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[MSE Martin]

THE WINNERS

Thank you so much for all your comping stories. There have been some fantastic tips and inspiring stories to give lots of people food for thought.

The winners are listed below. Please PM MSE Jenny if you are a lucky winner.

The £50 winner!

"Comping helped me pay off all my debts" by schizometric

Runner Up

"I never thought I was lucky" by Lynsey76

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Hi compers.

We're in the midst of writing a guide to comping to help complement this Forum Board and as part of Boost your income. As such it would be great to have stories or diaries from compers... so I've decided to run a Competition with £50 for the winner and £25 for the runner up.

Essentially the person who writes the best story about the pros and cons of comping, what youv'e won and what not, over what time period and the general story will win. The prize is £50 and inclusion in the main guide (with a pic of you if poss, but if not that's not a deal breaker)

It should be no more than 500 words at maximum though 300-400 is better. And should be interesingly, incoporate a little about you, likes and dislikes about comping. successes failures, and wit never goes amiss.

To enter, click reply & post it here.
ONLY POST IF YOU ARE ENTERING THE COMPETITION PLEASE
(why not compose it over the weekend when the forum's down)

Closing date for prize: 14 April 2009 though feel free to reply after that.

Winner will be told by PM we will ask to verify some of the winnings before publication

Enter e-mail to get it:   View Past Emails, FAQ Privacy Policy

[jamespir]

Originally Posted by Al Mac

Err, there are rules you know.

Could you add E: 14/04 to the start of your title. Click edit and advanced.

Also, is this self publicity? Are you associated with this competition in anyway?

im pretty sure martin knows what hes doing

[MSE Martin]

Originally Posted by jamespir

im pretty sure martin knows what hes doing

Actually the E14/4 was a good reminder. As for the publicity rule, I asked the site owner, he's suspended it for this one thread

[Nicky63]

Originally Posted by Al Mac

Err, there are rules you know.

Could you add E: 14/04 to the start of your title. Click edit and advanced.

Also, is this self publicity? Are you associated with this competition in anyway?

I think it, you type it

Thanks Martin, that will give us something to do when you turn the lights out on us later

[Munchkim]

Originally Posted by MSE Martin

To enter click reply.

Am I understanding this bit right? You want us to bump this thread and endure the wrath that brings to enter?

[gingerchick]

Originally Posted by Al Mac

Err, there are rules you know.

Could you add E: 14/04 to the start of your title. Click edit and advanced.

Also, is this self publicity? Are you associated with this competition in anyway?

[Dalkirst]

Only Al could get away with talking to Martin like that

[MSE Martin]

I've saved worries about it bumping by making it sticky for the length of the contest

[kohsamui14]

Tell me your secrets...... and I might reward you with £50!
Calling international rescue


As a seasoned comper I would say that the more obscure/ interesting(!) the prize the more likely to generate interest..( chocolate egg?)
£50 for 500 words.....

[Muffy0]

Think of how many chocolate eggs you could buy for £50!

Sounds interesting, I think I'll give it a go although unfortunately I am not witty in any way, shape or form

[dementedhousewife]

He is going to tell everyone who watches GMTV!!!!
We will never win again.. Everyone will be entering comps

[xoxlauraxox]

Best get entering comps now peeps before we are bombarded with the millions bumping threads thinking they can kit their whole house out in a month for free

[MSE Martin]

Don't be silly folks, this is an MSE guide. The whole basis will be about how NOT to expect to win single competiitons but if you do decide to become a comper and spend time then you up your odds and should start to win some small ones.

It will also bring in new compers from elsewhere, and new new ones, who will report more comeptitions. This is already a mammoth board. I always find it a little sad when there's a "dont tell anyone" attitude, based on that, this whole site wouldn't exist

Anyway GIVE US YOUR STORIES :P

[VelvetGlove]

Originally Posted by MSE Martin

Hi compers.

We're in the midst of writing a guide to comping to help complement this Forum Board and as part of Boost your income. As such it would be great to have stories or diaries from compers... so I've decided to run a Competition with £50 for the winner and £25 for the runner up.

I know what could be a great addition to your 'guide to comping for the Boost Your Income'.... you include a link to the existing Comping Guide which can be read here.

It includes a wealth of information, which was collected from MSE regular compers & ventures into the mysteries of the mechanics of actually entering competitions, the range of comper-friendly software & methods of going about comping

This mountain of facts was put together from the blood, sweat & sometimes tears of those compers who have tried it & found better, faster ways - also the major things to avoid & ensure you aren't drowned with spam emails, calls & junk mail through your letterbox!

Good luck all!

[xoxlauraxox]

I second velvet gloves post, she really did a great job with that guide & there so much info there. I don't really have a story as such but I'm sure some people will have some fab stories to tell as there's been some amazing wins.

[MSE Martin]

Originally Posted by VelvetGlove

I know what could be a great addition to your 'guide to comping for the Boost Your Income'.... you include a link to the existing Comping Guide which can be read here.

It includes a wealth of information, which was collected from MSE regular compers & ventures into the mysteries of the mechanics of actually entering competitions, the range of comper-friendly software & methods of going about comping

This mountain of facts was put together from the blood, sweat & sometimes tears of those compers who have tried it & found better, faster ways - also the major things to avoid & ensure you aren't drowned with spam emails, calls & junk mail through your letterbox!

Good luck all!

Don't worry we know about the guide and think its fantastic - but this is a main site guide not a forum guide and stylistically its different, it also can't be searched in the same way on the site. Do remember the forum is one part, and actually the smaller part of the site. We will of course be using and crediting the guide. But its a different beast. Anyway at this point can I say

ONLY POST IF YOU ARE ENTERING THE COMPETITION PLEASE

[cheapscate]

It started innocently,
I stumbled across MSE just before Christmas 2007.
At first I just came and went – it was easy. I thought I could handle it. Soon I was entering competitions every night. I wasn’t worried because I knew I could stop whenever I wanted. Then the prizes started to arrive. Small things to start off with, a book here , some make up there. Oh and vouchers too. I was enjoying it. I entered even more competitions, it was real easy using roboform. At this stage I was entering 70 plus comps a week. I knew I could stop if I wanted to. Then I won a ‘biggie’ – a years worth of gas and electricity from British Gas. This was quickly followed by a tree, a cuddly dolphin and a towel. I began to get worried, I wasn’t keeping up to date with the ironing and I had stopped watching Eastenders. Free time was spent on the laptop I had won…. I knew I had a problem. Now I am confident enough to say ‘My name is Cheapscate and I’m a compaholic, and so far this year I’ve won…..
a Mars football,
£10 John Lewis voucher
50 i pod apple store down loads
urban jungle lip salve
Soap and Glory stuff
£20 M&S Voucher
Dog food
Herbal essence full size shampoo and conditioner
John Frieda hair goodies
Children’s book
no 7 lip shimmer
£5 Amazon voucher
Simple day anti wrinkle cream
Simple night anti wrinkle cream
Simple eye anti wrinkle cream
And £30.’

[cg1982]

after my nephew of 18 told me about mse to get freebies and the tesco misprice i started to grab all the freebies i could after 3 months of getting freebies i really looked at mse and noticed what other forums they had i tried competitions thats it i was hooked dident do many to start off with i started in april 2008 and before i knew it i had my first win which was a ladys toy lol . then my 2nd win which was 2 charity shield tickets for portsmoth and manchester united hubby was pleased.and the wins kept rolling in. i smashed my 2008 target last year i think my total way over 3 grand thanks to the competition posters and martin lewis in my wins was a 42" viera and 2 nikons cameras it took a few months for my first win but after the wins came rolling in little wins big wins grateful of them all. january has been really good so far thank to posters heres my wins.so far to date

vodkat party kit.x2 st heller stuff, lush bathbomb,lush pink thing x3 lush soap x2 shower gel x2 big snap 2
nikawax product,amazon voucher,£10.00spongebob goodies, £50.00 drunk comp
Lipstick Jungle lipgloss,cineworld ticket x4cadburys chocs x4 freya camosile and knickersreya bra and knickers cuddly toy£50.06p bingoget smart dvd carpet shampoo rimmel foundation
50" PLASMA TV
2x odeon tickets mille lip brush
durex play massager

so posters keep posting those great comps and as for those giving up dont just try harder you win some you lose some but you live to comp the next day

[schizometric]

I'd always thought most online competitions were probably "scams". I'd obviously seen the spam mails saying that I'd won £10,000 and a Mercedes Benz, I'd had the pop ups on some sites telling me that I was a winner but needed to click a link. I'd come across the "Competitons" board looking for a way to "Boost my Income" but unhappy with the suggestions on there (because I was in the throes of dissertation and didn't have time to take on a part-time job) I clicked here, with plenty of doubts in my mind.

I couldn't believe my eyes! I'd click on the "I won" section and these people were winning wonderful things - an all expenses paid holiday to Dubai, £3,000 with ITV, and so many Wii's you'd think they were going out of fashion. It was so inspiring that I mentioned it to my partner who took the same view I initially did - "nonsense", he said, "they're all scams!". Shortly after, I proved him wrong by winning a £50 voucher for some shoes and a book. But how come I wasn't winning the biggies? I decided to cut my losses for about 6 months whilst I finished my final year, afterall - my degree had cost me £20,000 and if I failed it in aid of winning some books or batteries I wouldn't have been able to live with myself.

In June 2008 I went back to doing competitions but I still wasn't winning an awful lot. Of course, my partner and I had between us won an ipod (£100), a set of 40 Blu Ray discs (£350), an itunes voucher (£50), Centreparcs (£1000), insulation (£550), but compared to amazing cash prizes/holidays it still didn't seem like much.

Then, in December 2008, I got the most incredible call of my life. I'd won £2000 cash for a shopping spree, in a photography competition! Yes, this competition had taken some effort and not many people had entered, but I hadn't held out much hope. Looking back, I'm not sure how we'd have afforded Christmas if it wasn't for this win. Unfortunately I didn't really get to go on a shopping spree with it as it was initially intended by the Promoters!

Just this year, my partner and I have won a £1500 holiday to Morocco (which we will hopefully get to go on, or would sell if we really can't go) and a £1,200 laptop, amongst other bits and bobs.

Overall since last June 2008 we've won about £8000, enough to pay off all £4000 of my partner's debt, to keep him in his final year without him having to work so much, and to have some nice things to keep for ourselves.

DO

• Keep at it - you never know what you might've won but hasn't arrived yet, or which win may be around the corner, it could be that £2000!
• Watch out for spam - use another email address to enter competitions. I didn't and now I'm regrettting it!
• Enter the competitions where "effort is required" - fewer people enter these but the results are usually more fruitful. Both my partner and I have won a combined total of £3,200 from such competitions.
• Say thanks - people work hard to post all of these competitions and details regarding entry, so a bit of appreciation goes a long way.
• Contribute - the more competitions on here the merrier for everyone!
• Enjoy it - Competitions are a fun hobby, but you need to enjoy them as a hobby so as not to get frustrated when there are "dry periods".

DON'T

• See this as a way to earn regular income - you cannot depend on winning so many competitions per month. There may be months where you win nothing more than a packet of chewing gum. There may be months where you win £3,000. More often, there'll be months when you win a couple of DVDs, a spa break, or a computer game that you can sell for a few quid - you just don't know.
• Expect it to be easy - I dare say that having a part-time job would have earned me slightly less but only slightly. I spend at least 30 mins- 1 hour per night doing competitions and much longer at the end of the month, to the extent that it can wipe whole days out.
• Boast to your friends too much about winning - whenever I do people look at me as though I'm a sad, sad individual (but a sad, sad individual who is £8,000 better off, nonetheless! )

I hope that this post convinces a few people to start doing competitions (but not too many so as to reduce my odds ). I'd definitely say that on balance it is worth doing them. The adrenaline rush when you get some nice things through the post, or a winning call/email is incredible and it most certainly has boosted our income quite considerably.

[Lynsey76]

I found MSE whilst looking for a credit card balance transfer. I quickly became intrigued by the rest of the website, and found my way first to freebies, and then to competitions. Like others, I initially thought that all competitions were a scam - surely nobody ever won them? I spent some time reading the amazing things people had won, and decided to dip my toe in
My partner spent 3 weeks in hospital at this time, and I was left with some lonely evenings to fill after the kids had gone to bed, so I started entering competitions, and was soon entering hundreds! I found it so enjoyable it took my mind off other worries, getting to know people on this lovely forum stopped me from feeling too lonely.
My first wins were all cinema tickets, and when my partner came out of hospital we saw 10 films for free! Then the wins started to roll in! Little things here and there, and the feeling you get when you have actually won something is incredible, you find yourself grinning like a cheshire cat all day
I won tickets to see Alice Cooper and tickets to see Pink at her album launch party, a real money can't buy prize, and I found myself grateful to this site for giving me the means to treat my family and I to days out we would not otherwise be able to afford.
My best comping week was the week I went back to work after a year of maternity leave. I was feeling a little bit down, and was hoping for a good win to cheer me up. I got home from work to find I had won a National Trust Pass, a Loreal set, a HMV Voucher, 2 footballs and a family holiday to Butlins So amazing, as we could not afford to take the kids on holiday at all this year.
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/...nal+trust+pass
Then the following day I won £500 John Lewis Vouchers from Big Snap, and a Spa Break for 2 to Wokefield Park! 2 days later I won £250 for posting a comment on a website! And not very long after that I entered my partner in the Big Snap competition and he also won £500
I was completely flabbergasted, as I never really thought I was very lucky, in fact my Dad always made me leave the room when the Grand National was on because I was a jinx
I am now totally addicted to comping, but I only ever enter for things I know I will use, or you can end up with all sorts of strange things coming through the post
Although the wins give you a great feeling, it can be really hard when you go through a dry spell. After a fantastic 2008, 2009 started with a bit of a flop. I kept comping though, because I really enjoy it now and soon enough I got a good win, £100 Next Gift Card I am still hoping for a huge win, and I love reading the I won forum and seeing people win the ITV comps
Comping is a great hobby, but it can start to take over your life. You start to spend all your time on the computer, and even on a trip to the shops you are looking for comps It can get on your families nerves a bit (although they are quite happy when you win ) especially at the end of the month when there can be a hundred pages of comps to enter, not to mention the daily ones . I try to have a couple of comp free nights a week now and I find it is more enjoyable.
For anyone thinking of becoming a comper it is not easy. You will enter hundreds of time consuming competitions to get one win worth £2.50 It is hard work, and anyone that tells you it's easy is fibbing But the rewards can be amazing if you persevere My only regret is that I did not start 10 years ago..