Tips for Sweepstaking

I've been entering sweepstakes for many years now. Entering sweepstakes can be time consuming if you like to enter a lot of sweepstakes so I thought I'd share some tips to maximize your time and entering sweepstakes in general.

1. The most important in my opinion is to read the rules! Entering a sweepstakes you're not eligible for is a waste of time. Some sweepstakes are only available in certain areas or only to certain groups of people (eg. famers, business owners, etc)
2. Create a separate email account to be used specifically for entering sweepstakes so your personal emails don't get mixed in and lost.
3. Use RoboForm to help fill out forms fast. It's completely free! It's an awesome timesaver.
4. Join a local sweepstakes group - that's where you can find local sweepstakes in your area. Try doing a search for sweepstakes at Yahoo Groups. For those of you in Florida, check out Florida Sweepstakers.
5. Bookmark sweepstakes you can enter more than once and organize them into folders. I have mine organized into: Instant Wins (usually daily entries - I like to enter those first for the instant gratification - knowing whether or not I won), dailies (non-instant win sweepstakes), weekly, and monthly.
6. Start a referral friends email list. This is a list of sweepstakes friends' emails that you can use to submit for extra entries. Many sweepstakes offer you extra entries when you refer your friends to the sweepstakes. You can add my email, jandswinder [at] yahoo.com to your list. Post your sweepstakes email in the comments if you want to be included in my list.
7. If you like to enter snail mail sweepstakes, consider subscribing to Sweepsheet (Tell them Sappho from FL referred you - I'll get 2 free issues of the newsletter). It's an extremely well designed newsletter that lists sweepstakes that can be entered my mail only along with those that can be entered online and by mail. It also offers awesome advice and tips to entering snail mail sweepstakes. There's also an awesome community of people that offer help, sweepstakes, friendship and so much more.
8. Don't disregard sweepstakes with only a few prizes offered or think you can't win the grand prize. I was one of over 200,000 entries that won 1 of 5 grand prizes given away in the Meow Mix Think Like a Cat Sweepstakes that ended last year. It was a trip to Napa Valley for 4 days, 3 nights that included hotel, airfare, $1500 in spa treatments, $1k cash, and a dinner, cooking class and lunch with Iron Chef Cat Cora and a year's worth of Meow Mix cat food. THANK YOU, MEOW MIX! For those of you that didn't read about it, you can here. I meant to add more pictures but never got around to it. I'll have to post some.
9. Keep track of your winnings and their values. You have to report your total amount of winnings on your taxes. Even if it's less than $600 in value, you're still required to report it. Aside from the tax reason, keeping track of your winnings also keeps you motivated to keep entering sweepstakes.
10. Always think positive.
11. Don't give up so easily if you have just started. It will take some time of entering many, many sweepstakes before you may win something. Many sweepstakes can last anywhere from a week to a year + and you have to wait until the drawing is conducted and the winners are notified.
12. I don't think GrandCentral is open to new accounts but it's my way of having a phone number to use specifically for sweepstakes. It allows you to attach the GrandCentral phone to any other phones you have. For instance, I have mine ring my cell phone and my work phone whenever someone calls my GrandCentral number. I also see my sweepstakes phone number on the caller ID so I know that it's a sweepstakes related phone call.
13. For instant win sweepstakes, most have a "game" for you to play and see if you won. I skip over those by looking for the "Click Here to skip the game and see if you won." statement. It's usually on the bottom. It's saves so much time not having to play the game. Not all sweepstakes have that option, but the majority do.
Note: Here's tip #14 thanks to Sandra from about.com:
'One trick that I use that you didn't mention is Texter. It lets me store UPC codes or enter Flash sweepstakes (which Roboform can't handle) in just a couple of clicks. I have some more information about it here: How to Use Texter to Enter Sweepstakes.'

Well, I hope this list helps you get through entering the sweepstakes on your list a lot quicker. Please share any tips you have.

I look back at my list of prizes that I've won and thank God for blessing us with them. Many have come at just the right time and gave us provision for what we needed. I remember one time earlier this year that I was telling my husband how I want to get our daughter a Mr. Potato Head cause she loves playing with it at our friend's house and what shows up in the mail a few days later - a Mr. Potato Head with a carrying case and a bunch of accesories from a Hasbro sweepstakes I had entered months before!!! God has always been so cool like that! :)




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