Who Wants to be a Millionaire?

You may have started the relationship by merging two households, so that you have two of various things, but over the years, possessions are streamlined and replaced.  Then, when you break up, you need to replace the items you've let go, as well as set up a separate household again, with no-one to share the bills.  It's expensive and suddenly everything seems to be about how much everything costs!  What if it wasn't all about money?
Remember the song from that wonderful film High Society? Celeste Holm and Frank Sinatra playing around with all the flashy wedding presents, singing 'I don't!'.
However, I do, actually. I know money can't buy you love, but it can solve so many other problems. When the song was written in 1956-ish, (yes, I know it refers to US dollars) the average price of a house in the UK was roughly £2,500 and a million pounds bought a lot more than it does now, when the national average house price is around £162,250 (and falling).
I'm sure I wouldn't have any problem spending my million, starting with donations to charities.  I don't think I have ever seen as many charity appeals as there are at the moment on TV and the internet.  So many good causes, all crying out for support.
A friend was giving me a pep talk a couple of years ago, and advised that 'you have to be in it to win it'. It was a strange, uncharacteristic and cryptic thing for her to say and therefore a compelling piece of advice. I'm one of those people who always buys raffle tickets and hardly ever wins anything.  My friend's comment made me realise my negative thinking.
It's true - you have to take or make opportunities for good things to happen. Since then, I have been entering any free competitions I find. I had previously never bothered to enter.  I still haven't won anything, but I live in hope.  I'm not the only one.  I was reading some of the comments on a competition site, and there were plenty from people who 'never usually win anything', including a comment from someone who had been entering competitions for 10 years and was about to give up. They were so happy to have won something. I would be thrilled to bits, too.  I would love a windfall, but not at any cost.  I'm not about to enter any TV quiz shows and don't want anyone dying just so that I can be (or at least feel as though I am) rich!
Whenever I see a charity advert, I send out a big wish that the name or number to be drawn will be mine.  And if it's not this week, then hopefully the lucky person will at least donate to a charity and share their good fortune!
I wonder if, back in 1956, a million dollars was really enough to keep servants, have a country estate, buy a plane and/or a yacht? Frankly, you can keep them, although if I were to win, I might allow myself a bottle of champagne!  And if I were to win really big ... dream on!