The top ten reasons to be a sweepstaker...

Reason number 10

"You can be the only person you know who's not a thief and still has three TVs in every room!"

Reason number 9

"Unexplained trips to the post office!"

Reason number 8

"Stamps are oooh-so-very cheap!"

Reason number 7

"You could end up rich!"

Reason number 6

"You get to learn a whole new language and say things like NAZ and DOB!"

Reason number 5

"Vacations, vacations, vacations!"

Reason number 4

"Online entry!"

Reason number 3

"Things like... Free ice cream for a year!"

Reason number 2

"You can do it in your bathrobe!"

And the Number 1 Reason to be a Sweepstaker is...

"Sweepstaking rules!"

Best Sweepstakes Newsletter

For quick entry... text by cell phone!

Pizza Hut "The Cheesy Hunt" Sweepstakes

Enter daily to win a Grand Prize of $30,000. Five first prizes of a $4,000 Gift card for an entertainment package at the retailer of the sponsor's choice, twenty second prizes of a $400 Pizza Hut Gift Card, and 500 third prizes of a $5 Gift Card for music downloads.

Enter Daily, Ends March 24, 2007.

To enter, text either the word "bites", or the code word found in the Pizza Hut Commercials to 843488 (THEHUT).

Online entry also available here: Cheesy Hunt Sweepstakes

There is also unlimited entries by postal mail, so if you prefer this method, be sure to check the website as the instructions are listed on the landing page.

Lifetime Romantic Escape Sweepstakes

One Grand Prize of a luxurious spa getaway for two to Daytona Beach. Ends February 15, 2007.

To enter, text the word ESCAPE to 58463 (LTIME).

Online entry here: Lifetime Romantic Escape Sweepstakes

By Jennifer L. Thompson

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Fun accessories for your cell phone!

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There are several methods available for entering sweepstakes. Some can be entered with online methods, others using standard entry forms available through various venues (such as at stores carrying the sponsor's goods, or on the labels of the sponsor's products), and still others utilizing standard postal methods. If you have a cell phone, there is also a growing trend towards entry through text messaging.

Most sweepstakes will offer multiple means of entry. Many have both an online entry form, and an offline address to send entries via postal methods. The way you choose to enter is merely a matter of personal preference, and may also have to do with the tools you have available. If you are new to sweepstaking, and wish to enter through multiple venues, there are a few basic items that will get you started effortlessly and with ease.

Obviously, anyone who has access to a computer with online services can enter online sweepstakes, and someone with a cell phone can use text messaging. For postal methods, there are a few supplies that are generally accepted as standard throughout the industry, and are commonly used items according to the official rules of most sweepstakes. These supplies can easily be found in the office supply section of almost any department store, or at your local post office.

If you have not yet done it, and wish to add postal entry to your repertoire of entry methods, this simple list of tools will get you started, and the rest is up to you!

Blank 3"x5" Cards

These are used as an entry form for filling out personal information, such as your name and address, and must be the type without any lines. These are sometimes referred to as index cards.

Blank 3"x5" Papers

When this is specified, it must be paper (not the stiff cards) in order to be qualified for entry.

Number 10 Envelopes

These are standard 4 1/8 x 9 1/2 inch business sized envelopes. If no specific size is stated in the rules, others are acceptable, however, keeping these on hand is a good idea, as many sweepstakes will specify this size as a requirement for entry. Of course, you will also need stamps to go along with this method of entry.

Postcards

You can buy these already stamped at your post office. They come in a standard size of 3 1/2 x 5 1/2 inches. Occasionally official rules will specify using a different size, such as 4x6 inches, however, this is the exception rather than the rule.

In a nutshell, though no one of these things is absolutely required in order to enter sweepstakes, with these supplies on hand, you will have enough to give yourself a well-rounded realm of opportunity with multiple means of entry.

Here are six contests and sweepstakes from around the U.S. and Canada. Some are limited to regional entry.

Win Tickets to the Boys' Sweet 16

Located in Lexington, KY, though no requirements are stated in the official rules as to residency requirements for entering.

One winner will receive two tickets to the National City/KHSAA Boys’ State Basketball Tournament in Lexington, Kentucky's Rupp Arena, March 14-18, 2007, including all semi-final games and the championship game. Enter once, contest ends March 7th, 2007.

Enter HERE

Garlic Fest 2007 Sweepstakes

Open to residents of Palm Beach, Broward, Martin, Indian River, St. Lucie, Okeechobee and Hendry counties in Florida

Grand prize is eight single day admission tickets to the Garlic Fest in downtown Delray Beach, along with four backstage passes for the "Sister Hazel" and "The Alan Parsons Project" concerts. Four first prizes of four single-day tickets good for any day of this year's Garlic Fest. Sweepstakes ends February 8, 2007. The Garlic Fest runs Friday February 16th through Sunday February 18th, 2007.

Enter Here

Houston Eats Giveaway

Prize is from a restaurant located in downtown Houston, TX, with sweepstakes entry open to U.S. residents.

One prize of a $25 Gift Certificate to Cabo will be given away daily. Entries must be received by noon on February 23, 2007.

Enter Here

Arch Madness

Open to residents of Illinois and Missouri who are 18 years of age or older, and who have not won a prize from KMOV radio in the last 90 days.

Two Grand Prize Winners will each receive four single-session ticket vouchers for the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament, held March 1- 4, 2007, at Scottrade Center, located in St. Louis, Missouri. Each prize package includes a one night stay at the Crowne Plaza St. Louis, one on March 1st, and the other on March 2nd. Contest ends February 18, 2007, one entry per household. Prize package valued at $300 each.

Enter Here

Enter for a chance to win tickets to see a RACHAEL RAY show taping in New York City

Open to residents of metropolitan Rochester, New York, or within the broadcast area of CW-WHAM or 13WHAM-TV in Rochester, New York.

This contest starts February 26, 2007, so be sure to mark it on your calendar, however, it does not state the number of tickets that will be given away.

Enter daily,one prize per household. Grand Prize winner will be selected on Monday March 19, 2007.

Enter Here

Win a Lightspeed Fusion Kayak from the Vancouver Sun and the Vancouver Boat Show

For residents of British Columbia, Canada.

One lucky winner will be awarded a 12'1" Fusion Kayak with accessories, valued at CDN $1,633.95. Only one entry per email address allowed, contest ends February 9, 2007. Need not be present at the show to win.

Enter Here

By Jennifer L. Thompson

Strapya.com

Donna Dewberry started out as a homemaking expressionist, decorating her home with what she had available. Developing her career early on by painting designs on tin surfaces, she ended up creating art history with a unique style she designed called "One Stroke" painting. This technique has now become famous with 4,500 teachers worldwide. She now offers over seventy books and thirty instructional videos.

If you are a "One Stroke" painting fan, Donna Dewberry and Home Shopping Network are having an original art contest that could suit your style. There will be prizes awarded in four categories, Home Decor, Fashion Fabric, Glass and Ceramics, and One Stroke Painting Instructor. In all four categories, submitted entries must use the FolkArt brand of paints.

The First Place winners in the Home Decor, Fashion Fabric, and Glass and Ceramics categories will be flown to St. Petersburg, Florida with $270 expense money, where they will attend a four hour painting class with Donna Dewberry. They will also be awarded a $250 HSN shopping spree and will appear on HSN TV during one of Donna's Shows.

Second place winners in those same categories will receive $500 worth of Plaid Craft products and a $100 HSN shopping spree, and those in third place will be awarded $250 worth of Plaid Craft products and a $50 HSN shopping spree.

If any of the winners in the above-mentioned categories designate having a certified instructor, their teacher will also be awarded a prize ranging from $200 to $500 in value.

For entries in the One Stroke Painting Instructor category, the First Place prize is $500 in Plaid Craft products and a $500 HSN shopping spree, Second Place is $250 in Plaid Craft products and a $250 HSN shopping spree, and Third Place is $100 in Plaid Craft products and a $100 HSN shopping spree.

To enter, submit a photo of your original artwork no later than February 18, 2007, either by mail or by email. Find out more Here .

By Jennifer L. Thompson

Donna Dewberry's Complete Book of One-Stroke Painting

Beauty and the Geek is a reality show by executive producers Ashton Kutcher and Jason Goldberg, where eight "socially impaired" males and eight" academically impaired but gorgeous" females are paired for a chance to win $250,000. Each contestant is required to pass certain challenges in order to move on to the next round.

In this weeks episode, the geeks were assigned a dog, and were challenged to use it as a "chick magnet" to see how many phone numbers they could receive from ladies passing by. The winning geek scored seven. The beauties had to build a dog house in under an hour, with only the tools they were assigned, which were then judged by a professional dog house maker.

Watch Beauty and the Geek on The CW Television Network, Wednesdays at 8/7 Central, for your chance to win a three day/two night trip for two to Las Vegas. The trip will include round-trip airfare, hotel accomodations, and a gift cheque for $200 redeemable at participating restaurants, with a total approximate retail value of $1,850.

Each week, one male and one female sweepstakes participant will be chosen, for a total of ten grand prize winners.

To enter, follow this link and answer four questions surrounding the show, as per instructions. (The answers you provide need not be correct in order for your entry to be valid.) Enter weekly as entries are not held over for the next show.

You can also apply to be a contestant HERE

By Jennifer L. Thompson

Win a PS3 Superbundle!

In the world of contests and sweepstakes, there are simple ways to use skill to increase your luck in winning. Some have to do with the way you enter, others are matters of creating a positive attitude. This is the final article in our three part series. You can find part two HERE.

Enter Contests Whenever Possible

Most contests rely on some type of skill. Look at your strengths, and utilize them to help you win. If you are a trivia nut, enter trivia contests. If you love to cook, enter cooking contests. There are fishing contests for anglers, talent contests for musicians and writers, and just about anything else you can come up with, so don't doubt that there is a contest in the area where your strengths shine.

Release Expectations

This utilizes skills in building patience, which is a necessary part of the process. It also helps with enjoying what you are doing in the present, and not getting caught up in what the future results will be. Enjoying the fun and relaxation offered in what you are doing now is what will keep you going, and in keeping going you know that you will in turn increase good luck and win. Releasing expectations also releases stress. There is a difference between expecting it and knowing it. Expectations can stem from a belief that something will happen. This type of knowing comes from realizing that things are already set in place in order for it to happen. You may not know exactly when or how often it will happen, you just know that it will.

Picture Yourself With What You Wish to Receive

Stories abound about those who have won large amounts of cash and then went broke a short while later. A sudden influx of wealth into one's life will undoubtedly create some changes, and for one who isn't prepared for it, this may be followed by making some rough decisions. By preparing yourself mentally you will increase your skills in making the proper choices, and also create good luck by developing a knowing that the winning will come.

If you need a new vehicle, envision yourself as already driving it. If you want cash, picture yourself as already being debt-free. There's no need to spend an inordinate amount of time in doing it, a few short minutes when you have a chance throughout the day will suffice.

Keep in mind that these are just rules of thumb, so be creative. Sometimes you will have more time to devote than you will at others, so be easy on yourself and always remember to keep it fun. That's part of the gift of increasing luck!

By Jennifer L. Thompson