'm really struggling to think how people would know

Dexternight · Yesterday 21:28

GoldenGail · Yesterday 21:25

I won £ 1,054,576 on Euromillions years ago and it changed my life in many ways but not enough to never have to think again about money. I think £10,000,000 would have been the huge life changer. £110.000.000 and I would have a charitable foundation giving away all the interest.

What did you do with the winnings?

GoldenGail · Yesterday 21:25

I won £ 1,054,576 on Euromillions years ago and it changed my life in many ways but not enough to never have to think again about money. I think £10,000,000 would have been the huge life changer. £110.000.000 and I would have a charitable foundation giving away all the interest.

PoloThePolarBear · Yesterday 21:19

Timeforachange26 · Yesterday 21:17

You can't spend that amount of money.

True, but you don’t have to spend all of it for people to notice.

dreamingofgoodhair · Yesterday 21:17

People saying they wouldn’t tell anyone, would you move ? Would you buy new cars , travel etc ? Give up work ?
You can’t explain those things away by the odd bonus and normal investments.

Timeforachange26 · Yesterday 21:17

PoloThePolarBear · Yesterday 13:35

If you spend the money then people start to notice!

You can't spend that amount of money.

CIaudiaWankleman · Yesterday 19:58

Can you imagine just existing for the rest of your days with no real purpose? I appreciate I’m lucky that I (mostly) enjoy my job but days and days of wafting around being rich sounds lovely for a week or 2 but then a bit dull.

Good grief- can you really not imagine doing anything with your spare time apart from working for an employer? 😱

I can think of soooo many things I'd do if I didnt have to work and had millions. I'd start a charity for a cause close to my heart, I'd volunteer, I'd do a degree in philosophy (which ive always wanted to do!), I'd adopt the oldest sickest dogs from shelters who nobody wanted, I'd set up scholarships for kids who couldn't afford universities, I'd travel and see the world and different cultures, I'd run a marathon, I'd spend time drawing and painting, I'd write a novel, etc etc

I find it so sad that literally the only things people can ever think to do in life is work 🙄. There is nothing wrong with enjoying your job- thats a good thing but to say you literally cannot think of anything at all to do outside of it is just...sad.

anyolddinosaur · Yesterday 19:18

lottery winners who have funded good things include

Centre for vulnerable young adults https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8e9d77j7yko

French town is Saint-Michel "The winners started their spending by completely clearing the debt of a local nursing home.
They quickly followed that up with a £343,000 donation to get a 'Housing for All' scheme off the ground. That single cash injection made up a massive 20% of the town's entire annual budget at the time. But it is the local children who have felt the biggest difference.
The family has footed the bill for the school's cafeteria ever since their win, spending £69,000 to upgrade the facilities so all 180 pupils can buy a nutritious meal every day for just £1.29.

Ray and Barbara Wragg won £7,649,520 on the National Lottery in 2000. Within an hour, Barbara was already talking about helping people who needed it.
That was not a short-lived reaction. Over the following 18 years, the Sheffield couple gave away about £5.5 million.

Colin and Christine Weir won £161,653,000 on EuroMillions in July 2011. The Weir Charitable Trust later became one of the clearest public records of what lottery-funded philanthropy can look like over time.
The Trust’s report for the year ended 19 December 2025 says that, since launch, it had made 733 awards with a combined value of just over £5.2 million to Scottish community groups, charities and community-interest companies.

I'd like to clear all the food debts at the local primary school. No idea how many there are or what it would cost.

A man in a white shirt and cloth cap opening a bottle of champagne outdoors with spray everywhere next to a woman in a yellow jumper.

Lottery winner funds Chichester centre for vulnerable adults

Steve Thomson, who won £105m in 2019, is funding the new charity building in Chichester.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8e9d77j7yko

GudrunB · Yesterday 18:29

We are looking at, at best 25 years of financing if we assume a conservative spend of 2million per year for the child and the same for parents.

Are you planning to keep it in the bank??

Buy the big house for £10m. Your wealth manager invests the rest. You draw £4-5m (real) a year without even touching the capital under most realistic scenarios.

Catza · Yesterday 18:14

You are welcome to do that.
I am simply saying that I wouldn't allow my children to give up education. I find it rather ironic how on another thread someone was vilified about allowing their nephew to stay up past his bedtime and accused the parents of said nephew of neglect, yet here everyone are quite happy for their kids to drop out of education because they happened to come upon some money.
I happen to believe that education is necessary to bring up well rounded adults and earning potential isn't it's primary goal. I also met some people with generational wealth, all of whom were educated. And I know quite a few people who unexpectedly ran out of their generation all wealth due to bad financial decisions and expensive lifestyles because their parents never taught them how to manage their money.
But sure... Let's just allow kids to drift.

GudrunB · Yesterday 17:56

Can you imagine just existing for the rest of your days with no real purpose? I appreciate I’m lucky that I (mostly) enjoy my job but days and days of wafting around being rich sounds lovely for a week or 2 but then a bit dull.

I think the key is that you need to keep a purpose, it can just be one completely unrelated to earning an income. Start a charity, restore a historic building, be a patron of the arts, fund research projects into things that interest you, rewild an area of land. There is lots you can do that isn't just wafting around.

Amazed at people saying they wouldn't expect their kids to work for their exams.

Cooshawn · Yesterday 17:40

I wouldn't tell anyone initially, and would have NDAs enforced before disclosing to my very nearest and dearest.

I'd give most of it away to causes who could do a lot of good with it because nobody needs more than a few million quid to live a very nice life.

EveryoneUsingOutro · Yesterday 17:19

SparklyBlueDress · Yesterday 08:44

I haven’t a link but I’m sure I’ve read somewhere that lottery winners of huge amounts statistically end up less happy. I reckon half a million is a perfect amount.

Can you imagine just existing for the rest of your days with no real purpose? I appreciate I’m lucky that I (mostly) enjoy my job but days and days of wafting around being rich sounds lovely for a week or 2 but then a bit dull.

Nah I could travel the world for years before even thinking of getting bored!

pokewomans · Yesterday 17:09

RikthePoet · Yesterday 14:06

We have found the ultimate Mumsnet "especially in London."

£110million doesn't go that far, "especially in London"!

Which is nonsense!!

EveryoneUsingOutro · Yesterday 17:09

Catza · Yesterday 08:32

Look at statistics. The vast majority of people fritter lottery money away on a space of a few years. 110 million doesn't stretch as far as you might think. Especially if one thinks they have access to unlimited money. But it's not unlimited, is it?
The kid isn't going to go backpacking through Europe on this money, they would want to go to Maldives or Dubai and stay in premium hotels, dine out every night and raid designer shops. A house in London will set you back 5-10 million. Again, they are not going to want a three bed mid terrace. Someone mentioned the kid might be able to start a business. What business without education?! And how much investment will this business require?
We are looking at, at best 25 years of financing if we assume a conservative spend of 2million per year for the child and the same for parents. Then what?
Look at children of wealthy people. Most of them are in education. Private schools, top universities abroad. Those who aren't, have a drug problem or similar.

Edited

“110 million doesn’t stretch as far as you think” has got to be peak Mumsnet EVER
😂😂😂
I’d be willing to take that chance that I could make 110 million last a reasonable amount of time 😬

pokewomans · Yesterday 17:05

With that amount you just take your friends & family along the ride with you!

MyFavouriteItem · Yesterday 16:45

Reading the book, I mentioned upthread threw up lots of things that change. Even your partners attitude to money, if it differs to your own, can cause issues, lying to others and it not quite making sense, always on your guard.

I had a taste of the issues when I had a hypothetical ‘if I won the lottery conversation’, just with my mum.
I suggested I would pay off everyone in my family’s mortgages and she replied ‘but we haven’t a mortgage, we own outright, what about us?’.

I said (pushing it a bit 😆) ‘as you own your house, you don’t need any of my ‘lottery winnings’ , whereas others do’.

Goodness what a huff she went into and a near argument!

I had to remind her that I hadn’t actually won the lottery! 😂