[Article] No such thing as a free lunch—or is there?

You’ve heard the old adage, “There’s no such thing as a free lunch”? True, but there is such a thing as almost a free vacation, car, or prize. And if you enter sweepstakes on a regular basis, you can have a shot at all these prizes and more! No, this isn’t an advertisement, and I’m not channeling Ed McMahon. What I am is a veteran sweepstaker who has won many prizes over the years—including an all-expense-paid family trip to Universal Studios in California. 

Many people scoff at sweepstakes: “Nobody ever wins,” “It’s just a scam,” or “You have to buy something to have a chance.” Fortunately, none of this is true. But I’ll let you in on a secret—don’t tell everyone these tips I’m about to give you or you’ll stiffen your competition and lower your chances of winning! Let the naysayers pitch those official sweeps entry forms in the trash. You and I will dig them back out and, just maybe, ride by months later in a brand new car with smiles on our faces!

How did I get involved in this hobby? Quite by accident, I assure you. One fine day I was reading through one of those Publishers Clearing House mailers and decided to check out the magazines they offered (which, of course, I THOUGHT I had to order to win!) Scanning over the page of little magazine “stamps,” I spotted Contest Newsletter, a publication featuring monthly listings of sweepstakes and contests. For some unknown reason, Lady Luck tuned into my brain and proclaimed, “You must order. Now.” So I did.

I didn’t get my first win right out of the gate like some people have, but I did have tenacity and dedication on my side. And a bit of naivete, as well. As I filled out those cheap 3x5 cards and #10 envelopes, it didn’t enter my mind that thousands might be entering the same sweepstakes. Keeping one eye on the “enter by” dates and another on the mailman, I dutifully mailed entries each week.

Then it happened. Packages from various judging agencies bearing prizes were delivered to my door. Sometimes I’d hit two prizes in so many months—other times I’d have a six-month dry spell. At first, my bounty was small—T-shirts, key chains, miniature cameras, beach towels. Then I moved up to Disney character swim rafts, savings bonds, and finally, the largest to date: a trip for four to Universal Studios in California to see the Power Rangers!

Skepticism dies hard, believe me. My co-workers scoffed. But my faith was in Nabisco, the sponsor of the prize. True to form (and to the chagrin of my co-workers), a certified package arrived with affidavits of eligibility (to make sure we weren’t employees of Nabisco or the judging agency) and travel releases to be signed. A couple weeks later, our plane tickets and hotel reservations arrived—along with travelers checks worth $200 for extra spending money. I was in winners heaven!

So don’t eschew sweepstakes and contests—your entry cost is low, your rewards high, and if you win big, you can write off your postage and supplies on your tax return! Below, I’ve listed some tips for increasing your chances of winning. Memorize them, put them into play, and sit back while Lady Luck works her magic!

1. Subscribe to well-known sweepstakes websites, mailing lists, and publications. For a number of years, my overall favorite was Contest Newsletter. They offered the regular edition, the deluxe edition, and the quickies edition. The deluxe edition gave you more sweepstakes per month, and the quickies edition arrived each week with listings that had quicker closing dates on the sweeps/contests—hence, less competition. Most people will miss entering contests or sweepstakes that have short deadlines. 

However, your best bet these days is to check out the variety of sweepstakes/contest sites over the Internet. You can enter many of them just by sending your info through e-mail or by entering directly on the websites themselves. I'll list several reputable contest/sweepstakes sites at the bottom of this post. 

2. If you manually enter contests or sweepstakes, write in BLOCK LETTERS and follow the entry instructions exactly. If a qualifier is required (i.e. “Hershey’s candy is the best”), make sure to write the phrase EXACTLY as it’s written in the rules—quotation marks and all!

3. If possible, use colored envelopes or stickers to jazz up your entries. Many envelopes are hand-picked from mail baskets, so you want to catch that person’s attention.

4. Use plain 3x5 cards. You can buy them for a steal at your local dollar store. If you choose inexpensive #10 white envelopes, write your address information in BRIGHT-colored marker to attract attention.

5. Just my advice, but enter close to the deadline of the contest. A couple of weeks is a good rule of thumb, especially if you live in California and the contest is in New York .

Finally, don’t get discouraged. In the sweepstaking hobby, it only takes a couple of things to guarantee an eventual win—persistence and patience! It may take years for that big win, but like the lady who won a million dollars from Coca-Cola after fifteen years of seeking the “big one,” if you’re persistent, you too can have the “real thing”!