MadisonMan

Name:
Location: Madison, Wisconsin, United States

Monday, January 14, 2008

What I've thrown away on powerball this year

I will update this periodically, when bad judgement gets the better of me and I buy a powerball ticket. So here are the days I bought lottery ticket(s), and how much I spent. I should note that the last time I played, in November, I actually matched the powerball, for the first time in several years.

I'm curious to see what I spend each year, and this seems as good a place as any to keep track.

12 January: $2 at Hilldale Sentry
Update: Well, that was $2 wasted!

4 February: $2 at the Open Pantry on Regent Street
Update: another $2 thrown away!

13 March: Another $2 at the Open Pantry on Regent Street (I pass there on the walk to work sometimes)
Update: Another $2 ripped up and cast to the four winds.

2 May: Sometime yesterday I noticed that the jackpot was up over $170M -- if the odds are 170M to 1 then I've won when I bought a ticket. (Can you tell I didn't do well in statistics?) So I bought 5 at once and -- ugh! -- two of my picks have the same powerball. I hate that.
Update: Well, at least when you throw away $5 like I did on Saturday, you can spend $.41 and mail the ticket to the Super 2nd Chance drawing. Hope Springs eternal.

Sometime later in May: I threw away another $2. I have to say, though, that I think I'm wasting less money this year than last

25 June: I was buying gas on Speedway -- cheapest I've seen in days!! -- and I bought two tickets.
Update: Didn't match a single number!

23 July: Yesterday, at Sentry Hilldale, I was shopping for food and they charged me $6.80 for a pound of shredded cheese that was advertised at $4.67! I didn't realize this 'til I got home, and I had to go back, but they refunded the $6.80 and I got to keep the cheese. And I used $5 of the refund to buy 5 tickets at the Open Pantry on Regent on the way in to work this morning.
Update: Well, it should suprise no one that I won nothing. On the plus side, I didn't use that money to buy fattening snacks -- I've lost 5 pounds this summer!

I've bought 2 $5 powerball tickets since that last update. One just before going up north camping, and one on Saturday. In both cases, I won nothing. The jackpot now is close to $150M, so I might try my bad luck again.

20 September: I filled the tank with gas on Speedway and bought $5 worth. Here's one thing I'd love to do: Go to a restaurant and pay everyone's bill for an hour (anonymously) and have a leisurely meal, observing the reactions. I guess I'd have to arrange that beforehand, so I'd do it at my favorite place off the Square, since I know the owner. But not this time, I won nothing!

Earlier this month (October), I bought a single ticket, and won nothing. Another dollar ripped up and thrown to the four winds.

Add six more dollars to the total, from two weeks ago. Bummer.