How the other half lives

[Diflower]

Well, joking aside, partly it's all the responsibilities that go with owning a mansion or several, employing lots of people, having priceless art collections that presumably need controlled temperatures, alarm systems...it's not the average day-to-day living costs that most of us have to worry about.
I've often said that if we really did win the lottery, the biggest luxury might be to not own anything major - like houses, etc, because then you have the worry of running them. More like a business than a life

[Workingman]

I sort of agree Di, but these were not running costs, as I understand it, they were free spend.

I would love to try, though.......

[Diflower]

Ah, I haven't seen/read the details.
Blimey, so if she was blowing it up her nose, what was he doing?!
And even if she was, that's one hell of a habit

[Aggers]

Just think of all the good you could do with that sort of money to spend.

That would be my way of spending that much. Oh, if only !!!

[Diflower]

To be fair Aggers, I believe he does do quite a lot of what we would all think of as 'good' with huge amounts of his money, but when you have that much, it's hard work spending more than you can earn, however you do it

[Workingman]

I suppose that is what mystifies me Di.

If you were a multi -millionaire, or billionaire, you could give away the daily interest to good causes, of your choosing, and you would not miss one penny of it.

It would not affect the lives of Bill Gates (I know that he is generous) or the Sultan of Brunei, or the Rothschilds, in any way.

I find it odd.

[Kaz]

To be honest I am wondering if she was blowing it up her nose - at least as much as Saatchi is alleging? He has come across up until now as a hugely controlling even abusive person - these allegations are another way of punishing her for leaving, perhaps?

I've never seen her looking stoned, and she has none of the physical damage (nasal particularly) that one would expect.......In fact for her age she looks amazing! I'm not saying she never uses - I think most of the chattering classes do recreationally at least - just not to the wild extent he is alleging!

Di I sometimes buy a Euro Lottery ticket, but to be honest if I won a huge prize I think I'd be scared to death - a smaller win of one or two million would be much easier to control and far less likely to spin your life out of all recognition. There have been two cases in the press this past couple of weeks of Euro winners' marriages breaking down due to the pressure of the money

[Diflower]

Oh I'm not at all sure either Kaz, certainly about the extent of it.
We don't really know, do we, what either of them has been doing with their money - and after all, he may have far more than her, but she's earned her own fortune too.

As for the lottery, yes, 80 million or whatever is not just 'ooh that's nice', it's a huge responsibility, and one a lot of people have no chance of getting to grips with. I know the lottery people have advisors but you really need to have either grown up with it or understand an awful lot about finance etc to stand a chance.
Giving away to 'good causes' is all well and good in theory, but it's still one hell of a job deciding what's a good cause, how much, etc.
For instance that dog charity we got Minnie from, is run from one woman's terraced house. Now while it's a lovely idea to give them say £1m, that's then quite a responsibility for them, isn't it - better maybe to organise £20,000 a year, or something - see, decisions, decisions, and that's before I've won

[Workingman]

My son's friend's parents won a share of a £5.6 or £5.8 million jackpot about ten years ago.

They did all the usual things: moved to a big house in a posh area, got new cars, went on fab holidays........

Their new lifestyle lasted only a short while before they got fed up with it. They didn't fit in in their new area and used to get a taxi most evening to take them to their old estate pub for drinks with their mates. Eventually they sold up and moved back.

As "Lottery winners" they were treated differently in both areas, but felt more comfortable with it on their old estate.

[Kaz]

Exactly Di, it's a biiiig responsibility - you'd want to do good, not give them huge headaches

Frank I expect that would be the experience for many people - if you are generally content with your lot, but then winning the money takes you away from everything you are used to, is that necessarily a good thing?

I must admit to enjoying the good luck though of those who are really on their uppers, then win something