Blog Sweepstakes

If you've read my blog, you know that I enjoy sweepstaking as a hobby. In the 12 plus years I've been doing it, we've always won more than we've spent in stamp money. I've watched it go from a strictly "mail-in" type hobby to a mostly online hobby -- with most sweepstakes now having a way to enter online.

The most recent wave in sweepstaking seems to be blog sweepstakes. Sites like mine will offer a prize to readers/posters. It's something I'm getting used to and trying out. Often, you can get an extra entry in a blog sweepstakes by posting about that particular sweepstakes on your own blog site. I'm giving that a try for the first time today.

The Thrifty Maven, a blog site I like a lot, is giving away a $100 Home Depot gift card from the Home Depot Garden Club . You can enter too! Just visit The Thrifty Maven site and follow the instructions. Good luck!

There is also another great giveaway at Champagne Living and you can win a $25 Target gift card from Got Free ECards. It ends on 6/20.

Some Recent Wins

Now that we are really penny pinching, I appreciate the occasional win more than ever! For now, we are going to allocate $42 per month (one roll of stamps) for sweepstakes entering. However, that may change if things get tight, so I'm also trying to enter sweepstakes online more.

I was notified the other day that one of my online entries was picked in a General Mills sweepstakes open to active duty and retired military families. We won a Nintendo Wii system, complete with the Wii fit.



That was a really nice surprise and one that will be put away as soon as it arrives. We figured it would make a great birthday present for my son or, if my husband is still unemployed at that point, we may just keep it hidden until Christmas. I also won a $50 gas card the other day, which was also a military sweepstakes. That will come in handy when Mike goes to job interviews.

Today, while I was out doing errands, I figured I would pop into the local Indian casino. They give me "free play" each month in varying amounts and I had $7 to spend this week. I do love going to the casino and it is one of those things that I have to give up for the most part just now. However, I decided to limit myself to the $7 they were giving me and another $5 in my wallet. When the money was gone, then I would go also. Just about the time I had used up my $5, I hit the bonus game on the slot machine I was playing and, during that bonus game, I won a $90 jackpot, combined with the other winnings during the bonus game, I walked away with $110! That will pay for our perishable groceries for the week! Too bad that doesn't happen ever time I go to the casino.

These wins, while not incredibly expensive or lavish are so nice, especially now that we can't buy a lot of luxuries for the time being.

A Fun, Free Evening Out!

One of my hobbies (when I can find the time) is sweepstaking. I've been doing it for over ten years now and have won some nice things over that time, such as a Mazda Miata car, $20,000 in Home Depot certificates, several trips, and other nice prizes. Some of my best wins are not expensive things, but special things that a normal person could not buy -- such as the time I won a 50-pound custom made chocolate/almond candy bar with my name inscribed on the label! That was a ton of fun that lasted a long time -- the family got hammers and screwdrivers and used them to chisel the candy bar into chunks, which we stored in ziplocks and kept in the freezer for more than a year, eating it slowly over time. The label is still in my "memory" box, with some other nice mementos from wins.

Things have slowed WAY down in the wins department in the last several years, but occasionally something fun will come along. Tonight the family went to the local ballpark as I was drawn as one of 20 finalists in a key turn to win a Harley Davidson motorcycle. As part of that win, I was given four tickets to the baseball game and $40 in vouchers for food. It was the last night before my youngest daughter, Kristina, went off to college, so it was nice to be able to spend it doing something fun.

It turned out that all 20 finalists showed up and we drew slips of paper out of a bucket to determine our order of drawing keys and trying to start the motorcycle. We then all went inside the stadium and lined up -- and they brought the motorcycle in. I was # 3 in line. They had told us that some keys would not even fit into the ignition, while others would fit, but would not turn -- and only one would turn all the way and be able to turn on the headlight of the motorcycle, which would determine the winner.

I was between a middle-age guy who seemed very excited and a very old woman who was on oxygen, who did not seem to care at all that she was there. The guy next to me asked her if she planned to keep the motorcycle if she won and she said she did not want it, but that she had kids who probably would like it. I'm not sure why she even entered -- as she was so unenthusiastic.

We lined up and the first woman went. Her key went in, but did not turn. Then the guy in front of me went and he could not fit his key into the ignition. Then it was my turn. I tried to see if there was a key more scratched than the others (that is one pointer you often hear in key turns -- to make sure to take the scratched key). However, they all looked the same to me and I didn't want to stand there all day deciding, so I grabbed one and gave it a try. It went in smoothly -- but did not turn :(

The crowd gave a sympathetic groan when I shook my head and then they gave me a big hand (I later found out that I was on the jumbotron and the family said I looked good and "normal" -- so I guess that was a good thing.

I walked to the back of the line and then turned to watch the other contestants. The old woman was helped up the ramp (the motorcycle was on a trailer), put her key in the ignition, and the light on the motorcycle came on!! I couldn't believe it! She did not even smile when she was told she won! My daughter said that her son and daughter were sitting behind them in the stands and the son said, "I already have a Harley!" I just don't understand why they would even enter this contest if 1) she was not interested in winning and 2) her son already owned a bike. I'm sure it was rather disappointing to the Miller Beer and Harley Davidson people (the sponsors) who were also present, as this woman was obviously not in their target audience and did not even seem happy to have won.

I did feel lucky that I at least had a chance to try my key -- as the other 16 people never even got to give it a shot, and that had to be frustrating. I went back up into the stands and we ate lots of ballpark food and heckled the other team for a bit until it started to rain. Then we headed home. All in all, it was a fun night -- but I really would have liked to have won!

Maybe the next drawing I'm in (for the $2000 Visa card) will be luckier. That one also has great odds, with only 21 finalists and, on that one, I don't have to be present to win, so it will be less stressful for sure.