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People Who've Won A 'Lifetime Supply' Of Something Explain How Long It Actually Lasted Them

Large quantity of apples on a conveyor belt
Photo by Arno Senoner on Unsplash

When a lifetime supply of something we like is offered in the form of a contest, it's safe to say that most of us would try our luck and enter the contest for a seemingly infinite amount of that desired thing.

But we have to wonder, when they say, "lifetime supply," do they mean a literal lifetime, or do they actually mean a conservative, well-rationed, short lifetime?


Redditor LordFrieza8789 asked:

"Redditors who have actually won a 'lifetime supply' of something, what was the supply you won? And how long did it actually last?"

Altoids and Burritos

"Not me, but my Grandpa won a lifetime supply of Altoids back in the early 2000s."

"They sent him a box with like 200 tins in it, and that was it. I remember when we went to his house, he gave me like a dozen of them."

"Also, when the Moe's opened up near me a couple of years back, my brother staked out overnight with some friends because the first 100 customers got a year's supply of burritos."

"They gave him a card that could be used for one free burrito a day for a year. I think he went every day for three weeks straight and hasn't gone back since, lol (laughing out loud)."

- CarsenAF

The Year of Pizza

"Not exactly lifetime, but I once won a 5000 euro one-year voucher at a pizza place, and it lasted the full year. I spent the last 75 euros on the very last day."

- nillekeks1

"That's a LOT of pizza."

- TheSarcasmChasm

"You have no idea. I ate every pizza they serve, every snack, everything on their menu at least five times."

"I was also invited to a lot of parties that year."

- nillekeks1

A Classic Swap

"My hometown has a minor league baseball team. I won a year’s supply of Pepsi from beating a mascot in a race at the ballpark when I was seven."

"I didn’t realize the prize was Pepsi until I won (I just wanted to meet the mascot, Scout!) and I hated soda as a kid."

"So when Scout handed me my first six-pack of Pepsi as my prize, I said, 'Well, that’ll last me the whole year because I won’t drink it,' and my parents forfeited my prize to the second place kid."

"The park gave me a t-shirt instead and a baseball frame for the picture I got with the mascot instead, so I think I came out on top."

- not_addictive

No More Hunger

"When I was a kid, I won a lifetime supply of meat from a large butcher shop in my hometown."

"My dad put my name in one day and a few weeks later we get a call telling us we won a custom BBQ pit and a monthly supply of meat and supplies for life."

"We got the pit a few days later, and every month we’d get a foam ice chest of various beef cuts, sausages, and steaks, a couple of dozen sodas, a bag of charcoal, lighter fluid, and a bag of whatever veggies they had around or something."

"We were really poor at the time, so this was exactly something that could help the family out in enormous ways. My dad would have a BBQ every weekend, sometimes several times a week."

"I remember sometime afterward, realizing that I hadn’t felt hunger in days or even weeks, and that was so unusual for me."

"For years, we continued to get the monthly supply. There was even one point when the amount of meat and sodas we got doubled. We were having a hard time keeping up, but that’s a good problem to have."

"I remember near the time I was going to high school, we got notified that the butcher shop got bought out by a larger national chain, and the parent company just wanted to cut us a check to end it all. We gladly accepted. The check was for like $10k or something like that."

"By that time, my parents had gone to school and got their degrees and got better-paying jobs, so the free supply of food was just a bonus."

"Looking back, that win helped us out a lot when we were poor. I can imagine the savings my parents gained from not having to buy as much food, which was scarce as it was. We became happier and a little fatter, as well."

- watabby

The Gift That Keeps on Giving

"I won a lifetime supply of printer paper from a Canadian retailer based on an internet contest with the purchase of a Konica Minolta."

"I won, and I realized quickly that I don't need that much paper. They were sending me two reams a month."

"I moved and never updated my shipping address, so someone out there is getting free paper."

- GhostLandsTramp

Free Flights

"Ryanair (a European budget airline) awarded its millionth passenger 'free flights for life.'"

"After nine years, they reneged on the deal, so she took them to court. The Judge awarded her 60,000 euros to buy her own flights (Her legal costs were more than three times that, but Ryanair had to pay those as well)."

"Given the relatively low cost of Ryanair flights, 60,000 euros will probably buy her at least six flights per year for the next 50 years."

- GrumpyOik

An Absolute Win-Win

"I won a year of free Choolaah. It’s a fast-casual Indian restaurant."

"They give a year of free food (via a coupon book with 52 cards for free meals) to the first 100 customers at any location. I saw that the line was short on the way to work and called everyone in the office to get in line."

"We had all our business meetings at Choolaah for a year, with the company paying for meals when people ran out of coupons, didn’t have them, or we hired anyone new."

"The food was perfect because if you ate vegan, paleo, gluten-free, or any combination there was something on the menu you could eat. We still use them for company catering because everyone likes the options."

- teacamelpyramid

In This Economy?

"I won free groceries for 'life' at my local grocery store in a raffle. They give me a digital $100 gift card once a month, which is wonderful. However, it doesn't even cover a week of groceries."

"It will end when the total given has reached $10,000. I've got about $4000 left."

- like_to

Party Time

"Not necessarily 'won,' but I bought a lifetime membership at one of my favorite nightclubs/concert venues early in the pandemic. They released a limited amount as a pandemic fundraiser and they went fast and will likely never do something like it again, so it feels a bit like I won."

"It came with free entry plus-one, coat check, and two drink tickets at every event at the venue (even sold-out ones) for life."

"A couple of years out, I’ve gotten more value than the cost, I’m still on the list for every event, and most of the staff there know me (partly cuz I’m there a lot and also cuz I tip well on those drink tickets). I’ll often just drop by for random events/artists I’d never heard of or dip in for a half hour at a sold-out event with a $50+ door cover just to say hello to some friends."

"I imagine someday the venue will close up shop and my lifetime membership will close with it."

- maddiewantsbagels

Good Manager Energy

"I took my kids to a pizza buffet place when they received a free kids meal coupon for good grades. The cashier mistakenly charged us for the meals."

"When the manager came out to correct the transaction, I said he could just return the coupon and not worry about it."

"He gave us an entire stack (about 50) of unused coupons that were attached together like a checkbook. We got free kids meals until they obviously reached the age limit."

- psgrue

Quantity Over Quality

"My parents did twice in a relatively short period of time. The first was at a fair when I was in high school. They advertised it as a lifetime supply of ice cream sandwiches."

"They ended up giving us 100 boxes all at once. Right there on a warm July day. My mom was only able to collect at the end of the day so there weren't even that many people to hand them out to."

"We got home and had about 60 left after giving away as much as possible and throwing out what didn't fit in our freezer."

"I played lots of sports so I ate a lot and my parents just said I could eat as much as I wanted any time I wanted. I went through 60 boxes in a couple of months. That was a good time but not so good for my weight."

"The second was when they bought an expensive microwave about a year later and won a five-year supply of microwave popcorn. Basically, the same thing happened."

"We got a huge box with like 200 packages and I was told to eat as much as I wanted."

"After living in a house that smelled like popcorn for a few weeks, my parents just threw the rest in the garbage."

- discostud1515

An Excellent Plan

"Not a lifetime supply but my aunt won a 60-second haul at our local grocery store, where you grab as much as you can in 60 seconds and it’s yours. There are obviously rules and limitations, no meat, dairy, or fresh goods."

"This woman took her arm and literally swiped out their entire aisle of coffee. She had a plan going in there, which I guess was coffee, dog food, paper towels, and toilet paper."

"Which honestly, that’s a good plan with the limits they had. Nobody in my family had to buy coffee for at least a year. (We all survive off coffee in my family.)"

- juelbaby

"The way I would DEMOLISH the spice aisle."

- f**k_you__shoresy

The Final Call

"This happened in the late '90s. A local bar ran a wet t-shirt contest where the girl who won would win a lifetime of free bar drinks at the bar. They also had cash prizes for second and third place. I don't remember how much, but it was a lot at the time."

"The result was a packed bar, tons of girls entered, and tons of guys spent money. My friend's girlfriend at the time, now his wife, won first place. She was stoked. He was excited."

"Within a couple of weeks, the building was condemned and torn down."

"Turns out the owners of the bar knew that the building was going to be condemned and just wanted to have one last party."

- pilot4hire70

Long Live the Cat

"18 years ago, we won a lifetime of vet visits for my cat."

"They expected to give it to someone with an old pet, not a new kitten."

"The cat’s still alive. The Vet Clinic has moved and rebranded four or five times, but they’re still honoring the award."

- aegis_526

A Beautiful Family Tradition

"My grandparents were gifted a lifetime subscription to 'Reader's Digest' as a wedding gift. They were offered that, or some other magazine that went out of business a decade later so they made the right call."

"Being a frugal family, that subscription was utilized fully. After Grandma and Grandpa were done with each issue, it would be passed along to siblings and their kids with this little round-robin thing they did (sharing photos and updates of what everyone was up to, passed along in a manilla envelope and when it came back to you, you remove your items and put new ones in)."

"They had been together for 62 years when Grandpa died, but RD honored the subscription an extra decade until Grandma passed."

"I forgot how much was paid for it, but I'm certain the gifter got their money's worth."

- Just_call_me_Marcia

While lifetime supplies may not always be all they're cracked up to be, some of these stories were incredibly wholesome and reminded us just how kind people can be.

People Reveal The Weirdest Thing About Themselves

Reddit user Isitjustmedownhere asked: 'Give an example; how weird are you really?'

Let's get one thing straight: no one is normal. We're all weird in our own ways, and that is actually normal.

Of course, that doesn't mean we don't all have that one strange trait or quirk that outweighs all the other weirdness we possess.

For me, it's the fact that I'm almost 30 years old, and I still have an imaginary friend. Her name is Sarah, she has red hair and green eyes, and I strongly believe that, since I lived in India when I created her and there were no actual people with red hair around, she was based on Daphne Blake from Scooby-Doo.

I also didn't know the name Sarah when I created her, so that came later. I know she's not really there, hence the term 'imaginary friend,' but she's kind of always been around. We all have conversations in our heads; mine are with Sarah. She keeps me on task and efficient.

My mom thinks I'm crazy that I still have an imaginary friend, and writing about her like this makes me think I may actually be crazy, but I don't mind. As I said, we're all weird, and we all have that one trait that outweighs all the other weirdness.

Redditors know this all too well and are eager to share their weird traits.

It all started when Redditor Isitjustmedownhere asked:

"Give an example; how weird are you really?"

Monsters Under My Bed

"My bed doesn't touch any wall."

"Edit: I guess i should clarify im not rich."

– Practical_Eye_3600

"Gosh the monsters can get you from any angle then."

– bikergirlr7

"At first I thought this was a flex on how big your bedroom is, but then I realized you're just a psycho 😁"

– zenOFiniquity8

Can You See Why?

"I bought one of those super-powerful fans to dry a basement carpet. Afterwards, I realized that it can point straight up and that it would be amazing to use on myself post-shower. Now I squeegee my body with my hands, step out of the shower and get blasted by a wide jet of room-temp air. I barely use my towel at all. Wife thinks I'm weird."

– KingBooRadley

Remember

"In 1990 when I was 8 years old and bored on a field trip, I saw a black Oldsmobile Cutlass driving down the street on a hot day to where you could see that mirage like distortion from the heat on the road. I took a “snapshot” by blinking my eyes and told myself “I wonder how long I can remember this image” ….well."

– AquamarineCheetah

"Even before smartphones, I always take "snapshots" by blinking my eyes hoping I'll remember every detail so I can draw it when I get home. Unfortunately, I may have taken so much snapshots that I can no longer remember every detail I want to draw."

"Makes me think my "memory is full.""

– Reasonable-Pirate902

Same, Same

"I have eaten the same lunch every day for the past 4 years and I'm not bored yet."

– OhhGoood

"How f**king big was this lunch when you started?"

– notmyrealnam3

Not Sure Who Was Weirder

"Had a line cook that worked for us for 6 months never said much. My sous chef once told him with no context, "Baw wit da baw daw bang daw bang diggy diggy." The guy smiled, left, and never came back."

– Frostygrunt

Imagination

"I pace around my house for hours listening to music imagining that I have done all the things I simply lack the brain capacity to do, or in some really bizarre scenarios, I can really get immersed in these imaginations sometimes I don't know if this is some form of schizophrenia or what."

– RandomSharinganUser

"I do the same exact thing, sometimes for hours. When I was young it would be a ridiculous amount of time and many years later it’s sort of trickled off into almost nothing (almost). It’s weird but I just thought it’s how my brain processes sh*t."

– Kolkeia

If Only

"Even as an adult I still think that if you are in a car that goes over a cliff; and right as you are about to hit the ground if you jump up you can avoid the damage and will land safely. I know I'm wrong. You shut up. I'm not crying."

– ShotCompetition2593

Pet Food

"As a kid I would snack on my dog's Milkbones."

– drummerskillit

"Haha, I have a clear memory of myself doing this as well. I was around 3 y/o. Needless to say no one was supervising me."

– Isitjustmedownhere

"When I was younger, one of my responsibilities was to feed the pet fish every day. Instead, I would hide under the futon in the spare bedroom and eat the fish food."

– -GateKeep-

My Favorite Subject

"I'm autistic and have always had a thing for insects. My neurotypical best friend and I used to hang out at this local bar to talk to girls, back in the late 90s. One time he claimed that my tendency to circle conversations back to insects was hurting my game. The next time we went to that bar (with a few other friends), he turned and said sternly "No talking about bugs. Or space, or statistics or other bullsh*t but mainly no bugs." I felt like he was losing his mind over nothing."

"It was summer, the bar had its windows open. Our group hit it off with a group of young ladies, We were all chatting and having a good time. I was talking to one of these girls, my buddy was behind her facing away from me talking to a few other people."

"A cloudless sulphur flies in and lands on little thing that holds coasters."

"Cue Jordan Peele sweating gif."

"The girl notices my tension, and asks if I am looking at the leaf. "Actually, that's a lepidoptera called..." I looked at the back of my friend's head, he wasn't looking, "I mean a butterfly..." I poked it and it spread its wings the girl says "oh that's a BUG?!" and I still remember my friend turning around slowly to look at me with chastisement. The ONE thing he told me not to do."

"I was 21, and was completely not aware that I already had a rep for being an oddball. It got worse from there."

– Phormicidae

*Teeth Chatter*

"I bite ice cream sometimes."

RedditbOiiiiiiiiii

"That's how I am with popsicles. My wife shudders every single time."

monobarreller

Never Speak Of This

"I put ice in my milk."

– GTFOakaFOD

"You should keep that kind of thing to yourself. Even when asked."

– We-R-Doomed

"There's some disturbing sh*t in this thread, but this one takes the cake."

– RatonaMuffin

More Than Super Hearing

"I can hear the television while it's on mute."

– Tira13e

"What does it say to you, child?"

– Mama_Skip

Yikes!

"I put mustard on my omelettes."

– Deleted User

"Oh."

– NotCrustOr-filling

Evened Up

"Whenever I say a word and feel like I used a half of my mouth more than the other half, I have to even it out by saying the word again using the other half of my mouth more. If I don't do it correctly, that can go on forever until I feel it's ok."

"I do it silently so I don't creep people out."

– LesPaltaX

"That sounds like a symptom of OCD (I have it myself). Some people with OCD feel like certain actions have to be balanced (like counting or making sure physical movements are even). You should find a therapist who specializes in OCD, because they can help you."

– MoonlightKayla

I totally have the same need for things to be balanced! Guess I'm weird and a little OCD!

Close up face of a woman in bed, staring into the camera
Photo by Jen Theodore

Experiencing death is a fascinating and frightening idea.

Who doesn't want to know what is waiting for us on the other side?

But so many of us want to know and then come back and live a little longer.

It would be so great to be sure there is something else.

But the whole dying part is not that great, so we'll have to rely on other people's accounts.

Redditor AlaskaStiletto wanted to hear from everyone who has returned to life, so they asked:

"Redditors who have 'died' and come back to life, what did you see?"

Sensations

Happy Good Vibes GIF by Major League SoccerGiphy

"My dad's heart stopped when he had a heart attack and he had to be brought back to life. He kept the paper copy of the heart monitor which shows he flatlined. He said he felt an overwhelming sensation of peace, like nothing he had felt before."

PeachesnPain

Recovery

"I had surgical complications in 2010 that caused a great deal of blood loss. As a result, I had extremely low blood pressure and could barely stay awake. I remember feeling like I was surrounded by loved ones who had passed. They were in a circle around me and I knew they were there to guide me onwards. I told them I was not ready to go because my kids needed me and I came back."

"My nurse later said she was afraid she’d find me dead every time she came into the room."

"It took months, and blood transfusions, but I recovered."

good_golly99

Take Me Back

"Overwhelming peace and happiness. A bright airy and floating feeling. I live a very stressful life. Imagine finding out the person you have had a crush on reveals they have the same feelings for you and then you win the lotto later that day - that was the feeling I had."

"I never feared death afterward and am relieved when I hear of people dying after suffering from an illness."

rayrayrayray

Free

The Light Minnie GIF by (G)I-DLEGiphy

"I had a heart surgery with near-death experience, for me at least (well the possibility that those effects are caused by morphine is also there) I just saw black and nothing else but it was warm and I had such inner peace, its weird as I sometimes still think about it and wish this feeling of being so light and free again."

TooReDTooHigh

This is why I hate surgery.

You just never know.

Shocked

Giphy

"More of a near-death experience. I was electrocuted. I felt like I was in a deep hole looking straight up in the sky. My life flashed before me. Felt sad for my family, but I had a deep sense of peace."

Admirable_Buyer6528

The SOB

"Nursing in the ICU, we’ve had people try to die on us many times during the years, some successfully. One guy stood out to me. His heart stopped. We called a code, are working on him, and suddenly he comes to. We hadn’t vented him yet, so he was able to talk, and he started screaming, 'Don’t let them take me, don’t let them take me, they are coming,' he was scared and yelling."

"Then he yelled a little more, as we tried to calm him down, he screamed, 'No, No,' and gestured towards the end of the bed, and died again. We didn’t get him back. It was seriously creepy. We called his son to tell him the news, and the son said basically, 'Good, he was an SOB.'”

1-cupcake-at-a-time

Colors

"My sister died and said it was extremely peaceful. She said it was very loud like a train station and lots of talking and she was stuck in this area that was like a curtain with lots of beautiful colors (colors that you don’t see in real life according to her) a man told her 'He was sorry, but she had to go back as it wasn’t her time.'"

Hannah_LL7

"I had a really similar experience except I was in an endless garden with flowers that were colors I had never seen before. It was quiet and peaceful and a woman in a dress looked at me, shook her head, and just said 'Not yet.' As I was coming back, it was extremely loud, like everyone in the world was trying to talk all at once. It was all very disorienting but it changed my perspective on life!"

huntokarrr

The Fog

"I was in a gray fog with a girl who looked a lot like a young version of my grandmother (who was still alive) but dressed like a pioneer in the 1800s she didn't say anything but kept pulling me towards an opening in the wall. I kept refusing to go because I was so tired."

"I finally got tired of her nagging and went and that's when I came to. I had bled out during a c-section and my heart could not beat without blood. They had to deliver the baby and sew up the bleeders. refill me with blood before they could restart my heart so, like, at least 12 minutes gone."

Fluffy-Hotel-5184

Through the Walls

"My spouse was dead for a couple of minutes one miserable night. She maintains that she saw nothing, but only heard people talking about her like through a wall. The only thing she remembers for absolute certain was begging an ER nurse that she didn't want to die."

"She's quite alive and well today."

Hot-Refrigerator6583

Well let's all be happy to be alive.

It seems to be all we have.

Man's waist line
Santhosh Vaithiyanathan/Unsplash

Trying to lose weight is a struggle understood by many people regardless of size.

The goal of reaching a healthy weight may seem unattainable, but with diet and exercise, it can pay off through persistence and discipline.

Seeing the pounds gradually drop off can also be a great motivator and incentivize people to stay the course.

Those who've achieved their respective weight goals shared their experiences when Redditor apprenti8455 asked:

"People who lost a lot of weight, what surprises you the most now?"

Redditors didn't see these coming.

Shiver Me Timbers

"I’m always cold now!"

– Telrom_1

"I had a coworker lose over 130 pounds five or six years ago. I’ve never seen him without a jacket on since."

– r7ndom

"140 lbs lost here starting just before COVID, I feel like that little old lady that's always cold, damn this top comment was on point lmao."

– mr_remy

Drawing Concern

"I lost 100 pounds over a year and a half but since I’m old(70’s) it seems few people comment on it because (I think) they think I’m wasting away from some terminal illness."

– dee-fondy

"Congrats on the weight loss! It’s honestly a real accomplishment 🙂"

"Working in oncology, I can never comment on someone’s weight loss unless I specifically know it was on purpose, regardless of their age. I think it kind of ruffles feathers at times, but like I don’t want to congratulate someone for having cancer or something. It’s a weird place to be in."

– LizardofDeath

Unleashing Insults

"I remember when I lost the first big chunk of weight (around 50 lbs) it was like it gave some people license to talk sh*t about the 'old' me. Old coworkers, friends, made a lot of not just negative, but harsh comments about what I used to look like. One person I met after the big loss saw a picture of me prior and said, 'Wow, we wouldn’t even be friends!'”

"It wasn’t extremely common, but I was a little alarmed by some of the attention. My weight has been up and down since then, but every time I gain a little it gets me a little down thinking about those things people said."

– alanamablamaspama

Not Everything Goes After Losing Weight

"The loose skin is a bit unexpected."

– KeltarCentauri

"I haven’t experienced it myself, but surgery to remove skin takes a long time to recover. Longer than bariatric surgery and usually isn’t covered by insurance unless you have both."

– KatMagic1977

"It definitely does take a long time to recover. My Dad dropped a little over 200 pounds a few years back and decided to go through with skin removal surgery to deal with the excess. His procedure was extensive, as in he had skin taken from just about every part of his body excluding his head, and he went through hell for weeks in recovery, and he was bedridden for a lot of it."

– Jaew96

These Redditors shared their pleasantly surprising experiences.

Shopping

"I can buy clothes in any store I want."

– WaySavvyD

"When I lost weight I was dying to go find cute, smaller clothes and I really struggled. As someone who had always been restricted to one or two stores that catered to plus-sized clothing, a full mall of shops with items in my size was daunting. Too many options and not enough knowledge of brands that were good vs cheap. I usually went home pretty frustrated."

– ganache98012

No More Symptoms

"Lost about 80 pounds in the past year and a half, biggest thing that I’ve noticed that I haven’t seen mentioned on here yet is my acid reflux and heartburn are basically gone. I used to be popping tums every couple hours and now they just sit in the medicine cabinet collecting dust."

– colleennicole93

Expanding Capabilities

"I'm all for not judging people by their appearance and I recognise that there are unhealthy, unachievable beauty standards, but one thing that is undeniable is that I can just do stuff now. Just stamina and flexibility alone are worth it, appearance is tertiary at best."

– Ramblonius

People Change Their Tune

"How much nicer people are to you."

"My feet weren't 'wide' they were 'fat.'"

– LiZZygsu

"Have to agree. Lost 220 lbs, people make eye contact and hold open doors and stuff"

"And on the foot thing, I also lost a full shoe size numerically and also wear regular width now 😅"

– awholedamngarden

It's gonna take some getting used to.

Bones Everywhere

"Having bones. Collarbones, wrist bones, knee bones, hip bones, ribs. I have so many bones sticking out everywhere and it’s weird as hell."

– Princess-Pancake-97

"I noticed the shadow of my ribs the other day and it threw me, there’s a whole skeleton in here."

– bekastrange

Knee Pillow

"Right?! And they’re so … pointy! Now I get why people sleep with pillows between their legs - the knee bones laying on top of each other (side sleeper here) is weird and jarring."

– snic2030

"I lost only 40 pounds within the last year or so. I’m struggling to relate to most of these comments as I feel like I just 'slimmed down' rather than dropped a ton. But wow, the pillow between the knees at night. YES! I can relate to this. I think a lot of my weight was in my thighs. I never needed to do this up until recently."

– Strongbad23

More Mobility

"I’ve lost 100 lbs since 2020. It’s a collection of little things that surprise me. For at least 10 years I couldn’t put on socks, or tie my shoes. I couldn’t bend over and pick something up. I couldn’t climb a ladder to fix something. Simple things like that I can do now that fascinate me."

"Edit: Some additional little things are sitting in a chair with arms, sitting in a booth in a restaurant, being able to shop in a normal store AND not needing to buy the biggest size there, being able to easily wipe my butt, and looking down and being able to see my penis."

– dma1965

People making significant changes, whether for mental or physical health, can surely find a newfound perspective on life.

But they can also discover different issues they never saw coming.

That being said, overcoming any challenge in life is laudable, especially if it leads to gaining confidence and ditching insecurities.