How/ Why did you start comping???

Coulsa1

I decided to give up smoking and needed something to keep my hands busy & started entering comps to keep myself busy. I can say that comping also helped my kick my smoking habit as been cig free for 20 months now :T:T

I had a break from comping due to studying a law course but keep coming back as very addictive!

AlainaJane31

I started comping 2 and a half years ago, I was going through a tough time mentally due to my mum dying and another major changes that happened in my life after that, I started grief counselling in August 2012, this made me look at myself and I realised I had no hobbies, nothing to take my mind off the dark thoughts that engulfed me everyday. One Saturday morning I was flicking through the Morrisons supermarket magazine and decided I was going to enter the competitions, I got a little buzz from just entering, I remembered that MSE had a comping forum, I'd looked at it in the past but thought it look too complicated, but this time I looked though all the help threads properly and decided to enter the comps that had just been posted, it felt good and took my mind off things. I got my first win at the end of that first September, I'd been entering comps for 3 weeks when the WEM came through that I had won a Fudges cheese hamper, I was over the moon when it arrived it was a proper wicker hamper filled with cheese crackers! After that the wins came I thick and fast, £200 gift card for M&S (which helped with Christmas dinner that year!), a flat screen 3D tv, a camera, tickets to see War of the Worlds at Sheffield, it was amazing!. In 2013 & 2014 I decided to keep a record of what I had won, to date I estimate I've won about £3500 worth of stuff, I havent won any holidays or big cash prizes yet but I live in hope and that's what keeps me going, my dark days are less now but if I do wobble comping puts me back on track good luck with your comping and if you have slow periods with no wins don't give up like some do, keep going sometimes it can take 3-4 months for a win to come through x

Hotcakes_Debbie

I lost my 14 year old Jack Russell last October, got a new puppy so had to stay in for weeks so started comping and now cant stop!
Had my first win this week 15kg of dog food, as I'm typing this its just made me wonder if it was sent by the late Holly dog?

happysaz133

I've been doing the odd competition in my dog magazines for years, then last year discovered MSE properly (had been registered a while but never used it). I simply got hooked!

Hotcakes_Debbie

Hi Just read your story and its nice to hear I'm not the only one (in a nice way) life is a rollercoaster... x

Polycopper

thanks everyone for all of your replies, its really nice to find out a little about others, and some inspirational stories as well as wins.
This seems to be a good way of helping through tough times, and like hotcakes debbie said- no longer feel alone.

Onmyway2

Like a lot of people on here I was going through a bad time, my ex had left me in a lot of debt & then one of my oldest friends died on New Years Eve. I needed something to take my mind off my worries but couldn't afford a proper hobby despite working full time.


I only enter for things I really want so everything I won has been a brilliant surprise - trips out for the kids, DVDs, a long weekend & all sorts of little bits.


(Although I have managed to accidentally win an iphone case this morning... that may be going on ebay if I can't find someone who wants it)

rainbow83

I started because i was on maternity leave and entered a local competition and won! The buzz was brilliant so i tried searching for more comps to enter and stumbled across this website. Ever since, i have had a fair few nice little wins considering i'm quite picky on which ones i enter (my hubby clutters up the house with enough crap without adding more unwanted items) :rotfl:

I am however on hold as i am looking to move this year so will wait until i have a new addy.
Can't wait to get back to it though