The Lottery Ticket

Timing is everything. I try to maximize my dollar investment by timing my lottery ticket purchase to include the most number of days between purchase and the posting of the numbers. Because really, buying the ticket, is about dreaming of the endless possibilities of what you will do with the money. Contemplating if my family members will be upset if I give them only $1M each; what improvements to the house will be done while the kids and I leave to travel the world for at least a year; on what island will i buy a second home; will I quit my job or stay on part-time for benefits? These questions and more are asked and plans are drawn up in my head. And it is such a lovely time living in this lottery-induced daydream that it seems silly to buy my ticket on the day of the lottery - that only gives me a few hours to daydream and feel genuinely hopeful before they call out the numbers and I have to get to sleep so I can work in the morning. No, if I am going to play the lottery, I have to buy a ticket as soon as I can after the calling of the numbers. Anything less than that is a waste. After all it's about getting the most value out of my dollar for me.