I once read that poor people spend an average of $90/month on lottery tickets and other forms of gambling. The article that cited that statistic indicated that if a poor person invested that much money each month, they could develop a respectable nest egg for retiring and stop being poor. I am unwilling to spend any of my limited funds on lottery tickets or other forms of gambling but I do understand the psychological and emotional value of thinking that you might catch a break and trying to position yourself to get a windfall when working day in and day out seems like it may never solve your problems. Here are some of the things I do in place of playing the lottery to help me hold it together while following the long, slow path out of my current problems:
Coke Rewards:I routinely drink diet coke anyway so, at some point, I signed up for a coke rewards account. I have used the points to get a $5 e-gift card for Domino's pizza, donated some points to charity, and entered numerous sweepstakes for varying sums of money or gift cards from various companies. I have not won anything yet but it only costs a little time and effort and it helps me stay positive during difficult times.
Surveys on store receipts: I also occasionally go online and fill out the survey listed on the receipt for various stores where I shop. I do this less often than I do coke rewards. I have not yet won but the psychological principal is the same: It costs no money and I can hope I will catch a lucky break. During hard times, that can make a real difference in my ability to stay calm and keep working on the long, slow solutions.
Coke Rewards:I routinely drink diet coke anyway so, at some point, I signed up for a coke rewards account. I have used the points to get a $5 e-gift card for Domino's pizza, donated some points to charity, and entered numerous sweepstakes for varying sums of money or gift cards from various companies. I have not won anything yet but it only costs a little time and effort and it helps me stay positive during difficult times.
Surveys on store receipts: I also occasionally go online and fill out the survey listed on the receipt for various stores where I shop. I do this less often than I do coke rewards. I have not yet won but the psychological principal is the same: It costs no money and I can hope I will catch a lucky break. During hard times, that can make a real difference in my ability to stay calm and keep working on the long, slow solutions.