I enter losing tickets in my state lottery's app. Points are awarded for each ticket, and I use those points to enter drawings.

On September 3rd, "Tennessee Education Lottery" appeared on my caller id. I answered, of course. A man asked if I was Otherwise-Sandwich98 (sorry if user name doesn't match up exactly, barely use this acct) living at my street address. I said yes. There was also a lady on the line. They told me I won $10,000 in the TN Lottery second chance drawing. After they verified my DOB, they said I would receive a certified letter. I would need to take the letter, along with my driver's license and social security card, to the regional office to claim the prize.

I've never looked so hard for my social security card in my life. Luckily, my husband found it in a folder we had to take to our son's school last year.

On September 15th, our mailman finally knocked on the door. The certified letter was hand-addressed, though the return address isn't and includes the Tennessee Lottery logo. I was working from home and took the rest of the day off.

Once I got to the regional office and showed the clerk the letter and the two forms of ID, I had to fill out a form. Then the clerk had to call the main office in Nashville. I waited for about 30 minutes, but part of that wait had to do with a setting on a copier that had changed. "I didn't even hear it," said one clerk to the other. She asked if I wanted my picture taken. I declined.

They took the taxes out, so the actual check was $7600. It is considered income by the state.

I went immediately to my credit union and deposited it. They requested to see the tax form that had been attached to the check, to make sure it was real.

I donated 10% of my post-tax winnings to Dolly's Imagination Library. I let the rest sit in my savings account for a couple of days, just because I liked the look of it in my credit union app. Then I paid off my credit card and my husband's credit card. I am still riding the waves of excitement of winning AND paying off the credit cards!

I wanted to share my experience here to let you what to expect if you get that phone call and encourage you to enter your losing tickets in the app. I buy roughly $25 worth of scratch-offs a month, and I play Powerball when the jackpot gets super-big.