The lottery has always been a thing that my friends and I have often joked about. We talk about what we would do with the money, whether it was a small amount or whether we won the Power-ball. Most people probably think of what they could buy, whether it was a new car or a TV, or pay for something extravagant like a vacation. As someone who likes to think of these kinds of things, especially when I don't have any chance of winning the Power-ball (since I don't play), I've come up with a list of ways to use that money- that I'll most likely never get- in some unique ways.
1. Paying off old debts
I'm not looking forward to paying off my college loans, but any extra money coming my way would definitely head straight there if I had it.
2. Buying a new car
I would not choose to get a very expensive car or a very new one- although a fancy sports car would be lovely- but if I were to come into a large sum of money, I'd buy a relatively new car that was both reliable and fairly cheap.
3. Paying forward on the rent
I'd love to have the ability to spend my paychecks on something besides the rent and the bills for a few months, and the lottery would be a nice way to pay ahead on the rent for a while.
4. Save some of it
Or, instead of spending a lot of the money, you could put about half of it in a savings account to collect interest.
5. Donate to a few causes
Your church, a few shelters, children's hospitals, all very good places to send a few hundred dollars in donations.
6. Help pay your parents' debt
For me, my parents' have a ton of medical debt that is holding them back from a lot of things, and if I could, I'd love to help with that- even if I only paid off the stuff that was for me.
7. Buy some awesome Christmas/birthday gifts
It's that time of the year, but there is always some awesome thing that you wish you had enough money to splurge and buy for someone.
8. Take some vacation days, go on a vacation
Call off work for a while and go somewhere, whether it's out of town or out of the country. Take some time to yourself, or with friends, and go off to the beach or a road trip.
No matter what you do with the money you'd win, half of the fun of winning or playing is the idea of having all of that money to work with.
