Ruth Breen won £1 million in a EuroMillions lottery jackpot, then went back to work within days of collecting her check.

Ruth, 39, returned to her day job as a midwife at Wigan Infirmary within days of being presented with the giant check telling the Manchester Evening News:

"Yes, £1m is a life-changing sum of money but when you are 35, sadly it’s not enough to retire on.”

However, she did add: “So to be able to reduce my hours just offers a work life balance and again, gives me choices that I previously didn’t have. It’s been pretty awesome.”

A Silver Lotto poll (right) reveals that nearly a third of you would leave your jobs for just a million-dollar lottery win. 

But in today's expensive world, that amount is not nearly enough to say 'see ya' to your boss.

Here's why...

Let's look at an average winner who already has a home and mortgage and see what is involved to upgrade...

• New home $400,000

• New cars $50,000

• Pay down debts $50,000

• Gifts, holidays $30,000

• Helping family $50,000

There's almost $600,000 gone that they'll never get back. So how will the balance of $400,000 give anyone a job-free life?

Many winners have left their jobs after a lottery win - only to return to work, as Luke Pittard did shortly after his win.

The British worker won £1.3 million (US$1.6 million) and quit his job, spending up large on lavish trips, a wedding, and a new house.

But he returned to work at McDonald’s within 18 months.

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“There's only so much relaxing you can do," said the affable Welsh-born winner, who is a staff trainer for the giant fast food company.

Let's crack some more figures.

Invested, that $400,000 may give you 6% back, or around $24,000 a year.

Take off taxes of 25%, which leaves $16,000... around $300 a week. Could you live on that? Most people couldn't.

Then look at the practicality of leaving your job. Unless you really hated it, a job or purpose is necessary for a balanced life. It provides workplace friends, a sense of involvement, pride in work done.

All these things are essential for a happy existence.

The stories you hear about big money winners getting bored after 6 months of enforced leisure, missing the position and contacts they had - and then returning to work? It's all true.

But if $1 million is not enough, what is? Some financial advisors say $10 million is the minimum for retiring happy for the rest of your life.

But most of us could exist on $5 million if we really had to.