If I won the lottery....

facingthefuture

I would pay off my debts which are scaring me to death, I have a bag full of awful letters I cannot look at. I am reading these forums to pluck up courage...
Looking through these forums I would then pick out people and pay off their debts so that they have the chance to stop living in fear and let them live again. Even if you could do it for a few people, wouldn't it be fantastic.
Ah well back to my awful reality...:o

tori.k

If wishes were horses, beggars would ride,
There is always a solution to every debt problem, when you are ready everyone is here to help.
Best wishes

Ilona

facingthefuture wrote: »

Looking through these forums I would then pick out people and pay off their debts so that they have the chance to stop living in fear and let them live again. Even if you could do it for a few people, wouldn't it be fantastic.

Nice idea but.....for some people it would only be short term, they would go on to rack more debts up all over again. Change has got to come from within and paying someones debt off for them gives out the message that they got off the hook once, maybe it will work again.

What people in debt really need is not money throwing at them, but help in sorting out their finances, and the best way to do that is to post up a Statement of Affairs to open up a discussion. Sometimes the common sense solutions are not always obvious, like knowing the difference between a want and a need. Or saving up for something which will have more value, rather than getting it on credit for it only to be discarded because there's more where that came from. Or, I have a credit card limit of X amount of £'s so therefore I must spend it. It's the mindset that needs to change, the sense of entitlement, he or she's got one so I want one as well.

Stop dreaming OP, there's a miniscule chance you would win the lottery, stop buying tickets. Open up your letters, start writing lists, who do you owe money to and how much. What income do you have coming into the house, then do your SOA and maybe someone can point you in the right direction. Every debt problem has a solution, with a plan in place and a commitment to succeed, you can do it.
Good luck
Ilona

Muttipops

Ilona wrote: »

Nice idea but.....for some people it would only be short term, they would go on to rack more debts up all over again. Change has got to come from within and paying someones debt off for them gives out the message that they got off the hook once, maybe it will work again.

What people in debt really need is not money throwing at them, but help in sorting out their finances, and the best way to do that is to post up a Statement of Affairs to open up a discussion. Sometimes the common sense solutions are not always obvious, like knowing the difference between a want and a need. Or saving up for something which will have more value, rather than getting it on credit for it only to be discarded because there's more where that came from. Or, I have a credit card limit of X amount of £'s so therefore I must spend it. It's the mindset that needs to change, the sense of entitlement, he or she's got one so I want one as well.

Stop dreaming OP, there's a miniscule chance you would win the lottery, stop buying tickets. Open up your letters, start writing lists, who do you owe money to and how much. What income do you have coming into the house, then do your SOA and maybe someone can point you in the right direction. Every debt problem has a solution, with a plan in place and a commitment to succeed, you can do it.
Good luck
Ilona

A wonderful post, Ilona, the truth of it smacks one right in the face.
It would be good to have it written up in bank queues so that people can read it before they apply for a loan or credit card and also good to tell children in school before they get their hands on their first credit to spend as fun money.

prowla

If I won the lottery, I'd have to find something new to complain about.

sourcrates

facingthefuture wrote: »

I would pay off my debts which are scaring me to death, I have a bag full of awful letters I cannot look at. I am reading these forums to pluck up courage...
Looking through these forums I would then pick out people and pay off their debts so that they have the chance to stop living in fear and let them live again. Even if you could do it for a few people, wouldn't it be fantastic.
Ah well back to my awful reality...:o

Hi,

Nice attention grabbing headline.

If you want help to tackle this problem, post your SOA.

People will then be able to help you.

KirstyO

aside from the advice already given about how to start accessing help on here, i'd like to answer your original question.

I think i'd be really boring if I won the lottery. I'd spend a bit, save a good chunk and make sure my family were provided for for a good long time. Any that was left would go to charities, including the one that I work for as we desperately need a new building. I would probably go on a long, luxurious holiday and would probably upgrade my house and car...nothing too fancy but certainly a detatched house and a car of my choosing (as my first two motors have come from family so I've had no say on what they are). Sounds a bit pedestrian, but I'm afraid it's true!

Domayne

If I won the lottery, I'd buy a farm in the middle of nowhere and become a hermit

enthusiasticsaver

Even people who win the lottery are not always happy afterwards. I think that it is important to have a healthy relationship with money and in my case equate it to my relationship with food which I struggle to stay on target with. Eat enough to live without overdoing it and no binge and starvation diets and in the case of money earn or save enough to do the things you want to do and have a buffer but not splurge constantly then rein in because of overdoing it. Also money is not the be all and end all. Changing people's attitude to money and debt is more important than throwing cash at it as otherwise people return to bad habits and don't learn a healthy discipline of living within their means. The satisfaction of knowing you can do that is more than any wage of cash.

I would say stop doing the lottery if you are in debt as the odds of winning are so small but I guess if it is within an affordable budget it is nice to know you are helping the good causes. As ilona says post an soa, get organised and focus on paying off your debt. The odd dream never hurts though