A COUPLE who scored £1 million on a scratch card claim they are still on a budget and their lives have not changed – apart from waving off rude comments.
Emma and Phil Wildin, from Cinderford, Gloucestershire, were stunned to discover their huge windfall – but didn’t spend the money they expected.
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Mum-of-two Emma bought the scratch cards as a ‘little treat’ during her routine of baby classes and household chores.
She told the Guardian: “I always scratch off the winning panel before I scratch off the prize, so I could tell straight away that I had won something.
“Then, of course, I scratched off the awards panel and saw ‘MILL.’ This became ‘MILLION.’
“I just threw everything on the floor and ran into the house screaming and jumping up and down.”
Happy toddlers Oscar and Darcie started celebrating, shouting: “Mum, we’ve won a million pounds,” Emma added.
After telling husband Phil over the phone, the ecstatic winner waited for Camelot to confirm the jackpot.
An employee delivered the life-changing news in July 2013, saying: “Congratulations. You’ve won a million pounds.”
However, the happy couple decided to invest £900,000 from the windfall and keep only £100,000 for expenses.
And Emma admitted she’s “still the same person,” even if it doesn’t feel real sometimes.
She explained: “We were able to buy two small houses to rent out, so that gives me a monthly income and a bit more confidence.”
While the mum-of-two described the fortune as ‘life-changing’, she insisted they ‘don’t intend to change the way we live’.
Phil didn’t retire, and Emma still shops at the local co-op where she bagged the winning ticket while sticking to a tight budget.
“Our dream has always been to build our own house, but really we are just happy that we can give the children a nice life until they are old enough to build their own house,” she added.
Although the modest millionaires tried to keep their feet on the ground, they did admit to splurging on a few luxuries.
Emma bought a premium Range Rover and underwent laser eye surgery.
The family also went shopping for three days before booking a vacation to Disneyland.
But according to sensible saver Emma, Phil is still not allowed to buy his dream Aston Martin.
“I spoiled him at Christmas though. He got 23 presents. I told him not to expect that next year,” she admitted.
Despite investing most of the lump sum, the mother-of-two claimed they had received “the odd negative comments” from people.
“We were in debt before, with a car on financing, but we weren’t robbed, so you hear from people who think, ‘Oh, they don’t need the money,’ which is understandable,” she explained.
“I’ve also had people in my life who maybe thought they were going to get something but didn’t,” Emma added.
“It’s hard because you have to draw the line somewhere, and it’s probably hurt some of my relationships.”
This comes as another lucky couple who won £142,000 in the People’s Postcode Lottery also revealed their ‘boring’ first purchase.
Sue Lamb, of Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham, was “overwhelmed” when she discovered the huge windfall just after Christmas and said: “It’s like having my children all over again.”
The Royal Mail catering assistant, 62, and hubby Mark were over the moon after their life-changing jackpot was announced on Saturday, January 6.
But the couple does not plan to spend the money on luxury cars or expensive designer clothes first.
They plan to breathe new life into their crumbling garden fence, after years of playful abuse by three grandchildren.
Meanwhile, another winning dad on the street told how he scooped the same £142,000 Lotto jackpot – and spent the money on his daughter.
Kevin McCann, 67, received a frantic phone call from his girlfriend after she broke a tooth the night before he collected the huge sum.
Read more about the Irish sun
Now kind-hearted Kevin has pledged to spend hundreds of his winnings on a crown for daughter Donna Hardwick, 45.
Plus one lucky resident who won the entire £388,000 Postcode Lottery prize through a quirk.
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