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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to think you must be stupid to go public after winning the lottery?

84 replies

CartwrightMiss · 30/05/2013 19:10

Listening to the radio on the way and one story was a Euro Millions winner considering whether to go public and that they would be the 900th(ish) richest person in Britain.

I've played the what I would be if I won the lottery games countless times, aside from buying a yacht and travelling the world in my private jet - I'd love to give money to my (real) friends and family, people I know in life who are struggling and charities of my choice.

I really wouldn't need the publicity and the millions of sob stories begging me for money.

Aibu to think you'd be stupid to go public?

OP posts:

MidniteScribbler · 11/12/2015 12:26

I'd tell no one about my win. I'd quietly finish out the school year at work and then make a permanent move to my holiday house and live there permanently. I wouldn't let anyone know that I had won anything. Other than my 4yo son, I have no immediate family, so my permanent move would not raise any eyebrows, and I could use my winnings to finish off the property and take regular overseas trips with DS when I wanted to.

ENtertainmentAppreciated · 11/12/2015 13:48

I'd be very low key and donations would be made discreetly. I wouldn't want fuss or attention. I don't think it would be hard as we're not the kind of people who overshare stuff anyway, we don't use Facebook and our friends and family don't intermix much. I don't think we'd move house, or if we did it wouldn't be to anything bigger, so people wouldn't notice anything out of character.

I did see lottery winners on Couples Come Dine With Me earlier this week. They left the big cardboard cheque out in the bedroom for the other diners to find, think it was just under half a million or so. To be honest they didn't come across all that well. She was ok but he'd developed quite a clear superiority complex.

SeasonalVag · 11/12/2015 13:52

I'd love to pay off the mortgages of everybody I know !! Couldn't keep it quiet!!

Leelu6 · 11/12/2015 14:18

^A close friends relative has won recently. Kept very quiet and friend only told me as I was being noseyasking questions about her forthcoming house move and had assumed her mum was putting a deposit down. In fact, it was her relative who was buying the house for her straight out and she needs to find a 200k property! How amazing is that? grin

She's so happy but was feeling pressure to sacrifice things she wanted in the new house (location, or a big garden etc) because someone was buying it for her and she couldn't find her 'dream' one immediately. At the end of the day it will be her house and deeds etc for the next 20 years so she has to find the right one, however long it takes!!

I'd too keep very quiet and help family and friends out first.^

Fadbook - I guess your friend could buy a good property and then sell up and move if she finds her dream house?

Whatthefoxgoingon · 11/12/2015 15:17

I'm sure I could keep it secret. We could buy a very expensive house in London without anyone noticing, buy selling our current house and pretending to have a large mortgage. We could take private jets and, as we already take lots of holidays, no one would notice if we just massively upgraded as long as we kept all the photos off social media. I would upgrade all my jewellery to more expensive things. I'd get bespoke tailoring for all my clothes, no expensive logos to tip anyone off. I'd invest more in risky ventures. I'd give millions to charity anonymously. As we have a very comfortable lifestyle already, it wouldn't be so hard to hide.

I've never bought a lottery ticket in my life btw

Dollymixtureyumyum · 11/12/2015 15:30

Hmmm I think I would own to to winning a million but any more then that I would just say I had won a million that way I could spend and give to people but keep under wraps just how much I had won.

lorelei9 · 11/12/2015 15:52

whathefox - well if you have a life like that already, of course no one would know!

but I'd be packing in my job and with a big win, buying a bigger flat, so I'd have to explain that somehow but would probably invent an obscure rellie who passed on.

Russellgroupserf · 11/12/2015 15:54

I would tell DH only and buy a rather gorgeous house and make that my main residence but would keep the house I live in now.

Friends round for dinner would still be invited round to regular house. If you really didn't want anyone to know those are the lengths you would have to go to.

I would consider giving relatives something like 100k each and include myself in the oh good grief I have inherited 100k from mysterious benefactor. That could then explain some stuff.

I don't do the lottery.

bigbluebus · 11/12/2015 16:40

I wouldn't tell anyone either. Many many years ago my DGF won a competition in a newspaper with a sizeable sum of cash. His picture was plastered all over the paper and billboards. That was how we found out he'd won - we were away on holiday and saw him on a newspaper A Board. (This is in the day before mobile phones). He was inundated with begging letters - he was already a generous man who did a lot for charity and helping the elderly (even though he was old himself). I expect he gave most of it away to charity.

I have thought that if I won a very large sum, I would instruct a Solicitor to distribute gifts anonomously to relatives and charities so that we could carry on living a normal life. No amount of money would cure my daughter's condition so I have very little desire for lavish material things and would rather the money was spent on helping those who need it.

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