Jatonia Crisp of Mebane said she almost threw away a scratch-off ticket worth $250,000.

On Wednesday morning, Crisp stopped by Graham Shell Family Fare on Main Street in Graham and bought a 20X The Cash scratch-off ticket. Crisp didn’t think she won anything, so she put the ticket in her car and forgot about it until she stopped for gas the next morning. Crisp decided to look at the ticket one more time before throwing it away.

“I was like, ‘Wait a minute. I see ‘19’ and ‘19’, let me look at this again,’” Crisp said. Sure enough, the ticket was worth $250,000.

“I was speechless,” Crisp said. “I felt numb. I just couldn’t believe it! I still can’t believe I was driving around with the ticket all day in the car.”

Crisp claimed her prize Thursday at lottery headquarters in Raleigh. After required state and federal tax withholdings, she took home $176,253. She plans to use the money to pay bills and get a new home.

The $5 ticket launched earlier this month. Crisp is the first player to win the $250,000 top prize. Seven top prizes remain.

Ticket sales from instant games like 20X The Cash make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $600 million a year for education. For details on how lottery funds have made a difference in all of North Carolina’s 100 counties, click on the “Impact” section of the lottery’s website.