Husband who doesn’t ‘splurge very much’ buys Powerball ticket in Iowa — and wins big

A husband who describes himself as “frugal” decided to splurge on a Powerball ticket while at a Casey’s convenience store in Iowa. And it really paid off.

“I don’t splurge very much, but here and there – (I) might get lucky,” Michael Mettler told Iowa Lottery officials while claiming his prize.

Testing his luck, the 71-year-old veteran from Indianola bought an easy-pick Powerball ticket for the Wednesday, March 1, drawing, according to a news release from the Iowa Lottery.

The next morning, he went back to Casey’s and asked a clerk to check his lottery ticket.

“She says, ‘Oh, my! You’re going to have to go to the lotto office!’” Mettler recalled to lottery officials. “She showed me the ticket and said, ‘$50,000!’ What a deal is that?”

Mettler had matched the Powerball and four of the white balls, officials said. He was only one number away from winning the $144 million jackpot.

After realizing he had won a $50,000 prize, Mettler said he called his wife to share the exciting news. Then, on his way to claim his winnings, he stopped by her workplace to show her the winning ticket and his receipt.

The retiree plans to save his prize money, according to the release.

“I’m pretty frugal with my money,” he said. “I’m not going to go out and blow it. Put it in the bank and let it rest.”

Indianola is about 20 miles south of Des Moines.

This story was originally published March 6, 2023 at 1:37 PM with the headline "Husband who doesn’t ‘splurge very much’ buys Powerball ticket in Iowa — and wins big."