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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To be a bit depressed by the Euromillions story?

386 replies

MobLife · 19/05/2022 20:49

I find myself wishing I knew nothing about it and hadn't read the story about the winning couple!
All day I've been ruminating over that extraordinary sum of money and what it must feel like....it's left me feeling really flat especially when the imagination suddenly dissolves and I'm left mulling over my actual reality of bills and debts and whatever.

It's not even like I have a bad life in so far as I've got a roof over my head and a secure job, no posh holidays or particular luxuries but in the fortune position of not having to worry too much about the food bill and can have a meal out once in a while. And we're all healthy which £184million cannot buy.

The irony is I don't even play the bloody lottery!!

But yeh, very very flat

OP posts:
IamtheDevilsAvocado · 20/05/2022 07:02

LauraNicolaides · 19/05/2022 22:39

Also like absolute fuck would anyone on this thread win the lottery and the first thought be “what charities can I give some to?”

I've been sniggering at all that too!

I suspect that some people think that if they ingratiate themselves with the lottery gods by being all virtuous, selfless and doe-eyed, and show how absolutely lovely they will be when they are loaded, that they will save the NHS, cure world hunger and bring joy and happiness to all and sundry, then they will be rewarded with £150m Grin

Similar to captain Tom... Raised what 30 million...
The govt wasted way more than this on faulty ppe.

Lazerbeen · 20/05/2022 07:06

Good for them, the lottery is essentially just gambling- its not a moral dishing out of money based on need- although it doesn't seem like they were rich anyway. The fact people think donating to our health service should be top priority shows how fucked the NHS is.

Ahgoonyegirlye · 20/05/2022 07:10

It’s too much money for anyone -
i hope they start up a foundation and give most of it away away
for their sakes and the sakes of the family around them - and they were MAD to go public.
i would have told close,
close family but not said how much…

lollipoprainbow · 20/05/2022 07:11

The headline in the papers from them was "our current life isn't horrendous!" Maybe a bit of humility wouldn't have gone amiss when for so many their lives are ! Seems like an odd thing to say.

LouisCatorze · 20/05/2022 07:12

Money corrupts, simples. It's amazing how people suddenly think they need all the money having not previously having had it!

alwayscrashinginthesamecar1 · 20/05/2022 07:26

lollipoprainbow · 20/05/2022 07:11

The headline in the papers from them was "our current life isn't horrendous!" Maybe a bit of humility wouldn't have gone amiss when for so many their lives are ! Seems like an odd thing to say.

I heard them say that in the interview and it didn't come over as odd at all. They were just saying they were already in a fairly fortunate position, which was the truth. They also mentioned something about being able to get rid of a bucket in the hall where the roof was leaking. I mean it would have been worse if they had said they were broke, as everyone would know that was bollocks!. I think some people will find fault whatever they say. I did think the husband looked a bit terrified though! They did say they were looking forward to treating their family and friends, I thought they came over fairly well. Probably better than I would in the same position!

Knittingchamp · 20/05/2022 07:26

Incognitoforevermore · 19/05/2022 21:01

Some win, some lose. I’ll be happy to have average luck personally. Imagine being this guy:

www.mirror.co.uk/money/bitcoin-investor-would-200m-fortune-24179583.amp

Omg never doing this crypto bit coin thing if forgetting your password means losing 200 million pounds. That's ridiculous 😂 So who gets the 200 million then? Or is it some kind of digital wild west where no one is in charge and it just kind of gets lost? What a weird world we live in.

Lazerbeen · 20/05/2022 07:27

lollipoprainbow · 20/05/2022 07:11

The headline in the papers from them was "our current life isn't horrendous!" Maybe a bit of humility wouldn't have gone amiss when for so many their lives are ! Seems like an odd thing to say.

Well they wouldn't win either way from the salty, bitter and jealous people would they? People would say ah your life wasn't so bad anyway- honesty is not a bad policy. I hate this emergent misery Olympics, you can only complain if you're this poor, you can only acknowledge you're happy in private as might upset someone else. Boring.

Problemmo · 20/05/2022 07:29

lollipoprainbow · 19/05/2022 21:06

They were already living in a £600k house so that pissed me off. Why does money always go to money. Wouldn't it be nice if 184 people living in poverty were made millionaires??

Suppose wealthier people will be able to afford the £2 lottery ticket each week now, poorer people will be priced out as they struggle to eat over the coming months. Life is slowly transforming into a Dickensian novel.

shooooooo · 20/05/2022 07:29

It’s all just luck of course - but I know that I feel better about reading someone scooped the lottery when they’d had some bad luck, been made redundant or what have you.
Not that that’s fair on these winners! I hope they have lots of fun with it!

I think that keeping it a secret would have been almost impossible, but even then I would have preferred a handful of people to know - rather than the world…

If you paid off a member of your family’s mortgage would it be weird?

I wouldn’t tell anyone just how much we’d won. Even if we paid off their mortgage.

andi62 · 20/05/2022 07:29

They bought a ticket, they won, the prize pot is what it is, I dont understand the drama.

Catshaveiteasy · 20/05/2022 07:40

Doesn't bother me in the slightest. It's too much money to comprehend and there's only so much you can do and buy unless it is used for charitable purposes.

We are ok for money, never really been short having both received money from our families. Of course, it's nice to know we can do quite a lot with it but it doesn't make me especially happy. We need some building work done but it's been delayed and delayed due to various reasons for several years. I find that depressing- we can pay but we can't get it sorted easily.

I am not sure travelling the world forever or having endless free time is something I would want. Yes I like to go out and travel, but I also get a lot of satisfaction from working.

I think a much smaller amount would be nice to do something special with but not endless funds.

Blarting · 20/05/2022 07:42

lollipoprainbow · 20/05/2022 07:11

The headline in the papers from them was "our current life isn't horrendous!" Maybe a bit of humility wouldn't have gone amiss when for so many their lives are ! Seems like an odd thing to say.

Why do you think that's odd?

stayathomer · 20/05/2022 07:45

Also like absolute fuck would anyone on this thread win the lottery and the first thought be “what charities can I give some to?”
I can hand on heart say I would, the charity that allowed my dad to stay at home when he was dying with cancer and have counselling and do lovely things like have art classes is on it’s knees and a local animal centre which does stellar work is closing down. I think a lot of people would have charities they’re indebted to

stayathomer · 20/05/2022 07:53

Ps to all saying poor people can’t afford a lottery ticket, unfortunately I’d say in our shop anyway a huge percentage of the people who gamble are poor. Not only that, if they win on scratch cards or lottery anything under 30 euro they’ll generally buy more tickets. I want to tell them to treat themselves but very few do

SlightlyGeordieJohn · 20/05/2022 07:54

Problemmo · 20/05/2022 07:29

Suppose wealthier people will be able to afford the £2 lottery ticket each week now, poorer people will be priced out as they struggle to eat over the coming months. Life is slowly transforming into a Dickensian novel.

If you are struggling to eat then you really, really shouldn’t be gambling.

KevinTheKoala · 20/05/2022 07:57

It's lovely for them and they've been very lucky but no YANBU. I'd rather not know too, in real life I know a few people who seem to land on their feet with money too and seem to just waste it. Its obviously their own money to do as they wish but when I wake up feeling sick not knowing how to cope financially and knowing its unlikely I will ever be able to give my children security, I'd rather just not know. Ignorance really is bliss in these sort of cases. That's not begrudging anyone because they have been incredibly lucky and its their money to do with as they see fit, but when people are seriously struggling to the point they are havi g panic attacks every day and so depressed with their financial situations that they don't know how to go on with life, I feel like it's in poor taste to be publicised.

Rupertgrintismyguiltypleasure · 20/05/2022 07:58

Wintersgirl · 19/05/2022 23:33

Can you imagine the interest on that amount of money? It must bring in at least 300k a month without even touching the capital, ok they'd pay tax on the interest I imagine, but even so...

You could literally live on the interest alone...

KevinTheKoala · 20/05/2022 07:59

As well as that with the lottery, the people who get the big wins are never going to be the people who need it, and stories like this do encourage people who can't afford it to go and spend money that they don't have in the hope that they will win. But they never will. ^^

butterpuffed · 20/05/2022 08:10

It's a ridiculous amount of money to win. I don't think it will bring them happiness, they'll be hounded for money for the rest of their lives.

Phos · 20/05/2022 08:13

For me the most depressing thing is when the big winners feel they need to run to the papers about it. Millions in the bank not good enough for them?

Lazerbeen · 20/05/2022 08:23

Phos · 20/05/2022 08:13

For me the most depressing thing is when the big winners feel they need to run to the papers about it. Millions in the bank not good enough for them?

They don't run to the papers, the lottery team approaches them- they don't see they've won and phone the mail up to tell them about it.

ShirleyPhallus · 20/05/2022 08:24

KevinTheKoala · 20/05/2022 07:59

As well as that with the lottery, the people who get the big wins are never going to be the people who need it, and stories like this do encourage people who can't afford it to go and spend money that they don't have in the hope that they will win. But they never will. ^^

Michael Carrol was a bin man when he won his money, and he did really well in making some sensible donation and spending suggestions like those here

lancsgirl85 · 20/05/2022 08:26

It's an insane amount of money, too much to begin to comprehend 🤯
It has however inspired me to put the Euromillions on for tonight. Although I read somewhere that statistically you have more chance of being struck by lightening than winning the lottery jackpot. So, there's that. 🤣

tootiredtoocare · 20/05/2022 08:26

I'm envious of all the good they could potentially do. That much money will cover all your family for the rest of their lives, of course, and then you still have a lot more to make others lives better with. I'd love to be able to fund apprenticeships for young people and/or open a Surestart type centre with subsidised child care for everyone and support for young families who need it.
Not humble bragging, but finding yourself suddenly responsible for a lot of money (only a tiny percentage of this scale) is really scary. It's such a relief knowing we'll always be safe, especially recently with so much to worry about, and we are incredibly grateful. But the money has an important job to do in the future and knowing we're just really caretakers and responsible for making sure it is used properly is daunting, especially when we were used to living pay day to pay day. If you've never had to think about investing and all that kind of thing before, it's mind boggling. We have good support though.