Winning the lottery is both a blessing and a curse. Like it or not, getting lucky and winning the jackpot changes everything. Especially your relationships. When you become rich, many of your relatives, friends, colleagues, and acquaintances start treating you differently. Suddenly, they’re far less willing to cut you a break if you start acting cheap.
Babysitter u/Own-Syllabub went viral after venting to the AITA online community about how they kept doing favors for their friends, and how unfairly they treated them. They revealed that the couple won the lottery. However, they were unwilling to pay them even minimum wage, despite splurging left and right. You’ll find the full story and the internet’s reactions below.
There is a vast difference between being economical and being cheap
Image credits: Kateryna Hliznitsova (not the actual photo)
One anonymous babysitter shared how their friends couldn't pay them minimum wage even after winning the lottery
Image credits: Getty Images (not the actual photo)
Image source: Own-Syllabub
If you need a professional's services, you have to be willing to pay them fairly. You can't have your cake and eat it, too
Image credits: Oleg Ivanov (not the actual photo)
To be very clear about this entire situation: everyone deserves to earn a fair, respectable wage so that they can live with dignity.
If you (think you) can’t afford to pay someone at least minimum wage, then you shouldn’t be pressuring the person into providing you with services that you need.
And if you desperately need their help, well, then you’ve got to find ways to make your budget work. Cut back on a few things, save more money, and use it on the services that you need.
Or, if you’ve won the lottery, maybe—just maybe—pay for the essentials first before going on fancy trips and buying new cars.
Nobody’s saying that you shouldn’t enjoy yourself a bit when you hit the jackpot. You can and you should. Live a little, have fun. But there should be limits. If you keep splurging just on your wants instead of your needs, then soon enough you’ll have wasted away most, if not all, of your fortune.
Broadly speaking, you should have some sort of financial plan in place. You want to make your wealth last. Pay off your debt and mortgage if you have any. Set aside a large portion of your funds to save and invest.
Carve out a portion that you’ll use to help your closest loved ones and any charities that you support. And, yes, have a tiny bit of those winnings that you’ll use to have fun and enjoy a higher quality of life, guilt-free.
If you have a babysitter whom you’ve been underpaying, it only makes sense to pay them a living wage. Especially when they ask for it. It’s only fair. Being economical is all fine and dandy, but if you’re stingy where generosity matters the most, you can end up pushing away some truly talented and empathetic professionals.
Good financial management and basic prudence can help you turn your winnings into generational wealth
According to Investopedia, once you win the lottery, you should consider investing in a financial team to support you. For instance, you should hire a:
- Financial advisor and planner
- Lawyer for estate planning
- Certified public accountant to help you with taxes
It’s probably best if you hire these people before you actually claim your lottery winnings. Another vitally important step is to stay anonymous if possible. Lots of people get jealous. Scam artists might try to weasel your cash out of you. And you open yourself up to the possibility of lawsuits from your relatives.
Living under the radar and practicing stealth wealth is best. Meanwhile, try to avoid spending or giving away your money quickly after you win.
Reckless spending is your worst enemy because it will devour your jackpot faster than you think
Image credits: Getty Images (not the actual photo)
As per Ronald E. Riggio, Ph.D., some lottery winners squander their jackpot because they lack self-control and financial management skills. “The power associated with newfound wealth can also lead a winner to excess and intoxicating feelings that ‘I can do anything,’” he writes in a piece on Psychology Today.
“The most successful winners stay grounded and maintain their perspectives. They are prudent, and do not engage in reckless spending or behavior. They plan next steps and seek help from trusted investment professionals. They use the money to improve their lives and those of their loved ones. They realize that the most important aspect of winning the lottery is the freedom from financial pressures and the opportunities provided from additional resources.”
After reading the dramatic AITA post, many internet users weighed in with their thoughts about personal finances, spending, saving, and earning a fair wage. The story garnered 2.2k comments and 18k upvotes as it went viral online. Unfortunately, the author’s account got suspended, so we were unable to reach out to them for an update.
We’d love to hear your perspective, Pandas! What would you have done differently if you were in the babysitter’s shoes and your friends refused to pay you properly for your services, despite being relatively wealthy? Do you know anyone who’s ever won the lottery? How did the windfall change them? You can share your opinions in the comments section at the bottom of this post.
Some netizens wanted to find out a bit more context before weighing in with their opinions
Most readers thought that the babysitter was in the right, and they were open with their criticism of the lottery winners
One person thought that nobody had messed up in this situation
Some folks thought that everyone was in the wrong here. Here's their perspective
A handful of people saw things differently from most and blamed the babysitter. Here are their slightly controversial takes
