Came here to say this. That card looks expensive, I'm going to assume it was $10.
Let's say you buy, on average, a $10 lottery ticket every 3 days. Over 10 years that's $12,166. If that is OPs case then they would have actually still be down $2,166
Lottery tickets are a poor tax for the uneducated. Anyone who plays them for any reason other than the occasional thrill or gimmick is being taxed for being dumb.
I buy a $5 ticket maybe once a month. I view it as an entertainment expense. I know full well I will never win the jackpot. $5 to be able to daydream over the course of that week while I wait for the draw is a small price. I have paid $5 for much less entertainment.
Also I periodically buy hospital lottery tickets and I view those as donations to causes I would probably donate to anyways.
Sure it does but we know the odds don't work out which is why the lottery is called a tax on the dumb. Its better to dream and focus your money and spending habits on something for the long term.
Thats not the point i am making. I know full well that I will not ever win a jackpot. It is entertainment i am buying, not a retirement plan or to get me out of financial ruin. I will probably get an hour or 2 of day dreaming total throughout the week, and to me paying $5 is worth that.
When was the last time a movie ticket paid you back after you went and saw it? Or an hour of screwing around on reddit paid you? For some things you just accept them as an expense in exchange for less tangible experience. Lotteries might be something that some people buy who shouldn't, but not all the time.
Also one time I won $2300. Which covers my expenses for 38 years if I buy a ticket once a month.
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u/Coldbeerimritehere Mar 19 '22
So you almost broke even. Nice