The anonymous winner M.B, an electrician, forgot about her ticket for five months
 
Photo: Stock/compilation

Imagine you’re on your usual route home from work, tired but ready to whip up some dinner.

This is what M.B., an anonymous winner, master electrician and mom from Lynnwood, did one seemingly ordinary day.

The winner stopped by her local Fred Meyer for groceries and bought the ticket on a whim
 
Photo: Google Maps

She stopped by her local Fred Meyer for groceries and, on a whim, bought a HIT 5 lottery ticket from a machine.

Busy with life, she shoved the ticket in her bag and forgot about it.

Fast forward a few months, and her husband nudges her to check that old lottery ticket.

A Washington State Lottery vending machine
 
Photo: Stock

Following his suggestion, she scanned it at the same Lottery vending machine.

To her astonishment, the machine didn’t just congratulate her; it told her to see the lottery’s regional office.

Why? Because she hadn’t just won a few bucks. She had won a whopping $135,000!

Her family couldn’t believe their eyes when they saw the win confirmed
 
Photo: Stock

Her husband and son couldn’t believe their eyes when they saw the confirmation.

That one forgotten ticket turned out to be a golden ticket for M.B., wiping out her debt and making her debt-free.

Now, if you’re not familiar with HIT 5, it’s a game from Washington State where you pay a dollar to play.

You pick five numbers (or let the computer choose for you) out of 42. If your numbers match the winning numbers, you win cash.

The Washington Lottery Hit5 game is just $1 per play
 
Photo: Stock/compilation

The more numbers you match, the bigger your prize.

And for M.B, when all her numbers matched, landing her that life-changing prize, it proved sometimes the best surprises come when we least expect them.