Mom Finds $10, Buys $1M Lottery Ticket

Cashier At Ohio Gas Station With 9 Maxed Out Credit Cards Gets Very Lucky

(AP)  Kristina Schneider tried to persuade a customer at the BP station where she works to buy the last ticket on a roll of the Magnificent Millions lottery game.

"I always joke that the last ticket is the winning one, but he said he only had enough money for three tickets," Schneider said.

This time, her advice was no joke.

The single mother — with nine maxed out credit cards and $8,500 in debt for her associate's degree — then bought what turned out to a $1 million winning ticket with a $10 bill she found in the store Friday.

"I thought someone was playing a trick on me" when she found the sawbuck, she said.

After showing a customer that she did indeed have a winning ticket, she locked the store while she took a moment to be sick in the bathroom.

"I was numb. I still am," she said.

Schneider, 32, opted to take 20 yearly payments of $50,000, or $34,500 after taxes.

"If I'd have taken a lump sum, I'd be broke again within five years," she said.

[p_shalimar]

Here is more on this story - http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2007/05/found_10_turns_into_1_million.html

Some facts missing from the CBS story:

She did try to find the owner of the $10
She has set up a college fund for her daughter
She is investing part of her winnings
She is going back to school

If she invested the half million (after Uncle Sam screwed her for taxes) the interest would be enough to supplement her income and she would get to keep the half million and watch it grow.

It's sad that even when u win big, the lottery finds a way to screw you over!!!

[jdubs63]

If she FOUND the $10.00 to buy the tickets/ticket I suppose she will give some of the winnings to a local charity or am I just old fashion? And I would have kept my mouth shut about my how much in debt I was

[apdepetris]

First of all, why can't something like this happen to me.

Second of all, it's been shown that most lottery winners are broke within 2 years.

It says that she is a single mother with 9 maxed out credit cards and $8,500 in debt for her associate's degree. But who knows where she is spending her money. It could be to support her family but that last comment about being broke again in 5 years makes it sound like she isn't spending her money wisely. But that comment could have been taken out of context and she may have meant it different than how it sounded.

[mo005]

yo_marc : Dude this is what college does for us regular people. If mom and dad can't afford college , you flip the bill. It costs alot of money to pay for all those stupid class's that have no bearing on your degree what so ever. I spent every dime I had for college, including maxing out a credit card. Now I owe all that money, and work in construction. Good luck Lady I hope you get what you want with the money.

[ralan40]

medgirl3, you may not realize this but people who win these type of lotteries are able to take loans out using future payments as collateral. People who win prizes on gameshows, for example are required to pay taxes on the value of their winnings before they can collect them. They usually take loans of this type out to cover those. I'm sure lottery winners get bombarded with less than reputable companies who offer these type of services. No doubt she will be targeted by them as well.

[hypnotoad72]

Gambling is another form of 'reverse socialism' - everybody chipping in to help either a small quantity of people or merely ONE person.

With luck she can straighten her own life out, but even then there are external factors that are inhibiting personal wealth. Most people today HAVE to live on credit cards because our country is too poor to provide living-wage jobs (but can everywhere else in the world... $4.25/hr is a godsend to some countries, but it's less than nothing here. No doubt some wish for old tyme slavery to come back as well; at least slaves had food and shelter... yeesh!)

[medgirl3]

"I'll bet anyone here that she'll be broke in 6 months,....you can't cure stupid.
Posted by veteran71 "

If you READ the article, you'd see that she's getting the money over 20 years, which means it's literally impossible for her to spend it in 6 months. HMMMM who's the stupid one?

[sentry88]

YOU GO GIRL

[hissteps4u]

This unfortunately is the fairy tale which persists with Gambling at large. If only.... It causes many a family to never rise above Poverty and get ahead in life.

While I am happy for her sadely 99.9% dont win a thing and waste their money supporting the sate gambling Laws and who really reaps that reward? The State of course.

It's not disimilar to slot machines which by Law must pay out a certain percentage YET in doing so they rake in the huge percentage of Profits in any gambling establishment. having the worst possiable Odds

The only safe bet is No Bet at all.

I love to gamble and can afford to use my disposable income to do so, MOST people are not in that position at all and gamble to augment their megar income if possiable for that ONE in a Million Chance!!!!!!

[yo_marc]

I'm sorry,... I'm having a hard time with the comments that she 'needed it' and that she did the responsible thing.

She's got 9 maxed out credit cards... and then goes on to say: "If I'd have taken a lump sum, I'd be broke again within five years"

Granted, I have no idea what's on those credit cards,... at first glance to me, it just doesn't sound like she's responsible with the money in the first place, and therefore I can't justify the thought that she truly needed the loot.

Among my sour-grape sounding attitude here, I really am happy for her - I just hope the money is used wisely.

[bernieb14]

Good for her!! She should have chosen the lump sum payment and invested the money to work on her behalf instead of the state's behalf.

[nyckate]

It's nice to see good things happen to those who need it -- and also nice to see that she was totally responsible in her thinking - knowing that she needed money for the long-haul not all of it today!!

[tiacovazzi]

GOD BLESS YOU!!! I hope this truly helps you and your children...It's nice that someone who really needs it was the willner...CONGRATULATIONS