Retired nurse wins $3.8 million lottery — the first thing he bought was an item no one saw coming

Winning a lottery is all about patience, persistence, and that stroke of luck that could come once in several years. Although people who buy tickets are hoping to win the lottery, they are still stunned when they actually hit the jackpot, and a number of things they want to splurge on could cross a person's mind. Colorado resident Bill S. was no different when he won a whopping $3.8 million from the Colorado Lotto+ jackpot. One would expect the man to plan a vacation or buy a car, but Bills made an unusual decision and bought a vacuum cleaner.

While the official figures show that Bill took home close to $4 million, that is not the case in reality. Taxes on his winnings reduced the amount, and the 68-year-old took home little more than $1.9 million, according to Business Insider.

Of course, that’s not his only ambition and it turns out that Bill wants to give back to society as well. After the win, he expressed his desire to buy 100 gift cards for the people at his local City Market grocery store. That’s where he purchased the winning ticket. His reason for giving them these gifts is that they have always been nice to him. Bill has also spent most of his life helping people as he worked as a trauma nurse in New York City for three decades.

He has his personal ambitions as well and for Bill those include taking a trip on a train and getting back to some of his old hobbies such as paragliding and horseback riding. It’s safe to say that the 68-year-old was an adrenaline junkie during his younger days. He had even learned how to ski back in the ‘70s as per the official release by Colorado Lottery.

A vacuum cleaner is an odd first purchase after winning a lottery but there are far more unorthodox items bought by others. For example, back in 1999, a certain John Falcon won a whopping $45 million and chose to buy a new set of teeth that cost $175,000 as per The Mirror. One may look at it as self-care but new gnashers aren’t the first thing people usually purchase after such a massive payday.

He then went on to buy a luxury apartment in Trump Towers and also hosted musical performances in theatres. Despite doing all that, Falcon has his regrets. One of his biggest ones is not hiring a financial advisor after winning all that money. "Everyone assumes it's an endless amount of money but it takes some holding onto," he explained.

He also admitted to being confused about what to do next after being announced the winner. "There is nothing on the ticket that tells you what your next step is. So, do you know what I mean? I didn't know what to do. Do I go back to the bodega where I bought it and ask for my $45 million? I mean, what do I do?" Falcon added.