The Joys of Comping

Comping (as in compeitions, not improvisational jazz) is relatively new to me, I always knew the competitions were out there but I never had the inclination to take part, I always had the 'It will never be me' attitude. After I won a book on my favourite forum I got he bug, I wanted to win more, as the old adage says, you have to be in it to win it! The other reason I really got in to it was to keep myself busy, for the same reason I started this blog, I have so much time on my hands at the moment as I'm not in work, some days I don't feel like doing anything but other days (usually when the pain meds work) I want to keep busy but I find it hard to concentrate on things I would normally do like read books which is as shame.

I had a very lucky start, after winning a book from the forum I went on to win a Snowdog cuddly toy which I received in time to have with me whilst I watched The Snowman and The Snowdog this Christmas. I also won a handbag from my favourite brand, Matt & Nat this was a surprise win just from liking them on Facebook which I had done over a year before it was weird that it coincided with when I started comping but a pleasant surprise. My first month of comping was very successful I even won something else on the forum I frequent.

December Wins

It then went quiet, I waited three months for the next win, I kept up with entering competitions, I enter magazine sites, ITV, I keep an eye on brands I like and sign up for newsletters. I do have three rules that I stick to though.

1. I only enter for prizes that I actually want to win or would benefit my parents house as they have kindly put myself and my partner up for the last couple of years. I would love to win a washing machine for my Mum, it might seem like a rubbish gift but the current washing machine only works with a gold club wedged to keep the on button on.
2. I tend to stay away from magazines I don't read, same with newspaper competitions. If a newspaper I don't agree with has a fantastic prize I won't enter it. Unfortunately I don't think this has stopped my Mum entering one for me.
3. I never pay to enter. There are so many free competitions out there it seems pointless to pay. ITV offers amazing prizes that can be entered for free online.

Every time I win something it makes me happy, very happy, like a kid at Christmas. In March I won three competitions, like before, all the emails came in one week. This made me feel like every three months I would win three prizes. In the back of my head I know this is nonsense, it's random you could enter a thousand competitions and win nothing or enter a hundred and win half of them. March was a good month though. I won a Primula Lunch Box, Piranha on blu-ray and this Elizabeth Arden Eye Liner. Everything I win is a bonus some items like the Piranha Blu-Ray I would have bought in the future, make-up and toiletries wise I like to try new things, I'm the sort of person that gets excited about free samples. 

I had resigned myself to waiting another three months for a win but I've been lucky. I do keep up my competition entries, about 70 a day! Amazingly I've had another three wins this month so far I've won 

Dirty Works Rose & Glow Moisture Mask, Lords of Salem on DVD which I can't wait to watch, I love Rob Zombies films even his remakes which I'm usually set against and the final prize was a complete surprise, this is the first time something has just turned up in the post and it made my day. This morning in the post I received this:

A Double Set Of Glamglow Youth-Mud And Glamglow Super-Mud Worth £95.00. Apart from my handbag this is the most expensive prize to date. I'm so excited to try it. I have a problem with saving my fancy stuff for best but this sort of product shouldn't be sat on the shelf otherwise I'll find it a couple of years down the line and even though I didn't pay for it I would feel so bad for wasting it. Amazingly today is home spa day for me, my partner will pamper me, do face masks, feet masks, a massage and he will help me in an out of the bath, he does look after me. I don't want to use it just yet though, I've already stocked up on 99p masks which I will make use of today and a good friend of mine bought me some Lush bath stuff at Christmas that I can't wait to use. I think I will save the Glamglow stuff until after I've had my surgery, it will give me something to look forward to.

I don't see myself ever stopping with the competitions, even when I'm back at work I will make sure I make time in the evening to enter them. I would love a big win, I've entered quite a few competitions to win a new telly which would be useful as I've currently stolen one of my parents TVs to use in the bedroom for days when I'm bed-bound. Then there are the competitions for kindles, Nintendo DS, Mobile Phones all those would be great but my dream win would be any of the ITV wins, the money would be really help me out.