Lottery simulator

Some clever folks have come up with a way to see how you would do if you spent money on the lottery:

Incredibly Depressing Mega Millions Lottery Simulator!

While their numbers are chillingly accurate, I think that they're really just a bunch of party- poopers.

Woman Looking for Excuse to Play Mega Millions Wins Mega Millions

Woman Looking for Excuse to Play Mega Millions Wins Mega Millions

It could happen to us...

Your re-investment

A re-investment from long ago. But still, the MegaMillions is over $100M!

Good luck to us all!

And how much did we win?

Here's where it gets a little complicated.

I buy the tickets for what amounts to 90 days out (13 weeks). However, you can check your tickets at a newsagent machine for up to only 45 days. I think of this as sort of a hot dogs vs. hot dog buns dilemma. Since I was doing a lot of travel in April and May, I missed that first 45 day cut off. This meant that I had to wait until the end of 90 days to take them into the lottery office, where I usually redeem them at the end of the cycle. This time, they told me that the only way I could redeem them was to mail them to Schenectady. So, in July I did exactly that. sending off the tickets in two batches. I have received the check for one of the batches, a total of $51. I am still waiting for the next check, which I can only imagine will arrive soon. In the meantime, I will turn this around and re-invest for a few more weeks before we start collecting again. Technically, we have been out of the running for a few weeks, but the jackpot has been really puny for most of the summer, and I haven't felt too bad about this.

Tickets from March

The first one (in black and white) is left over from the previous round.

The others, in vibrant color, are from this round.

Who is entered in this round (the one that started in March?)

Yes, it has been a while since I have updated this blog. But no, I did not run off to Brazil with your money, tempting as that might have been.

For starters, here's the list of everyone who took part, all 49 of you:

From the 10th Floor:

Linda A.

Susan B.

Alan B.

Linda D.

Randi E.

Laura F.

Nancy G.

Deena G

Steve H.

Peter H.

Julie J.

Scott K.

Regina K.

Vivian L.

Steve L.

Mark M.

Len M.

Todd P.

Marilyn P.

Marion P.

Gillian S.

Joan S.

Amy S. /Madelon R.

Michelle S.

Christopher S (me!)

Judith T.

Evonne T.

Neil T.

Susan V.

Marc W.

Dom Y.

And from the 11th Floor:

Susan C.

Sylvia F.

Michelle G.

Janet G.

Effie G.

Elizabeth G.

Martin J.

Jean K.

Regina M.

Andrea P

Felicia R.

Marilyn R.

Susan S.

Ilene S.

Alan S (Ilene's brother)

Irwin S.

Mary V.

and Linda M. from TLC.

Future Millionaire ALJs: March 2010 (this time in convenient FAQ format)

How much did we win last time? An even $100!
How much money are you asking for? $26, just like always. This covers two drawings a week for thirteen weeks.
Can I pay with a check? No, cash is king!
When do you need it by? Friday March 19.
Who will take my money? Me or Joan.
What's the deal with Powerball? It's just like MegaMillions, but with different states. In this round, we'll have tickets in both lotteries, so that if one jackpot gets big, we'll already be invested. See, we're diversifying, just like responsible investors!

The first of the fill-in tickets for March 2010

More to come next week.

Our winnings from the round starting November 2009

How much did we win? $100 even. I have re-invested half for the next three drawings (tickets to be posted soon), and I will invest the remaining money for the following three drawings, which will take us to the next round.

Hooray for us!

First winning of this round

I checked the numbers from this round. We have won $38. The best part: when the machine scans the tickets and detects winning numbers, it plays the first bars of the tune "We're in the Money!" There were also $3 in winnings from the last round. I am making an executive decision to roll that money into the additional winning from this round. So, for now we have $41 extra to invest in February when the current tickets run out.