Extreme Sweepstakes- Do you participate?

[DisneyMandC]

I spend about an hour a day entering sweepstakes, though I mainly focus on travel sweeps, since that is our passion. I use About Sweepstakes for a weekly listing and Infinite Sweepstakes for a daily one. If I am traveling or busy, I don't bother.

Last 12 months win (that I can think of off top of head)

Disney Cruise from Alamo Coast to Castle Sweepstakes
Bud Light Ultimate Weekend trip for 4 to a Football game of our choice
$3000 trip voucher and $500 gift card to Gilt.com
Several $25 gift cards
4 tshirts
lots of candy coupons

Everything is taxed, though the value can be disputed. Our football weekend was reported as taxable $10,900, though I had kept good notes on the cost of the hotel rooms, airfare, food vouchers, gift cards, car services, etc, so I reported it as $8000. Not a huge savings, but since it reports directly into income (unless you have gambling losings to offset it), every bit helps.

Most of them are very time sensitive in accepting prize, so checking email or phone messages is key. I had 12 hours to accept the Bud Light prize, and I made it by 15 minutes!

Wow! Ok I'm definitely going to have to look into this. Travel is definitely what I would be most interested in I think.

 

[AP1209]

Yeah i'm not real good about entering on weekends. Sometimes I do but I dont really sweat it if I miss a day or two. I try to enter sweeps for about 30 minutes at a time to break it up during the day.

 

[eyor44]

I scan Face Book for a lot of my contests to enter. Before FB, I would find stuff here on the Dis and different web sites.

 

[guinea pig]

Speaking of Facebook, I see a lot of my friends sharing Scam sweepstakes. Watch the spelling and punctuation of those supposedly sweepstakes. For example Disney Cruise Line FB page is not Disney Cruise Line. With the "." At the end. Almost every day, people are sharing and commenting on these scam sweeps.

 

[here757]

I just won a big 101 Dalmations plush from Disney movie rewards, wasn't the trip to London but it's something! As a kid, I entered these Nickelodeon summer sweepstakes. I won a playground ball and a farting Ren doll!

farting ten doll!! lol

 

[DisneyMandC]

Speaking of Facebook, I see a lot of my friends sharing Scam sweepstakes. Watch the spelling and punctuation of those supposedly sweepstakes. For example Disney Cruise Line FB page is not Disney Cruise Line. With the "." At the end. Almost every day, people are sharing and commenting on these scam sweeps.

Agreed, I see these all the time! Amazes me how gullible people are. Those and the "comment 'thank you' to receive a $100 gift card to Wal-Mart!" Give me a break.

 

[Monica]

I enter about a half hour a day and win pretty regularly. Biggest wins since 2004- a $22,000 2 week trip for all 4 of us to Australia (which was even better than a trip to disney!), $16,000 cash, $3,500 in visa gift cards, a trip to Orlando. I average about $500 a month in smaller wins but it is hit or miss. I can have a really good month than only win $20 the next month. Taxes aren't fun so I only enter for things I don't mind paying the taxes on.

 

[mlenz]

I've won concert tickets, a psp, ski passes, toys and CDs that was a few years ago I haven't entered anything faithfully in a long while.

 

[Carina]

I've ben entering about 12-13 years now. Only won 2 trips (2010 Olympics and San Francisco) I've won a fair lot of electronics including 7 TV's. I have won literally thousands of things in the past decade, Just won a $225 Walmart gift Certificate yesterday!

I go in spurts, it is boring there is no doubt about it. My husband guestimates my winnings at about $40-$50,000. Which sounds about right to me. We are Canadian so we don't pay taxes on our winnings.

 

[DisneyMandC]

I enter about a half hour a day and win pretty regularly. Biggest wins since 2004- a $22,000 2 week trip for all 4 of us to Australia (which was even better than a trip to disney!), $16,000 cash, $3,500 in visa gift cards, a trip to Orlando. I average about $500 a month in smaller wins but it is hit or miss. I can have a really good month than only win $20 the next month. Taxes aren't fun so I only enter for things I don't mind paying the taxes on.

Out of curiosity, when you win something like the $16,000 cash, do you just automatically earmark a portion of that for taxes? I'm just wondering if I got into this what would be the best way to avoid a whopping tax bill at the end of the year!

I've ben entering about 12-13 years now. Only won 2 trips (2010 Olympics and San Francisco) I've won a fair lot of electronics including 7 TV's. I have won literally thousands of things in the past decade, Just won a $225 Walmart gift Certificate yesterday!

I go in spurts, it is boring there is no doubt about it. My husband guestimates my winnings at about $40-$50,000. Which sounds about right to me. We are Canadian so we don't pay taxes on our winnings.

Lucky! Maybe I should avoid telling DH this since he wants to move to Canada! haha

 

[hrslvr142]

For those that do this, did you set up a separate email just for this purpose? Just thinking there may be a fair amount of spam mail that comes along with entering lots of contests. I really, really want to go to Europe and think this may be a way to do that without cutting into our retirement goals.

 

[disney144]

Any tips for dealing with the taxes? Some of these trips seem amazing (Ireland, Australia, etc.) but the taxes would be very high!

 

[guinea pig]

Only enter sweeps that you are willing to pay out of pocket for the taxes . That's the only advice I have!

 

[Teresa Pitman]

I had a friend who had MS and was not able to work. She decided to make entering contests her "job." She had all the local radio stations on speed dial and she continually checked to see which ones were doing contests so she could call in. She spent time every day looking up other contests to enter as well. She did win a lot of stuff - I think the biggest one I remember was a trip to Israel.

 

[Narnia_girl]

For those who enjoy sweepstakes check out "The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio" on Netflix. It's an interesting movie based on a real-life woman who helped support her family by entering contests.

I don't really do sweepstakes but have entered local contests. Won a trip to Las Vegas (which we declined). I've also won a basketball pole/goal.

 

[DisneyMandC]

I had a friend who had MS and was not able to work. She decided to make entering contests her "job." She had all the local radio stations on speed dial and she continually checked to see which ones were doing contests so she could call in. She spent time every day looking up other contests to enter as well. She did win a lot of stuff - I think the biggest one I remember was a trip to Israel.

I think that's what I would do if I didn't work! haha. That and extreme coupon. I'm the sort of psycho who's currently formulating a plan to pay for my next Disney trip entirely through Swagbucks, Bing Rewards, Shopkicks, and Target gift cards though lol.

 

[gilby]

Send some pixie dust my way, I have been entering and entering and haven't won anything.

 

[AP1209]

For those who enjoy sweepstakes check out "The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio" on Netflix. It's an interesting movie based on a real-life woman who helped support her family by entering contests.

I don't really do sweepstakes but have entered local contests. Won a trip to Las Vegas (which we declined). I've also won a basketball pole/goal.

I need to check that movie out. Sounds interesting. I read a story about a lady in the U.K. I think who basicallly quit her job to enter contests. She even wrote a book about it.

 

[DisneyMandC]

Send some pixie dust my way, I have been entering and entering and haven't won anything.

 

[honeybunches]

I enter blog giveaways all the time, and have won lots of really fun prizes. Haven't committed to actual sweepstakes, although I do enter them when I happen to come across one I would like to win. I did win a $500 VISA card from a survey I completed last month. That was a nice surprise and helped to pay down our vacation balance!