Mega Millions Jackpot now $850 Million for Tonight’s Drawing

How much money would it take for you to consider yourself to be rich? For a lot of us, I don't think we know what that number is, but we have a pretty good idea of what we'd like our lives to look like if we were to consider ourselves rich. For most of us "rich" means not really having to look at how much something costs before we buy it. At least, when you boil it down to the concepts most elementary terms, I think that's how most of us would define the word.

Tonight, a single ticket matching all the numbers drawn in the Mega Millions lottery game could propel most of us to that "rich" state. I mean if I had $850 million or $626.2 million (if you choose the cash option) I would probably stop looking at price tags in Walmart and not even bother stopping by the "almost expired meat" section at Albertson's.

However, as a dear friend always told me, no matter how thin the pancake, there are still two sides. Untold wealth via the lottery does have its dark side. For a lot of us, a huge lottery payout would mean a total change from the life we now know. It would probably entail moving to a different house and maybe even hiring security to keep those seeking a handout away.

Let's face it there are just as many awful stories that come out of winning the lottery as "happy endings" provided by lottery cash. I think it all boils down to this. If you have your head screwed on right when you're poor or middle class, then you'll probably figure out how to handle living with the burden of bank accounts that are busting at the seams.

Tonight's Mega Millions draw is set for 09:59 pm. By rule, ticket sales must cease at least one hour before the drawing. So, don't get mad at the clerk at the Circle K if she tells you she can't sell you that ticket at 9:30 tonight. Oh, tomorrow's Powerball is an estimated $640 million. You could probably get rich winning that one too. Just in case you don't win tonight's Mega Millions.