This is a non-complaint :-o
Woo Hoo, I won big in the lottery! 
Well, not really big but big enough to have to worry about taxes! :-o
I play about one ticket a week. I figure I can risk $50 a year for a possible decent payout. I’ve won as much as $80 before with 4 out of 6 numbers but this time I got 5 out of 6 numbers in the NY State Lotto (it was a random “quick pick”). Prize $862. Cool beans!
Too big to cash in at the local grocery store. I had to make a trip to the Buffalo area to cash in at one of the authorized Lotto payout stations in one of the Casinos. For me that’s a 50 mile trip and in my financial situation that big of a trip has become an adventure.
My 14 year old car made it there and back, so that part of the adventure was uneventful, but when I got there I found myself in the middle of the Erie County Fair (major major event in this area). Thousands and thousands of cars all fighting for a place to park. :( I bluffed my way past the people charging $5 to park and pulled up next to the casino entrance and asked about temporary parking, without success. :( I ended up crusing the acres and acres of full parking lots looking for a spot. Eventually I found a spot just a hundred feet from the entrance, which is a good thing because didn’t bring my walking cane.
I hobbled into the casino (never been in one before) and oogled at all the stupid people throwing their money into machines as fast as they could, one after another. Dumb, dumb, dumb! Got my Lotto winnings from the cashier cage and left the casino without spending anything. I didn’t even get charged for parking. Cool beans! (*grin*).
So what did I do with my windfall? I’ve always wanted a great printer so I rushed right out to OfficeMax and bought a great one capable of high quality large photos. It was on sale and they were offering trade-in deductions too, so I ended up saving $150 on a $300 printer. Cool! I set aside some of the winnings for possible taxes at the end of the year. I set aside some to help pay for getting my teeth fixed. Finally, and to avoid guilt about not gifting friends or relatives (or store employes who sold me the ticket) I gave some to the local small town church. (I am a spiritual but not a religious person. However, I figure the church is a decent organization that despite its ties to religion tries to do good things for the local people. I did make the stipulation that the money was to be used for people not buildings. I have no respect for churches and religions that adorn themselves in stone buildings, riches, and pontification.)
I would have bought some more DAZ stuff but I already have everything I want from DAZ. Sorry.
My philosophy about lotteries:
1) If you don’t play you won’t win
2) It only takes one ticket to win
3) Unless you have millions to risk by buying a preponderance of the numbers, buying more than one ticket for the same contest is dumb.
4) There is no system. Any number combination is equally likely to win.
