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Tell The National Lottery what you’d do with a fantasy £20,000 - £250 voucher prize draw! NOW CLOSED

463 replies

MichelleMumsnet · 08/08/2013 10:20

You may have heard recently that The National Lottery's Lotto game is changing this autumn and is introducing a new Raffle where 50 players will win £20,000 in each draw. To celebrate this, The National Lottery have asked us to find out what Mumsnetters would do with (a fantasy) £20,000.

Here's what The National Lottery say: "As of 5th October, Lotto is changing, offering more ways to win more money. The prize for matching three numbers will be increased from £10 to £25, the jackpots will be bigger (£2.5million on Wednesday and £5million on Saturdays) and there's a new raffle where 50 players will win a guaranteed £20,000 each draw. Tickets for the new game go on sale on 3rd October and cost £2 per line. We would love to hear about how Mumsnetters would spend £20,000 if they were to win the raffle prize!"

So what would you do if you were to win £20,000? Would you go on a huge spending spree, or would you be more careful with your winnings and put it aside for a rainy day?

What have you always wanted to do, but have never managed to justify the cost of? Dine at a Michelin-starred restaurant? Buy a piece of designer jewellery? Maybe you'd splash it all on a round the world holiday? Or perhaps you'd save it to make life easier for you and your DCs if they decide to go to university? Or would you take the opportunity to clear (some) debts or pay off a chunk of the mortgage?

Whatever it is, The National Lottery would love to hear about it.

Everyone who shares their thoughts on this thread will be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £250 Love2Shop voucher.

Thanks and good luck,

MNHQ

OP posts:
bigreddrum · 11/08/2013 12:43

Some on a holiday, some on renovating our attic room (currently plaster and wall paper dropping of the walls), and the rest paying off overdrafts and saving?BORING.

bigreddrum · 11/08/2013 12:43

Some on a holiday, some on renovating our attic room (currently plaster and wall paper dropping of the walls), and the rest paying off overdrafts and saving?BORING.

MillyMoo1113 · 11/08/2013 13:02

Ooh, pay off debts, buy a car that I won't need to worry about repair bills on for a very long time, and a family holiday abroad....

Melawen · 11/08/2013 13:05

I think I'd use it as a deposit for a bigger house. Failing that I'd put some into savings - some for DD's future and some for other savings. Have a nice holiday (ooh, I need a new passport!), and possible replace the windows in this house.

mignonette · 11/08/2013 13:23

A year out travelling and living the USA. We'd maybe rent an old house in the Appalachians or in a town in the Deep South and live there for a while combining this with drives to other places we want to see in the USA.

Kids have grown up so could leave them at home.

Snowyelephantshavewrinkles · 11/08/2013 13:26

I would spend some of it to pay for a house. Oh and a nice holiday.

TotallyEggFlipped · 11/08/2013 13:39

With £20 000 I'd try to convince DH that we should get a mortgage and stop renting.
Failing that, I'd get a bigger car and save the rest.

Steffanoid · 11/08/2013 13:40

I would take my family and my dps family so 23 of is in total away on holiday somewhere fancy all expenses and spend the remaining on treats for my dp and ds

haggisandneeps · 11/08/2013 13:41

Buy my daughter her much wanted special needs trike (that would take care of £2400 of the money)

Buy a 3 piece suite that wasn't second hand for the first time in my life (About £1000? I've no idea how much one would even cost!)

Give the kids the Christmas they have always dreamt of for 2013 (proper tree, stockings, lots of yummy treats etc)

Go on a family holiday in the UK somewhere just to get away from it all for a wee while.

Some new clothes for the kids (instead of charity shop/car boot sale/hand me downs)

I would also buy a second hand car for myself that would be a little younger than the 12 year old car I have just now and a bit more reliable and a lot more economical to run!

Any left would go in an account for a rainy day.

What a fab question! I've enjoyed spending my imaginary money Grin

FOMOphobic · 11/08/2013 13:46

I'd probably take 10K off the mortgage, 8K for a caribbean holiday and 2K kept and frittered away on a few nice treats/days out over the following months.

BringOn2014 · 11/08/2013 13:55

Oooh, I could spend about 5k doing up the house, new flooring, lots of new wallpaper, paint, curtains.
2k to pay off credit cards/overdraft/loan from family
2k to get all 4 of us new clothes and shoes and special treats for us all to enjoy as a family.
5k in savings
1k in our rent account so were not left with fees next time tenants don't pay on time Angry
The last 5k towards a new car. Would love a Touran, would definitely be second hand!

Indith · 11/08/2013 13:58

£20K

Well I'm currently a student and all our savings are vanishing on childcare with very generous support from family to pay part of our childcare costs so £20k would mean we could manage to do it without accepting more help.

Very boring I know but that's pretty much it!

I think we'd probably take a little bit and go to France too to see my grandmother who is in her 90s and who I cannot afford to see often at all. It has been over a year since I last saw her and the thought of not making it out there again before she passes away kills me so if we had the money we'd go. She was very poorly recently and I renewed my expired passport so I could go at the drop of a hat. Thankfully not needed that time but we really are at the point that the next time could be the last.

Debzarella · 11/08/2013 14:08

We would use it to get the bits we need for our new baby, due in December, and take our daughter away on holiday as we haven't been able to afford to before. The remainder would be saved for the girls for when they are older to kick start their futures

partystress · 11/08/2013 14:11

Trip to Australia for Christmas to visit niece and watch the Ashes and get some sun. Rest to top up saving fund for DCs' first car/Uni which we had to raid to finish doing up kitchen Blush.

TheUnsinkableTitanic · 11/08/2013 14:21

Mmmmmm

20k

MMMMMMMMMMMMMM :)

would sort out the boring stuff ie pay off the credit card, get ahead with the bills, pay for next years holiday that we are undecided about. then, sort out the 1 room in our house that keeps being bumped down the list of things to do!! Anything left would go into the rainy day fund, it would be lovely to have some money sitting aside for emergencies

elmarpen · 11/08/2013 14:36

Would split in 3 parts of 10k,5k and 5k

10k for savings towards a house and a new car

5k for a visit back home to see DH's family who are yet to meet our DD

and the other 5k for a visit back to my home country so DH and DD can get to know my roots

AlmostPerfect · 11/08/2013 14:40

I'd treat my family to a lovely break away, theres 10 of us so we didnt have holidays abroad when we were kids! An now we some of us have our own children it would be lovely to go together.

Greydog · 11/08/2013 14:50

give some to my son and his girlfriend so they can pay their wedding. No on second thoughts pay for it! And have a holiday that DH and I can enjoy to celebrate our silver wedding anniversary next year!

ducklady · 11/08/2013 14:54

Ii would pay some bills off, then treat us to a nice holiday because I have a heart condtion and I am making the most of life.

CherryMonster · 11/08/2013 15:08

i would buy a good second hand car with 5k, a nice motorbike for dp with another 5k, take my family on holiday to disneyland with 5k, as its dd1's (as and adhd) ultimate dream to go to disneyland to meet buzz lightyear. (of course the rest of us would love it too, and we have never been abroad) and spend the other 5k getting my business on its feet. simples.

DifferentNow · 11/08/2013 15:14

Either take our 5 DC to Disney in Florida or buy the bigger car we need.

MothershipG · 11/08/2013 15:19

Have a kitchen with the wow! factor. Grin

Bespoke kitchen to make the best use of every cm of space, glass splashbacks, fancy feature extractor fan, serious range cooker, built-in bean-to-cup coffee machine...I'm salivating at the thought of it!

lolapops1 · 11/08/2013 15:34

I would absolutely love to pay off a chunk off our mortgage. We have struggled the last year or so with various deaths in the family,being made redundant just after going back from maternity leave and our child being ill for months.
It would be great to not to have to worry about bills for a while and then we could do some fun family stuff and just enjoy our time together.

Allthingspretty · 11/08/2013 16:07

round the world trip
chanel bag
house

MissStrawberry · 11/08/2013 16:09

I would take DD to the biggest book shop we have near by and see if she can find a book she hasn't read and buy as many as she wanted. DS1 and 2 would get a certain amount to spend. At least half would be saved and we would also use it to finish the jobs in the house and garden. I would also buy a good chunk of the local animals rescue's wish list.