A cash-strapped Australian couple who won a whopping AU $200,000 on a scratchie have revealed how they spent their winnings.
Jayde Hicks, 23, and her partner Jordan, 21, from Western Australia, were ‘doing it tough’ and had even taken out a personal loan to pay gas and electricity bills – until a chance stop at the newsagents’ changed their lives.
After scratching off the foil, the pair realised they were in for a ‘major win’ but it wasn’t until they took it inside that they realised they were $200,000 richer.
Jayde Hicks, 23, and her partner Jordan, 21, (pictured) won $200,000 on a scratchie and revealed how they spent their winnings
The pair were ‘doing it tough’ and had even taken out a personal loan to pay gas and electricity bills – until a chance stop at the newsagents’ changed their lives
Their delight at winning big was captured on camera at the shop they bought their ticket at
‘The newsagent scanned the scratchie – then her jaw dropped,’ a thrilled Jayde told Take 5 magazine. ‘I couldn’t fathom what I was hearing’.
Despite both holding down jobs – Jayde as a pizza shop manager and Jordan as a chef – the couple were in ‘a lot’ of debt and has been unable to get on top of their finances.
While they’d been engaged for two years, Jayde said that planning a wedding was out of the question because they simply couldn’t afford it.
On top of that, they faced other struggles.
‘Jordan’s car had broken down so we’d taken out a loan to buy a cheap motorbike to get him two and from work,’ Jayde told Take 5.
Despite both holding down jobs – Jayde as a pizza shop manager and Jordan as a chef – the couple were in ‘a lot’ of debt and has been unable to get on top of their finances
‘Then the fuel key snapped and we needed to replace it… It was getting harder and harder to stay positive.’
Their delight at winning big was captured on camera at the shop they bought their ticket at.
But whilst the pair were thrilled with their win, they remained clear-headed about what to spend the money on.
‘The very first thing we did was pay our bills and clear our debt,’ Jayde said. ‘Then we went out for a few drinks, trying to get our heads around things.’
The pair both bought cars with their winnings so they’d ‘never have to worry about getting to and from work again’ – with Jordan opting for a red Holden Monaro (pictured)
Jayde chose a white SUV and other items they treated themselves to included a vacuum cleaner and bed linen
The final indulgence? A fishing boat (pictured) – so Jordan could fulfill his passion for being out on the water
The win meant they could finally plan their wedding – ‘but we don’t feel the need for lavish celebrations’, Jayde insisted.
‘We’re going to keep things low-key. I’ll probably hire my gown and Jordan wants to wear his boardies.’
Other items the pair treated themselves to included new bed linen, a vaccum cleaner and some new clothes.
‘Over the next few weeks we treated ourselves to a few nice dinners and went on a roadtrip,’ Jayde said.
‘The day we bought the scratchie, I honestly didn’t know how much longer we could cope,’ Jayde said
‘I guess lady luck was really smiling down on us that day,’ she added
The pair’s story appears in the current issue of Take 5 magazine
‘We both bought cars so we’d never have to worry about getting to and from work.’
Jayde’s motor was a white SUV, while Jordan opted for a retro red Holden Monaro – and the kind-hearted pair also gave some of the money to Jordan’s mum so she could buy a Dodge Nitro too.
The pair also plan to open a bar and bistro and are saving cash for a ‘rainy day’.
The final indulgence? A fishing boat – so Jordan could fulfill his passion for being out on the water.
‘The day we bought the scratchie, I honestly didn’t know how much longer we could cope,’ Jayde said.
‘I guess lady luck was really smiling down on us that day.’