I’m crap with money. Truly terrible.

When I spotted that Britmums had a new competition linky to share how you would spend a £20k lottery win, I naively thought it would be easy. I started a mental shopping list filled with designer bags, post-baby liposuction, a personal trainer, a holiday to the Maldives, an iPad, a pimped out playroom for Dexter… I had probably spent £20k three times over in just half an hour of daydreaming.

GEMMA’S PLAN - “PIMP MY PLAYROOM”

But in reality, I’d probably be so scared of the money, I’d give it to Craig. This isn’t a cheeky little £1000 that I could casually spend without telling him (“This dress? Oh I’ve had it for ages!”), £20k is a lot of money!

Although this will probably make our relationship sound incredibly old-fashioned, I’ll admit to being blissfully ignorant about the simplest of household expenses. I have no idea how much a full tank of petrol costs, what council tax band we’re in, who our house & contents insurers are, and how often a water bill lands on our welcome mat. It’s probably best I don’t know!

So not wanting to hog the imaginary money all to myself (and make a fool out of myself by listing half a dozen things that would probably total wayyy over £20k) I decided to share my win with Craig. Unfortunately, I initially forgot to tell him I hadn’t actually won any money. Naturally he got really excited and spun me around the living room! Not wanting to kill his high, I waited five minutes before telling him that the only 20 we have to spend is a crumpled note in my purse. Needless to say the conversation that followed was a little more subdued that I had initially wanted.

His answer was incredibly boring, sensible and undeniably ‘Craig’. But as mundane as his imaginary plans might sound, it is this exact reason I love him so much. He’s always thinking of our family first, it’s like being married to Martin Lewis.

CRAIG’S PLAN - “TURN THE WIFE INTO SARAH BEENEY”

Well given our emigration plans are on hold due to this new pregnancy, our first and only purchase would be a family home. With a cash injection of £20k added to our savings we would have a whopping deposit on a place to house our growing family. With that little bit more in the kitty, we could afford to buy something that needs a little work so we can create space that works for us.

Fancying myself as a bit of a Sarah Beeney (minus the hard hat and responsibility!) it sounds like lots of fun. Craig might be more financially astute out of the two of us, but I’m definitely the most practical when it comes to DIY. A plastering crash course appeals ten times more than a spa day, and I’m very handy with a paintbrush. Between the two of us we could create a great home for Dexter and Bump - and perhaps double our money in the process.

So what do you think? What would you do with a £20k windfall?

This post is an entry for BritMums #Spend20K Challenge sponsored by The National Lottery. The Lotto game is changing on 5th October, giving players more chances to win more prizes. Players will get £25 for matching 3 numbers in the draw (up from £10) and 4 numbers (from £60 to £100), and a new raffle guarantees at least 50 winners of £20,000 each draw! And the best bit? When the jackpot rolls, so does the raffle, meaning hundreds more guaranteed £20,000 prizes. Find out more about new Lotto, which starts in October, here – www.national-lottery.co.uk.