The best loss mitigation tool is winning the lottery.

CBS-Chicago recently told the story of Ricardo Cerezo out of Illinois.

Cerezo and his wife were about to lose their home to foreclosure when the pair discovered old lottery tickets stuffed into a cookie jar.

Cerezo’s wife told him to check the numbers or throw the tickets away.

Luckily, Cerezo checked his numbers —  a move that resulted in millions of earnings overnight.