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

On holiday to my favourite place, got caught up in the Iceland volcanic ash chaos and had to extend our trip by 5 days. Had to book new accommodation for those 5 days - when we got there they "unfortunately didn't have the room we had booked - so would we accept a free upgrade to a loft suite with log fire!"

Found a really nice red coat in my wardrobe I’d bought heavily reduced in a sale put away and forgot about. Worn it daily.
My grandad used to say better to be lucky than rich.
Some nice stories.

I'll never forget 21 years ago unexpectedly finding out I was entitled to maternity allowance.

I was only 19 and Dh was in the military but his wage was pitiful as a new soldier.

There was no internet etc really at that time (not that we could afford it anyway) so it was only by a chance conversation I heard about it.

Baby DD and I used to skip to the post office every Tuesday (she didn't skip but I certainly did) to pick up my £50 using the little book they used to stamp and rip the sheet out of.

I'd then walk her in the pram round to Tesco and buy her a new outfit or toy and something nice for dinner that night for Dh getting home.

It was honestly like a lottery win every week. Now we're in a position where we don't have to worry about money but I don't think I've ever felt as financially secure as what I was back then with my little windfall every week.
every week

@student86 awww....that has taken me right back! I was in the same position 40 years ago.....only it was £19 then, not £50. I loved that little book! 😁

I wish I'd kept one of the old books. It was like a double lottery win every 4th week when I picked up the child benefit along with the maternity allowance ❤️

I ordered 3 fleeces from Columbia for the Dc. Two packets of three turned up but in the second packet was also a Xlarge men’s fleece . I phoned up to return the extra unordered items, was thanked for honesty, the return slip only had one item on it but I sent them all back anyway. Just received a refund for the one jacket on the return that they’d missent in the first place 😆. Shame I didn’t get them to adjust the return sheet for the 4 I sent back really

a few months ago i was told by CAB i had been underpaid by ESA for 4 years recently received over £25k, was at CAB because we had just been given a section 21 on our house that we had lived in for 10 years.

I used to work in the Civil Service at a middling level. It was ridiculously hierarchical. When you borrowed a pool car, it had to be of a certain standard to match your grade. Once they didn't have one suitable for me. I would have been happy with anything, obviously, but they "weren't allowed" to send me out with a substandard car. They also didn't have a car for the next grade up. Or the next. I ended up taking the Lexus usually used by the chief executive.

After a fun three-day jaunt across country, I returned home on a Friday evening. Obviously I couldn't return it to the pool until Monday, so I took all my friends for a spin over the weekend.

However, it did have too many features. At one stage a fog descended unexpectedly. Having failed to familiarise myself with all the controls beforehand, I pulled into a layby and pressed various buttons trying to find the fog light. Found the fog light and set off, only to realise after a few minutes that my bum was getting alarmingly hot. I thought the car might be about to explode. I had never even heard of a seat warmer, let alone experienced one!

(Along similar lines, I've just remembered DH's friend who was in the Navy and was meant to be accommodated in a house of standard suitable to his rank, but they didn't have anything appropriate for his rank or the next few ranks up. So, for two years he lived in Portsmouth in a house usually occupied by an admiral! He invited loads of his pals to stay for a week for a New Years' party. There were plenty of bedrooms for us all to stay in. The view was spectacular.)

Awarded an international 2-month long Japanese language study course in Tokyo. Two months, accommodation, meals and all expenses paid, week-long trip by Shinkansen around southern Honshuu and Kyuushuu, staying in 5-star hotels. Intensive tuition, generous allowance given to "experience Japanese culture" and to buy books. Plenty of free time to travel independently around Tokyo area-Disneyland etc. So incredibly generous and worthwhile. Changed the whole course of my life.

Crossing the gaming floor of a casino on my way to a restaurant. Found a chip on the floor.

Chucked it into the nearest poker machine and won $1,000.

Cashed out immediately and continued on to dinner, despite the friends I was with urging me to bet again with the winnings. Not a chance!

Paid for everyone's dinner. Was a great night still remember it so clearly 25 years later.

This is years ago. Got a new electricity meter. When I received my estimated bill I phoned in the correct reading. My new bill said we were in credit I think £140. Knew it was incorrect and studied bill to see what was wrong and discovered they had the readings the wrong way round. Phoned to advise but they refused to listen properly and said my bill was correct. Got 3 free bills out of it. Happy days.

Despite having done nothing wrong the DWP opened an investigation into benefit fraud which was a very stressful time. Eventually they turned around and said "actually we've been under paying you for the last year.

I ended up getting a check for £1k that ironically arrived on the day Thatcher died.

Earlier this year, won £10,000 on a competition website.

Then won another £10,000 less than six weeks later!!

Have been able to do some lovely things we couldn't have dreamt of.

My mum worked as a cleaner in a pub on a saturday back in the 90's and i always use to go with her. My job was to turn on the fruit machines and sometimes a pound would drop out so i put it back in a pressed the buttons and won the jackpot thn liked the look of another machine and won the jackpot again i came out eith a good few hundred pound that morning..

We saw a deal for a litre bottle of Bailey’s on Amazon for £10 so ordered 2. When the package arrived, it was 2 x 750ml bottles. We called them up and they immediately said that they would send out 2 x 1 litre bottles for free and we could also keep the 2 x 750ml bottles 😋 😋

About a year after we got married, our wedding venue sent me a voucher for 2 x two course meals and a drink for members. We only joined the club so we could get married and our membership had lapsed. I jokingly said to DH, ‘shall I try and book?’ I did and it went through so we were like 😬 Tbf, they called us up the day before and explained that we shouldn’t have actually got the email but we could still have the offer as it was their mistake. £80 meal, thanks guys.

Another one. My son used to go to a nursery at my work which was heavily subsidised. He left for school and I got a call from the manager asking to see me and I assumed he might have left some clothes there or something. Nope, it was a cheque for £1400 as they hadn’t been applying the 3 year old free funding! They didn’t think the kids were entitled as the nursery was so heavily subsidised.

This is fab- love that you got a puppy !! Think we need to see a photo!

Did a Quick Check weekly shop in Waitrose and when I got to the till the scanner gun wouldn’t register and I had to unload the shopping onto a normal check out .
Things happen, not a problem.

Got my card out to pay and was told ‘ It should have been ‘quick’ madam and it wasn’t so there’s nothing to pay’

Little one but it pleased me.
Part- time job ( 3 days a week) and I noticed that I had been allocated 2 annual leave days too many. When I queried it I was told I could keep them for my honesty but not not tell my colleagues 😀
Had them for the 3 years I worked there.

1975. Midsummer Concert at Wembley, starting at 11.30 featuring several bands including Stackridge, Rufus with Chaka Khan, The Beach Boys and headlined by Elton John. I think tickets were £3.00 but I may have got that wrong. My bf applied for 20 tickets for a group of us to go. Tickets arrived, but they had sent 40 by mistake. This was one of the hot gigs of the year so he had no problem selling them. It was a cracking day, clear skies and sunny. The Beach Boys did a set that was perfect. All their hits on a hot sunny day. Elton came and proceeded to play his new double album in its entirety. No one knew the songs and it completely killed the atmosphere. Hundreds of people headed to the exit gates. I have only forgiven him 4 years ago and we got tickets to his farewell tour for considerably more than £3.00. Going with the same bloke, now DH, but the gig has been postponed 2 or 3 times now and is due to take part next May.

Work lottery- someone didn't pay so I paid for lucky number and won £120.

Won a few tombolas (small electric cooker, big fruit hamper)

Won a children's cutlery set

Insurance payout (but it involved some personal trauma. Would rather not experience the trauma)

Tax refunds (£5000. Thanks MoneysavingExpert)

Just waiting for the big Lottery now. Gotta be in it to win it.

I was at that gig Lincslady!
I was one of the ones that walkout, never forgave Elton, but in all honesty there is no way he could ever have topped The Beach Boys or The Eagles imho. Fantastic day.
Tickets were £3.75 😀and I’ve still got the program.

Just remembered a more recent one. Had our conservatory upgraded and bought an expensive wall mounted electric radiator. When it arrived, it has obviously been dropped (it was big and heavy in the packaging) and a cosmetic bit of plastic trim had a crack in it. It was held on with 2 screws. Phoned supplier to ask if they could send the spare part, and after a few days got an email to say they would send a replacement radiator and pack the other for return. 3 months later, radiator still in the garage waiting to be collected. Contacted company to ask when it would be collected, told they had written it off and asked me to dispose of it. Got £150 on fb Marketplace.

What a lovely man 😍. Enjoy your escape from the toxic job ♥️

once in a casino with my sister, her husband and his friends, i’m not good at any of the games so went for a walk about, found a £100 chip on the floor, decided to play something… bet on black and won £300 😃

haven’t won anything since and that was in 2009 🤣

Early December a Eufy robovac was delivered to me by accident from Amazon. I called them to arrange for collection as it wasn’t mine. The lovely customer advisor insisted I keep it as a Christmas gift from Amazon! Being ever cautious I asked them to confirm in writing which arrived 2 minutes later!