MINT HILL, NC - A man went to the grocery store, expecting to shell out a good bit of cash on Christmas groceries, and by the time he left the store, he was well on his way to becoming $176,876 wealthier. 

Michael Rosenbrock of Mint Hill, North Carolina, went to the grocery store to buy some ham, stuffing and a few tasty treats for his Christmas guests. 

But Rosenbrock picked something else up at the store, a $5 scratch-off ticket called 20X The Cash. 

At first, Rosenbrock thought the ticket was a dud. But, to be sure, he entered it into one of the state lottery's second-chance promotional drawings and was shocked to discover how much he'd won. 

Rosenbrock told CNN, "I didn't think I won anything at first. It's a good thing I always enter my tickets into the second-chance drawings or I would have thrown it away. I couldn't believe it when I realized I won $250,000."

Rosenbrock, who works in international shipping, claimed his prize at the lottery headquarters in Raleigh, Monday. After state and federal taxes were deducted, he went home with $176,876.

Money raised by the North Carolina lottery supports education programs across the state, including school construction, scholarships, grants and transportation.