A COUPLE who became lottery millionaires have revealed the first thing they splashed out on was some new underpants.
Debbie and Joseph Goolding won £1million on a National Lottery scratchcard in 2020.
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But instead of splurging on luxury cars or giving up work Joseph first upgraded his undies to £20-a-pair Calvin Klein boxers.
Debbie, 49, said: “After we won, one of the first things we spent money on was Joseph upgraded to Calvin Klein boxers. Before that it was Fruit of the Loom or Donnay.
“He doesn’t normally care about stuff like that but he threw loads of them in and I thought ‘he’s really going to town with this’.”
Since then the couple, from Aldershot, Hampshire, have bought an investment property, a diamond ring, iPads for their children and a Harley Davidson motorbike.
They both continue to work for a living and they are still committed bargain hunters.
Joseph, 40, who has continued his job working as a heating engineer, said: “We haven’t really changed in any way apart from a new motorbike and a car.
“We’re still in the same house, we still go to work. We were never that worried it would change us, we’re not that type of people. We still look for a bargain.
“We always book our flights separate from hotels to save money, we still fly economy or Ryanair.”
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Debbie added: “I work as a florist and I went back to work about three weeks after winning but I’m now part time.
“We still do loyalty points with every shop, whenever we go anywhere to eat we see if we can find any offers or vouchers. We just love a deal and a bargain.
“I didn’t want the money to be here today, gone tomorrow and I’m proud that we’re not any worse off because we invested a lot.
“We’re not rolling in money but if we sold the houses and we have now we’d have the million pounds back or more.
“We’ve used the money to make more money”
Reflecting on how friends have treated them following their good fortune, Joseph said: “We’ve had a few people get funny about it but my family don’t care. We may have lost a couple of friends over it but it just showed they weren’t real friends to begin with.
“All my mates who I went to school with don’t treat me any differently, they don’t expect me to buy them an extra beer or anything.
“I’m still going to work and earning money because I need the money and they are the same. I wouldn’t expect them to buy me anything.”
Debbie added: “The fortune just makes clear who your real friends are. It can be insulting if you just say we’re going to pay for you the whole time. It’s a fine line between being flash and being friendly.”
The pair joined other Lottery winners to build a herb garden and gym for retired pets at the Cinnamon Trust in Devon this week.
The Cinnamon Trust runs a nationwide network of pet fosterers and volunteers to ensure older people can keep their pets with them at home and they will be cared for.
Reminiscing the moment they discovered they were millionaires, Debbie, 49, said: “He was watching Independence Day, it was just at that moment when the alien comes out the spaceship and Will Smith punches it.
“I came and sat on the end of the sofa and scratched the card and said ‘I think we’ve won some money’ then he jumped up.
“We went into the kitchen to ring the number and he was just losing his head, he tried to pour a drink but couldn’t remember where the glasses were kept. The next day I rang them again because I didn’t believe it was real.”
