Congratulations! You've Won!

I've been told I am a very lucky person, but I really don't see it that way. Luck is relative. A better word to describe me might be persistent. In fact, those who enter contests and sweepstakes on a regular basis know that the three Ps - Patience, Persistence, and Postage - have much more to do with winning a sweepstakes than luck. In my case though, you can leave out the postage. I am an online sweepstaker, and when it comes to winning, I have to admit that I've done pretty well.

I started entering sweepstakes by mail back in 1994. Subscribing to a sweepstakes newsletter called SweepSheet (http://www.sweepsheet.com/) gave me my start. I very carefully followed all the tips and tricks for winning that I picked up from other sweepers, such as the use of colored greeting card envelopes, and within about 6 months, the wins started to come in on a fairly steady basis. I managed to win a trip to Jamaica, a trip to Universal Studios Hollywood, a check for $2000 in lieu of a trip to a concert from Budweiser, and many smaller prizes such as clothing, shoes, electronics, a cell phone, $500 worth of toys, and a $1000 gift card to Auto Zone.

It didn't take me long to reach burnout stage. All the filling out of blank 3x5 cards began to aggravate my carpal tunnel syndrome, and buying a roll of stamps at least once a week can get expensive. So I began to investigate online sweepstakes, and I've never looked back. I'm proud to be a sweepaholic!

Online sweepstakes are many and varied. A look at a website such as www.online-sweepstakes.com proves that entering these promotions can be very lucrative indeed. You don't have to spend any money on postage, envelopes, 3x5 cards, postcards or other supplies - all you need is some free time, as much as you care to spend each day. Many people use online-sweepstakes.com to keep track of their entries, but there is also a beautifully simple little freeware program called Sweep, available at http://www.wavget.com/sweep.html which will not only keep your list of sweeps you want to enter organized, but let you know when it is time to enter again!

Since switching over to entering online sweepstakes only, I have won -

A great Lifetime.com sweepstakes which gave me maid service, a gym membership, a year's supply of Dasani bottled water, salon services, flowers once a week for a month, gift cards to Olive Garden and Red Lobster totaling $500, and $500 cash.
A karaoke machine and coupons for free ice cream from Dreyers.
A mini fridge from Budweiser
A 15 gig iPod from Budweiser
A pair of Reebok athletic shoes valued at $95.
Enough DVD sets to make my den look like a subsidiary of Hollywood Video or Blockbuster.
A beautiful bouquet of Hawaiian flowers.
Books galore, both paperback and hardback, some signed by the author.
A slinky black evening dress
A home theatre system
A set of golf clubs
A one year supply of Paul Mitchell haircare products
$500 in free gasoline cards from BP
A huge box of beautiful candles
Two DVD players
Cookware from Food Network.com
A $1000 Visa gift card
A $1000 American Express gift card
A racing bicycle
A washer and dryer set
Tshirts and hats - too many to count

And I know I have left out a few things! I have yet to win all of what sweepers call the 3 C's - Cash, Computer, Car - but I'm ever hopeful!

Sweeping can be a very lucrative and fun hobby, and online sweepstakes will hopefully be around for a long time to come. Every morning when I look at my email and every afternoon when my postal mail arrives, there is always the chance that I will see a win notice! Whenever I go through a dry spell and haven't won anything for awhile, I remind myself that it only takes one entry to win, and my next win could be just around the corner!