You probably have a list of things you'd spend your winnings on if you won the lottery. What happens if you didn't win? You could take your chances and play again, of course, with your fingers crossed, or you can put that money towards something you know will have a return.
The temptation is everywhere. If you are feeling lucky, you might spend a few bucks to win big. Shawn Mclin says he bought five Mega Millions tickets.
"I have felt lucky. I hit one number before. I didn't win but a couple of dollars. That was about it and I was still happy about that," said Mclin.
He didn't exactly cash out, but he knows what his first purchase would have been.
"I would save some of it, but the first thing I would buy is a Challenger. It's my favorite car," said Mclin.
Ronald Hoppel is retired now but remembers when he won.
"I won probably $120 about 7 years ago," said Hoppel.
Those odds sound about right. A Bankrate survey says about 21 percent of Americans buy one lottery ticket each week. Those people spend about $400 each year on lottery tickets.
"It's one of those things where if it happens it happens, but I don't count on it," said Hoppel.
So why keep playing? That money could add up and go a long way in a savings account, go towards retirement, or go towards investments. Some of us still play anyway with one goal in mind.
"I play because I want to be rich," said Mclin.
A quarter of Americans don't have emergency savings, so saving the money you would have spent on a lottery ticket could be a good start.