Freebie Addict

It’s time I come clean and admit it:  I’m addicted to freebies and sweepstakes.  I’m what’s known as a ‘sweeper.’  Yes, there is a name for it.  I enter tons of contests, sweepstakes, and giveaways and you would be surprised at how much I win!  I’ve won tons of free products, t-shirts, toys, gift cards, books, a little of everything.  “You’re so lucky!”, people tell me.  In my opinion, luck has little to do with it…

Here is a typical day for me.  I wake up when my kids wake up.  They watch about an hour of tv in the mornings while eating breakfast.  I use this time to my advantage and scour my email, twitter and facebook for new giveaways and sweeps.  Once I find out about a contest, I have a very specific routine, which I’m not going to divulge since you really need to develop your own methods.  I get newsletters specifically devoted to sweeps and freebies.  I have friends on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest that I met due to our love of all things free.  After that hour is up, we go about our day and I periodically check my emails.  When the kids are napping, I use that time to my advantage as well.  I write a blog, fill out sweeps entries, etc.  Then when they wake up, I make dinner and go to work.  See, I might be addicted but I don’t spend ALL my time on it either.  I love checking my mailbox.  It feels like pulling the lever on a slot machine.  I love looking on our porch to see if there’s a package out there.  It makes me happy.

I look at it this way.  Sweeps and freebies are what I do during my spare time.  Some people read or craft.  Some watch tv or whatever.  Sweepers treat giveaways like a part time job and I am no exception.  I get a rush when I win something, much like a shoplifter, only my addiction is legal.  I keep a running list of everything I win on Evernote so that I can keep track of it all.

My family wouldn’t be able to afford even half of the stuff I win.  We’ve gotten so many nice things and experiences due to me winning them.  It all began after I had my daughter and I was on maternity leave from my full time job.  I really liked being at home with her, taking care of her and also maintaining the household.  So I began to work the numbers to see if it would be possible to quit my job and become a stay at home mom.  The rest is a different blog for a different day, considering that I was able to cut a substantial amount off of our budget by utilizing social media, giveaways and coupons.  The rest is history!  My favorite win to date is a free trip to Atlantic City for two!  Look for it soon as a blog post!

Here are older photos of some things that I’ve gotten totally free and/or won.

So now you know.  Here is a good article about people like me,but who have won even larger prizes.  In it to Win It.

Here are some things I have been entering lately:

Love the City of Light? @potterybarn is giving away a trip to Paris, complete with a luxury hotel stay and $1,000 http://bit.ly/1mFly2M

Win a getaway for two to Kauai, Hawaii + 500 winners will receive travel-sized skincare essentials from Yes To! http://r29.co/1kAhKwL

Win 2 free nights at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside!  http://woobox.com/7mutgh/88sj40

So the next time, you ask me how I get so much free stuff, remember that there is a method to my madness.  You can’t win if you don’t enter!