Finding Real Wealth: Why I’d Buy Back Time, Not Things, If I Won the Lottery

If I won the lottery, I wouldn’t change much about my life—just the pace of it. The truth is, my dream life already unfolds in a kitchen filled with vegetables, laughter, and flour‑dusted hands.

I don’t often buy lottery tickets myself; they usually show up as small, easy gifts tucked into birthdays or holiday exchanges. Last Christmas, I received a couple of scratch‑offs and quickly realized I had no idea what I was doing. (Is there a secret club for people who actually understand those rules?) Somehow, by sheer guessing or luck, I ended up winning $25. A fun surprise, sure, but not what this prompt is really about.

The real question, I think, is this: What would you do if money were no longer a stressor?

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Buying Back Time

For me, the answer is simple—I’d buy back more time. My husband and I have already been working toward that goal. We’re shaping a life that values time over convenience and connection over consumption. Not time to sit idly, but time to live more fully: to raise our children, grow our food, and slow down enough to notice the beauty in ordinary days.

We’ve traded convenience for satisfaction. I would much rather spend an hour chopping vegetables and stirring a pot beside my kids than spend that same hour working to afford a restaurant meal I didn’t make. There’s something grounding about cooking dinner on our stove while twilight settles outside the window, the kids laughing nearby as the kitchen fills with warmth and good smells. The meal may take longer, but the value of it lingers long after the dishes are done.

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If Money Were No Object

If I suddenly didn’t have to think about money, I wouldn’t move away from this life—I’d sink deeper into it. I’d build a larger greenhouse to grow more food, not just for our family but to share seedlings and knowledge with neighbors. I’d host more community meals—the kind where tables are lined with mason jars of flowers, kids are chasing chickens through the yard, and conversations stretch long into the evening.

My husband would spend more time perfecting his model engines, patiently shaping each piece until it fits with quiet precision. And I’d write more—stories, reflections, maybe even a book about how cultivating food and family can teach us nearly everything we need to know about patience and abundance.

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Real Wealth

We didn’t choose this way of living because it’s easier. We chose it because it reminds us what’s real: the joy of working with our hands, of hearing laughter drift through the kitchen, of eating something we grew from the soil beneath our feet.

Maybe the real prize isn’t a winning ticket—it’s the quiet wealth of growing food, raising kids, and building community.

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If this story resonated with you, I’d love for you to join the conversation!

💬 Tell me in the comments—what would you do if money were no longer a worry?

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