What amount of money is life changing?

[ctom87]

I've come into a Bingo jackpot in Vegas and a Texas Lotto scratch off jackpot (the 2nd highest you could win on this particular game) within 86 days. A good chunk of change, and I'm incredibly blessed and fortunate. I don't understand the "why me?" just yet, and I have a hard time believing God is blessing me through Lotto and Bingo in Vegas, but regardless, I give thanks.

While the amount I won each time (they were the same amount) was what I would consider "a lot," I wouldn't consider it "life changing." After Uncle Sam takes 24% and if I buy this and that, which I've always wanted and would be with me my entire life, I'm left with little remaining and the things I buy aren't necessarily life changing, either, so I'm kinda stuck where I was before.

So the philosophical side of me came out, and I'm really curious: To you, what amount of money would you have to come into whether it was lotto, inheritance, etc, for you to consider it life changing?

[LilHoss]

These days...(I sound old) I would have to start with a figure that at least has a couple of commas. Might want to consider investing your winnings. Congrats!

There is probably a good reason you were so fortunate.

[howabouttheiris]

I really don't need any more than I have.

I have a son that just had to turn down a college offer from Baylor, because it was too expensive. So, enough to be able to fund my children's college and allow them to start out life without that debt would be life changing.

[AntlerCollector]

Minimum of a million

[flywise]

If i had 125k i'd have my home and everything else paid for. That would be life changing for me

[ctom87]

A co-worker told me after the first time I won that the money was "life changing," and I said, nah, not really! Uncle Sam gets 24%, and then you can't even buy a decent used car with the rest!

I've got them both in savings right now and we're considering paying off the house (both winnings only constitute about 25% of what we still owe on the mortgage...been saving for a while).

[duckmanep]

enough to pay off all debt and maybe buy a toy or two

[Goldeneagle]

If i had 125k i'd have my home and everything else paid for. That would be life changing for me

$100,000 would get us completely out of debt. That is life changing for us also.

[jerp]

It largely depends on your definition of "life changing". It doesn't have to be an amount that lets you retire and buy whatever you want. For example if you are struggling with so much debt you aren't saving anything, winnings/inheritance large enough to pay everything off and start over would be life changing. (the stress-reduction alone would be life changing)

EDIT: looks like many of us think alike!

[Blank]

A lot to be life-changing. Won $25K gambling, and paid the state and federal taxes; left me right at $13K. I just used it to fly my mother-in-law up to see my wife for a couple weeks, kept one kid out of bankruptcy by paying off a couple bills, bought the daughter a new washer/dryer to do diapers for the grandkid and paid a big fine off for another son. Bought myself a deer tag on the San Carlos reservation and it was gone. No regrets.

[bowhntrmatt]

“Life-changing” to me means enough money to never have to work again and live comfortable. At 30 years old, it would probably have to be 8 figures.

My goal is to retire at about 50. If the amount was enough to put me on the fast track to making that happen without having to sacrifice as much now, I would consider that life-changing.

If you are financially stable and weren’t in any kind of a bind before the winnings, I would be tempted to just pretend that it didn’t happen, invest it, and enjoy it later.

[Cullbuck]

I would say a million would be life changing.

[Hardware]

Enough so that I didn't have to worry about any medical expense for the family's lifetime.

[riverbowman]

To be truly life changing it would be whatever it took to pay off the house and cars, and put three kids completely through college.

[Antlers86]

What would make it life changing to me is taking it and giving it to people in need. Invest what yo can and give to those that would consider it life changing. It's amazing what little amount you can give to a family in need that barely gets by paycheck to paycheck. Yeah they may go blow it on miscellaneous stuff but that little bit of freedom spending enlightens them.

Makes you feel good as well!


So what's the secret to winning? Haven't played Lotto or gambled at a casino in years.