Tag: win

They Call Me the Luckiest Man on Earth

by Sweepy McSweeperson

I have been called the luckiest man on earth at certain points in my life.  I don’t feel so lucky usually on a daily basis, I tend to get loads of bad luck in my personal life like most of you do.  I’m divorced, and have had some health issues over the years, as I’m sure many of you have experienced as well.  But I am very lucky when it comes to one thing: Winning Sweepstakes!

I love a good sweepstakes, I’m also a sucker for a good lottery, so even when the odds are stacked against me, I know there is always a chance to win.  I’m not going to sit here and say that everyone is going to be a winner, because we know that’s not possible or there wouldn’t be any actual “action” if that were the case.

Sweepstakes are nostalgic to me, and remind me of the good old days.  The days when everyone didn’t get a trophy for participation, the days when kids could still play dodgeball, the days where everyone didn’t have to be so politically correct and the days where everyone has a chance, but only ONE person wins.  As my dad used to say, and I still live by this, second place is FIRST LOSER!  Sweepstakes are for winners, not for participation, so it’s important you take the process serious.

I enjoy the action and have learned it’s a numbers game.  As a past winner of numerous sweepstakes over the years (47 and counting), that’s what keeps me coming back for more action!  There’s always a chance to win when you’re playing a sweepstakes presented from a reputable source (I’ll be sure to point you towards the good guys and away from the bad guys in the sweeps world).  I won my first sweepstakes on iGiveAwayPrizes.com a few months ago and was given the opportunity to start writing a blog for IGAP , that’s after years of playing sweepstakes ranging from product giveaways to cash, and even a trip to a cheese factory believe it or not!  I’ve won a week-long all expenses paid cruise to the Caribbean, a trip to Disneyland with the family, and even a grocery store shopping spree!  There have been gun sweeps, the opportunity to be the MC at a circus, and the first one to ride a brand-new rollercoaster at a major theme park.  My favorite sweep that I won allowed me the opportunity to fly on the supersonic Concord commercial jet (I may be dating myself here as the Concord no longer flies).  I’ve done it all and I don’t regret a minute I spent playing these sweepstakes over the course of the last 30 years.

I decided to write this blog to impart some of my experiences, stories, and most importantly share with you the best sweepstakes out there so you can have the same chances I did.  I will be brutally honest, I will be negative from time to time, but most of all, I will point you in the direction towards the best sweepstakes available.  These sweepstakes may be simple cash giveaways like PCH, awesome sports experiences like a March Madness trip, or even daily sweeps that offer $100 per day payouts.

Are you ready?  Let’s go!

10 Tips to Help You Win More Sweepstakes

by Sweepy McSweeperson

Lets start off simple here and go through some of the basic rules to the sweepstakes game.  Remember, this is a game at the end of the day, but if played right it could also be quite rewarding.  After 30 years of experience, here are some basics to get you going.  Remember, it’s a numbers game, but if you don’t follow the rules carefully you could be just wasting your time!  Here are our top 10 tips to help you win more sweepstakes:

Enter in as many sweepstakes as possible — consistently.

The more you enter, the better your chances, right?  If you carve some time out every day for entering sweepstakes, you’ll make sure your name is always in the running for one prize or other.  It can be as little as twenty minutes a day.  The key is consistency.

If you enter a daily sweepstakes, make sure you enter daily.

Most people who enter daily sweepstakes only enter once or twice.  Naturally, people forget, or move on, or lose interest.  If you make sure to enter every day, you dramatically improve your chances of winning.  Set a daily reminder on your phone to make sure you get your entries in.

Don’t be afraid to share the wealth.

Sometimes, you can be tempted to keep a good sweepstakes to yourself, hoping to increase your chances of winning.  But lots of sweepstakes these days give you extra entries for referring others to the sweepstakes.  Share the wealth, and watch your chances increase!

Read (and follow!) the rules before you enter.

It would be the worst thing ever if you won a sweepstakes with a great prize, only to find out you can’t receive the prize because you didn’t follow the rules.  Some of the rules can be confusing, but you should make sure to read them carefully anyway.  For example, One Entry Per Person and One Entry Per Email might sound like they’re the same thing, but one allows you to enter only once, while the other allows you to enter a potentially-infinite number of times.  It pays to follow the rules!

Don’t get disqualified.

Did you win a sweepstakes, only to be disqualified because you live in Hawaii?  That’s probably because the sweepstakes only allowed entries from people living in the “contiguous” United States, which means the 48 states that share borders with each other.  Alaska and Hawaii are excluded from that definition.  Make sure to read the fine print, and look up words you don’t know so you don’t end up wasting time you could have used on entering sweepstakes you’re qualified for.

Check your email every day.

So many sponsors communicate solely by email these days.  You don’t want to miss out on your prize simply because you went a week without checking your email, right?

Organize your sweepstakes entries.

Keep a running entry on an Excel sheet with the name of the sweepstakes, the date the sweepstakes is over, the number of entries you’re allowed to submit, and the prize.  That way, you have an idea of all the sweepstakes you’re entered in, and an easy way to know if and when you need to submit more entries.

Claim your prize quickly.

Many sponsors have a window in which you’re allowed to claim your prize after they notify you, before moving down the list of potential winners.  Make sure you respond in time!  And if you have to send anything by mail, make sure you request a return receipt so you have proof that you sent it.

Keep a record of your wins.

This is mostly important because, when you have to file your taxes at year’s end, you’re legally required to report your winnings to the IRS.  You don’t want to be hit with a hefty fine or worse just because you forgot to report your win!

Don’t get discouraged.

You’ll have dry spells where you won’t win anything – it’s part of the sweepstakes game.  That doesn’t mean you should give up, though.  You might not win that great prize you had your eye on, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t other great prizes out there.  Don’t give up, and you WILL win!