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

[MichelleMumsnet]

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

[MummyBtothree]

I would book a luxury family holiday abroad as myself and our three children have never been abroad so far, buy a new car, and put some away in a trust fund for our three boys for the future :)

[Fillybuster]

Gosh....ok, since I'm daydreaming, I don't have to be sensible about it, right? I know that in reality it would go on house renovations (urgent...but would swallow £20 with hardly a trace...) but in my little Fillyworld I would:

1. Buy some lovely sparkly jewellery (without feeling remotely guilty...that's not going to happen in real life for a long time...)
   
2. A new wardrobe for me, dh and the dcs
   
3. Horse-riding lesons for me and the dds (I'm nearly 40 and still dreaming of this...)
   
4. Matilda tickets for all the family and some great gig tickets for me and dh (for example, I've always wanted to see the Rolling Stones but coudn't justify upwards of £200 on the Hyde Park gigs...that sort of thing)
   
5. Dinner, an overnight stay and the cookery course at Le Manoir with dh; dinner at the Fat Duck with the wine flight; a spa stay at the Grove with my dm and dsis and a dinner with friends at the Oak Rooms.
   

...I think I may have just blown the budget....

[SweetLuckyPig]

I would go on a dream holiday.

Pay off our debts, and spend the rest on treats!! Something we don't have much of these days.

[hermancakedestroyer]

If I was to win 20,000 pounds from the National lottery I would definately purchase a campervan to take my family away on lots of lovely beach and surfing holidays.

[dahville]

1/2 into accounts for the boys and the remainder towards a trip to Canada to visit family.

[InMySpareTime]

I'd get DH to buy me a new wedding ring, since I lost 5st last year the original fits my index finger!
Then I'd get my ebook made into a real print book, with an embossed leather cover and parchment pages.
I'd use the rest to start up an arty-crafty-community hub to kickstart some proper regeneration in my town centre, as currently the charity shops/pound shops/pawn shops are sucking the soul out of the community, and there are lots of highly creative people just looking for an outlet and a market for their skills.

[capecath]

I'd finish doing up our flat, have a family holiday in a log cabin in the lake district, give some to a special place on my heart, Teen Ranch Scotland, and then save the rest for the kids, and especially for them to do more weekly activities, like sports and music lessons.

[Raffers13]

I've always wanted to fly 1st class!
Holiday of a life time with family would be lovely.

[edam]

I went to Gordon Ramsey Chelsea once (on someone else's money). ds now says he wants to be a chef, so I'd love to go back, and take family and friends.

With the leftovers (apologies for the awful pun, couldn't resist), I'd take ds on a luxury trip to Geneva to see the Cern super-collider - something we've wanted to do for ages but am looking at mega-cheap day trip with budget airline getting up at hideous o'clock. I could get my Mum along if I had loads of money - her mobility's not good and she doesn't do cheap, so first/business class and a 4 star hotel would be good for her.

[Babycarmen]

Pay off debts, holiday, some new clothes etc, decorate the house, new(er) car, we could finally get married! And if there was any left it would be put aside to save for a deposit for a house.

[ritagcabrita]

I would book a week in Madagascar for hubby, dear daughter aged 9 and baby aged 5 months and invest the rest of the money in a zip wire and skate park for the kids in East Timor, where hubby comes from.

[clucky80]

I would:

• donate some to the 2 amazing hospitals that have saved my life and enabled me to have my son and another baby on the way :)
  
• pay for my mum and dad to have an amazing holiday to say thank you for all that they do for us.
  
• get a fab declutterer to clear my house of junk and clutter - this person will be so brilliant that they won't have to keep asking me what to do with things they will just 'know'. They will also eBay all of the things I don't need and bring the rest to the charity shop/tip.
  
• after the decluttering I will have a team of cleaners in to make my house sparkle.
  
• if there is any left I would keep some for a lovely holiday and save the rest!

[StainlessSteelCat]

new car, second hand. replaster, new flooring in hall and back room. pay off sets (including tax credit over payment bollocks), clear overdraft.

any left? ideally holiday, or some new clothes, PC, curtains, God it goes fast!

[CheeryCherry]

I'd spend it on a newer car for both myself and DH, and divide the rest up between the 5 of us. What a treat that would be!

[WhyIRayLiotta]

I could daydream for hours over the tiniest details if how I'd spend it! I won't bore you with that though!

Basically - most of it would go on our dream wedding. We would have it in Paris. Small chuch service With friends and family there, then a boat tour of the Seine followed by dinner, drinks and dancing till the wee hours. And an amazing photographer to capture every minute.

We'd pay off all our debts (credit cards etc - sadly it wont help much on the mortgage!) and keep a small amount of it in our savings account for a few treats now and again.

[NoMoreMarbles]

I know it sounds a bit boring but DH was out of work for 9 months a while back and it left us in a little bit of financial mess (mortgage arrears, debt management etc) and if we had £20,000 it would free us from that lead weight hanging around our necks. We could live debt free and have a life...

[Jptb]

IVF. If we get lucky first time, the rest would go on decorating the house, and a new bathroom.

[MadMonkeys]

Replace the car, put some away in the dc's accounts then have a lovely holiday without having to scrimp - to the Western Isles, or maybe Norway. Or Italy. And if there was enough left over I'd have some new carpets, ours are pretty manky.

[JakeBullet]

I would simply buy a cheap but new car and use the rest to fund transport costs over the next 10 years. I am a Carer for my son who is autistic and my car cost me £250 on eBay...it is very old but currently running well. I live in fear of it packing up because it is my life line and I cannot afford to replace it.

The senior school my son will attend is not the closest but will definitely be the best for meeting his needs.....it is not on a bus route from me so I will have to use my car to get him there. I just need it to get me through the next 6-10 years (a big ask of it I know lol) so yes...£20k would come n very handy indeed.

[GaryBuseysTeeth]

I'd be boring & put it on the mortgage & give some to charity.

DH would buy a new motorbike & do his masters (and get me some shiny things).

DS1 would want £20k worth of biscuits.

So we'll have to combine the three wishes somehow...

[Breezy1985]

I'd learn to drive and buy a car, I'd also take the DC abroad, as none of us have been abroad before.

[PenguinSalute]

I'd split it between paying off all personal debts...the relief of being debt free would be just immense, and use the rest to start saving for a house deposit.

[polosareverynice]

that'd be enough to clear all our debts and have a nice uk break somewhere and even have some left for a rainy day

[tinypumpkin]

Buy a 'new' car for DH. I mean 'new' to us, his is feeling very sorry for itself! I would save some to helps the DCs when they are older (half). I would also spend some on a holiday but that would still be pretty frugal. I am trying to stretch this fictional money. A girl can dream can't she ...

[BoysWillGrow]

i would take dp and the dc travelling whilst they're young, new furniture through out our house. Maybe add an extra bedroom, new car so much i could do really.