Photo: Getty Images
A woman in North Carolina will finally have the chance to get a place of her own after a craving for a snack led to a big lottery prize.
"I wasn't even supposed to be at that store," said Marcia Finney, of Shelby.
Finney went to her normal convenience store to buy some gas a potato chips, but after learning they were closed, was forced to go to another store up the road. Whether an act of divine intervention, a push from the universe, or just an odd occurrence ended up bringing her good luck when she purchased a $25 Spectacular Riches scratch-off ticket from Mike's Food store on Earl Road, according to a release from the NC Education Lottery.
She scratched the ticket to reveal she was the lucky winner of a $100,000 prize, a sight she couldn't believe at first.
"When I saw all those zeroes, I had to wipe my eyes and look again," she said. "I kept saying, 'This is not real, it's not real.'"
However, it was definitely real. After double-checking the ticket, she just said she was in shock and "just kept sitting there staring at it."
Finney claimed her prize at lottery headquarters on Monday (September 19), bringing home a grand total of $71,017 after all required state and federal tax withholdings. When asked what she plans to do with her new winnings, she told lottery officials she hopes to finally find a place that she can call home.
"I've been looking for somewhere to live for like two years," she said. "Now I can have a place of my own."