What's In a Name?

Have you ever wondered why some prize-winning opportunities are called contests and others are called sweepstakes? Generally, a contest requires some level of achievement or ability, or something that is earned, whereas a sweepstakes win typically just represents the random choosing of an entry. Personally, I rarely enter true contests, either because I don't think I'm good enough to win or because they take too much time and effort, or I don't have the equipment (video entries) or the expertise (cooking/recipes), etc. One time, when I was taking a class on social issues, I needed to write a paper about how the Internet will affect our society in the future, and there was a sweepstakes on the very same subject! Of course I entered! And, sadly, of course I did not win, but I did get an A on the paper. : ) The tip of the day is that there are some contests available that appear to be essay contests or photo contests, but a careful reading of the rules will reveal that they are actually random drawings, so just enter something and you'll have as good a chance as anyone else.

Now, my sweep of the day comes with a "true confession". I saw this sweepstakes on the Heinz Facebook page a long time ago and skipped over it because I'm not too familiar with Chili's and would never be able to write a good "Ode to Awesome". However, after one of my friends has won this TWICE, I'm going to "like" it and maybe win it! Happy Sweeping!

Calling All Kids

My children have often bemoaned the fact that they are disqualified from entering most sweepstakes because the minimum age is usually 18. Today I will reveal a great source for some of my favorite sweeps that often will allow entries for minors. As you probably know, the Disney brand is not limited to movies and theme parks. They are part of a family of companies including ABC and ESPN with the accompanying websites, stores, and publications, all wanting your family's attention, and they know that one of the best ways to get that attention is through the kids. While I cannot endorse everything that comes from these companies, I can tell you that there is a veritable treasure trove of trips, gift cards, and licensed merchandise to be given away throughout every nook and cranny of this group of websites. Register each child and adult in the family for a username and you will be set to use the same login at all the associated sites. Parents are able to (and should, in my opinion) set preferences/privileges for different children based on age and Disney is serious about wanting the kids to have a safe online experience. Do a search for sweepstakes related to go.com (or Disney, ESPN, ABC, family, com, etc.--all on the go.com network). As always, check the rules carefully. Some will be one entry per household, which means that you could be disqualified if anyone else in the family enters. Some are for ages over 18 only, some 13 and older, and some are for all ages. The tip of the day will help you with the ones that accept more than one entry per household. These related sites will keep you logged in from session to session, which is convenient if you jump from one to another as I do. It becomes inconvenient if you are attempting to allow another family member to enter a sweepstakes, even if it's a different one. Typically, there will be a place to sign out ("If you are not so-and-so, click here") so the other family member can sign in. It gets trickier if the other family member is a child since a child cannot change the adult's preferences. The tip is to keep trying. You may need to find "Guest Services" or something similar. It has to be a pretty awesome sweepstakes for me to go through the hassle sometimes, but Disney has some pretty awesome sweepstakes. Kids and their parents need to remember that it will be the parents who have to pay the taxes on high-value prizes.

You know I'm going to have a great sweepstakes of the day under this topic and I'll share another that I really hope will be all mine. Go here for yet another chance at a Disney cruise. Each family member 10 and older can enter daily. If I don't win, I hope you do. Happy Sweeping!

When You Wish Upon a Star...

I'm not into astrology but I do enjoy a little Disney magic, or should I say, Magic? Having taken 3 Disney cruises, I'm always looking ahead to the next one, and wishing that somehow I could win one. While I don't believe that a star could help make my wish come true, I have been known to mention my wish to the Lord in prayer. It goes something like, "Lord, you know that I don't pray to win a million dollars or even to get rich, but if I could win a Disney cruise, I would be so thankful for it." As the saying goes, "If you don't enter, you can't win," so the tip of the day is that you need to search for sweepstakes that are on your wish list. I don't do this daily, but from time to time, I choose a search engine and look for Disney cruises that I could enter to win. I guess I didn't do it recently enough, because this one slipped right past me until today. For the sweepstakes of the day, go to the Facebook page and "like" it, play the game if you'd like (but it's not necessary), and you may enter one time to win a cruise for 4, although I really hope, wish, and pray that I do. Happy Sweeping!

What Would You Do....

in order to win a really great prize? It's a decision that sweepers have to make before they have entered very many contests. Today's tip of the day is more like an opportunity for me to tell you a little of my philosophy and how I decide where to draw the line. First of all, I oppose gambling, so I shun anything that seems like a lottery or is sponsored by a casino. If I have to pay to enter, I don't, unless it's an entry that comes with the purchase of something I was going to buy anyway. For that reason, I will not enter sweepstakes that require postage. I also am against alcohol and tobacco, so I will not enter sweepstakes sponsored by those companies. It's actually not so much that I don't want to profit by their ill-gotten gain (because lots of innocuous-looking things are related to things I reject), but I do not want my name or picture to be used in their advertising. I will not lie or stretch the truth to make myself eligible (e.g., rationalize that "I AM a nurse because all moms have to be a nurse" so I can enter a sweepstakes for nurses only), and I will not use an alternate address to gain an entry that I could not get otherwise. I want all my wins to be blessings from God and I would rather not win at all than to win dishonestly.

I don't really get a kick out of most of the games involved in entering sweepstakes, but once I get past all the registering, signing in, requesting a free code, waiting for the code to arrive in my mail, etc., this sweepstakes of the day from Butterfinger will probably be a favorite of mine. Today I even got through the first door and got to pick a 2nd key! I can't wait to try again tomorrow. Now if I had a code from a wrapper, I could try again today, and I do love Butterfingers, but I think I shall just promote the product and talk up the sweeps and try to keep my fingers off the Butterfingers.

Dry Spell

No, I'm not talking about the weather. Our area has had quite a rainy summer. I'm talking about how I did not win a single thing in the month of June. A few years ago I wanted to find out how much I really do win, so beginning on January 1, I began keeping track. I discovered that I almost always won at least one thing a month, and if I didn't, the next month made up for it. Since then, I've continued to monitor whether I'm maintaining that pace, and so far, so good. July should be a great month! The key to successful sweeping is to enter a LOT of sweepstakes and to do it over a long period of time. Friends will often comment that I seem to be very "lucky" because I win a lot of sweeps, but they don't realize how many I DON'T win. So my tip of the day is a real no-brainer, but it's simply to keep on entering. If you haven't won anything yet, check to see if the contests you've entered have even ended yet. It is common for winners to not even be announced for weeks and sometimes even months after a contest has expired. (By the way, I count my wins from the day I am notified, so it's possible I did win something in June that I just don't know about yet!)

My sweepstakes of the day addresses the issues mentioned above. It has LOTS of winners, so MANY of you should be able to win something if you keep entering. It doesn't end until the middle of September and you may enter more than once per day if you have cap codes. The downside is that this is not for the fainthearted. It has loading issues and is not easy to figure out what to do. The good news is that many people will give up and leave more prizes for those of us who are persistent. Go here to enter your code OR, if you don't have one, click on "play" and choose a person on the couch to represent you. Happy Sweeping!