To ask for your unexpected windfalls in life?

[strawberriesplease]

Lighthearted folks to give us some cheer as we waltz into December.

Mine was at a very expensive theme park.

Put money into vending machine for a Kit Kat and it released all the chocolate! About 30 different bars dropped. Kids were delighted and we gave some to the only other family behind us.

DH still talks about it as a life highlight

When I was a young teenager I won a cassette recorder on a tomboys I was so excited never had anything like it. I remember running over to my. Dad who was helping on a stall he was excited as well. Can still remember the excitement of opening my ticket and realising what I had won.

I remembered another one. Trained as first aider at work and was paid an extra £15 a month Only they forgot to pay me for ten months. When I notice i got it all back dated and used it to buy my sisters wedding present!

Won £200 shopping voucher on here!!!

Beloved family member left me £££ in their will.

My council tax was reassessed (unbeknown to me, not my request) and it turned out to have been in the wrong band for 17 years. Was paying for E, it should have been C. The overpayment was refunded. Around £5500. Happy days.

Thanks all, yes it really was an amazing bit of news to receive 😌.

I won a Nokia 6230 at party in the park in 2004, I was chuffed to bits!

After my now husband had proposed I took the ring back to be resized as it was a bit big, they told me to keep the original one until they called me in when the right size was in. When I collected it I put it on straight away and they put the box in a gift bag, that night I went to put the ring in the box because I was working the next day (nurse) and the original ring was in there. I couldn’t live with myself so I told them what had happened and took it back into the shop, wish I hadn’t as they didn’t even say thank you!!

As a child I was on a caravan holiday and and me and my sister were trying to win a soft toy on a grabber machine. The claw got stuck and when we got the attendant to fix it he loaded it with 40 free goes. He said the only thing we needed to do was tell him how many prizes we had won by the time we'd used them all. It was one of the most exciting times I'd ever had, haha. (we won 3, in 40 goes)

🤩🤩

This is such a lovely thread.

A few years ago, I got a tax refund for £4.5k (bought a car), then went to a work do and bought five raffle tickets for a fiver.

I subsequently won:

A really nice bottle of gin
A full mobile car valet
A handbag (which was horrible, but you can't win 'em all)
A bespoke party cake

...and a weekend for two in a boutique hotel in Dublin, flights and meals included.

I was actually getting quite embarrassed as my name kept getting called.

(I haven't won anything since: I think I may have used up all my luck at once.)

I was in the queue for tickets at Legoland with my son, wincing at how expensive they were. Suddenly a lady came up to me saying she and her friend had just bought Merlin passes and they each came with a free Legoland day pass and did I want them. She kind of pressed them into my hands and smiled and disappeared. So we got in totally free! I actually felt a bit embarrassed that she gave me both that I probably wasn't a effusive in my thanks as I should have done.

About 18 months ago I got a letter from Virgin Money who had taken over Clydesdale bank saying they had found an old account of my dad's (who had died 16 years previously) and there was £4500 in there after interest (probably started off as a tenner!). So once divided with my sister that was £2250 with which I bought my son a gorgeous new tuba which will hopefully last him for the rest of his life. Prior to this money appearing I had been looking on ebay etc but didn't have a clue what to buy and if any damage mentioned would affect the playing of it, so it was lovely to be able to buy a new one.

After DH saying that he had never had PPI I told him to humour me and put in a claim…he got almost a 6 figure sum back!

Ordered £500 travel currency. Turned up to collect it but it had been stolen from the van but they had some in stock so just gave me that. Was then refunded the £500 to my account - phoned up to say I had got the currency and could they take the £500 back from my account. Told to keep it as a good will gesture!

I have never had any luck sadly, but my late sister on the other hand!

Every single competition she entered she seemed to win. If she was in a raffle she won the top prize. Money, food, gifts I swear unbelievable.

Eventually her luck run out and she was seriously struggling financially, tens of thousands in debt. Then (and I know this sounds morbid, but bare with me) her ex-husband killed himself and had her still named as beneficiary. Between his pensions and death in service she suddenly found herself almost £150k better off.

Sadly she died 2 years later suddenly, but that money has now set her two children up for their future.

I miss hearing all the stories of the absurd things she won, what I would give to be jealous of her again 😥

Quite poor childhood. Went with my mum to bingo. Won a line and a full house. £120 . Night a pair of kickers !

Won't tickets to the Coca Cola cup final when Liverpool were in it at Wembley. My dad sold tbem.

My husband had been shoving random currencies into a box for years (navy travels). I decided to sort it out one day and converted it into £200! 😂

I won a really nice baby unit once, feels amazing doesn't it!

I won on the grand national in 1987 Moari Venture and then again on Many Clouds a couple of each way bets for fun with a £5

Me and DH went to Vilnius for a weekend on cheap Ryanair flights. On the Saturday we thought we'd see if there was anything on in the evening we could go to and saw a really great avant garde looking concert at the Philharmonic hall. We got there and asked if there were any seats left - the lady at the booking office said it was sold out but someone had handed in their tickets as they could no longer make it. So we got to see it for free and the tickets were about €50 each.

I'd really overspent on the kids last Christmas. It's stupid I know but I overcompensate for their shit Dad. I'd run out of money for actual food in between Xmas and NY oand was up to my overdraft limit. Then I won £50 on the lottery. I was so relieved! I'm not going to be that stupid this year by the way!

I’m not very lucky and never win anything but we did have an unexpected to me windfall.

17 years ago, I got diagnosed with cervical cancer. It was a horrible time but the one thing to come out of it was a critical illness policy which paid out. We built an extension and now have a large kitchen, family room and downstairs loo which we have enjoyed every day since. It really did make a huge difference to us. I had dark days of worrying I wouldn’t see my children grow up so it was tough but we got through it and the money was a bonus. I had genuinely forgotten we took out the policy so for me it was a welcome surprise.

@MooseAndSquirrelLoveFlannel 💐

I tripped over £500 in rolled up notes in the high street. Handed it in straight away wondering whether I was on camera. Wasn’t claimed and I used it to pay for two fillings (exciting!)

Not had any big windfalls but I did win £30 on the lottery the first time I played

My biological Aunt left me £££££ in her will.

I debated for a long time wether or not to accept it, but I did in the end.

it was massively unexpected but hugely appreciated.