Alli is a Chicago-based stay-at-home mother of two who turned to couponing in order to stave off the monotony of the day and found a new passion. She runs Couponing for 4, where she discusses the weekly grocery and drugstore deals, tips for money saving, online deals, sweepstakes, and other ways to make extra income.

Being a stay-at-home mother of two, I don’t get a lot of time to myself. I have had to find a hobby that could calm, interest, and remove me from my everyday craziness all in the random five minute spurts that I get throughout the day. The day that I realized this is the day I fell in love with sweepstakes. I LOVE to sweep and if you have a few minutes to try your luck every day, I’ll bet you’d love it too.

I have been playing actively for about two years and have won a bunch of things. With the help of my auto-fill program (you will want to download one free for your browser!), I enter about 60-80 sweepstakes per day. In the last two years I have won -

• FloTV with 6 months free service
• $50 gift card to Express
• $125 gift bag from Rachael Ray
• $25 gift card to Dave & Busters
• $10 gift card to Starbucks
• $10 gift card to Blockbuster
• 10 jars of salsa
• $50 cash, a holiday floor rug
• Ipod Nano
• And more!

All for playing in random 5 minute spurts throughout the day.

Sweepstakes basically come in two different forms: Prize Drawing Sweepstakes and Instant Win. When a company has a prize drawing, entries are accepted daily and prizes are mailed out at the end of the sweepstakes period. You will not know you’ve won until you receive a prize. Instant Win games, on the other hand, will tell you if you’ve won immediately. Many companies host both at the same time, in the same game. So, just because you didn’t win the Instant game doesn’t mean you won’t get an Ipod Nano in the mail a few weeks later (like me!).

Anyone with a computer connection can play sweepstakes, but there are several things that you need to know in order to win. First, you have to know where to start! There are many websites out there that can direct you to active sweepstakes, but you’ll have to make sure it is a site that is sending you to legitimate places. My favorite site for finding sweepstakes is Sweeties Sweeps. Wendy is awesome and updates daily. She weeds out the sweeps that she recommends and posts the rules to playing. I also do a sweepstakes series on my site, Couponing For 4. I post and update a running list of the most winnable and/or easy sweepstakes to enter. Whatever sweepstakes referral site you use, though, make sure you investigate the it before giving all of your information. I prefer blogs for that reason – I can read/subscribe fairly anonymously and they don’t require any of my personal information.

Now, let’s talk about strategy -

The most important key to winning is entering daily. I can’t stress that enough. If you enter a sweepstakes once that is fine, but remember that if you can enter once per day for the entire entry period, there are hundreds of people out there who have eighty entries to your one. Who’s more likely to win?

Next, you have to read the rules. If you are 17 and the sweepstakes requires you to be 18 to win, don’t think that you can scam the company. You will be wasting their time and yours. Make sure to enter sweeps that you can win! There are sometimes other odd rules that you need to pay attention to. For example, the sweep may be limited to only 9 states or the entry period is 24 hours, but it’s based on time of entry during the day instead of calendar day. All things to pay attention to.

Some people feel that time of day is important to winning. If there are predetermined instant win prize times that the company has set, you are more likely to win if you play in the middle of the night because less people are playing. I would have to agree with that, but I have never played in the middle of the night (I have to get through the day with two little kids!) and I am doing just fine prize-wise.

Lastly, have fun with it! No one wins every day and there are very dry weeks and months, but if you enter every day, don’t expect to win, and play because there is a possibility that you’ll get a nice surprise, you’ll find that you will. Have fun!

Beth’s Note: I know, you can’t win if you don’t enter!  And I’m bad about this.  On one hand, it’s a wonderful way to get great things FREE, but I rarely spend time entering.  But, Allison’s post has me intrigued.  She’s won so much, I’m thinking I should try it out.  What about you?  Do you play the Sweeps?

Read more great guest posts or find out how to be a guest blogger on In Good Cents!

Related Articles:

1. Guest Post – Reasons to Pay Bills Online
2. Guest Post – Keeping Your Personal Finances Organized
3. Guest Post – Homemade Cracker Recipe

This is Challenge #4 sponsored by PUR, in the 90-Day Budget Boot Camp. If you’re new, find out how you can join to kick your own budget’s butt!

Our 4 challenge was to Collect Coupons!

Clair is wrapping up this one today.  Head over to her site to find out how out how our challengers did? Read on to find out and check out their sites for full details! And don’t forget to link-up your own wrap-ups!

Note: There is a link-up widget embedded into this post. RSS and e-mail readers, click here to link up your own experiences!

Miss anything? Find out what’s new with Budget Boot Camp!

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Don’t forget, tomorrow, July 29th, 2010 is FREE Tea Day at McAlister’s Deli.  Just visit your local McAlister’s Deli on July 29th and get yours.  They are famous for their absolutely delicious tea, so enjoy!

Valid for dine-in only. No purchase necessary.  Limit 1 per person.

Want more?  There may be a few Restaurant Deals that you missed!

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There is still time to head to Facebook and “Like” Bob Evans to print your coupon for a FREE kids meal with purchase of any Bob-B-Q meal valued at $5.99 or more.

Offer ends 8/18/10!

Want more?  There may be a few Restaurant Deals that you missed!

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Don’t forget to head to Buca di Peppo tomorrow to celebrate National Lasagna Day!  Make your reservation now for a FREE lunch-sized portion of their famous lasagna when you purchase any Buca Small or Buca Large pasta or entree.

Offer good July 29, 2010 only.

Want more?  There may be a few Restaurant Deals that you missed!

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Olivia Crocs are just $14.99 with free shipping.  Use coupon code OLIVIA1499 and free shipping code springfreeship.

Thanks A Coupon Chick

Want to shop some more?  Be frugal and look at some of the other hot online deals you may have missed!

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Dana Joseph (otherwise known as Mrs. Not Made of Money), is a SAHM to 4 adorable kiddos.  She writes the personal finance blog “Not Made of Money” with her husband where they share money saving tips to help people live a debt free life.

Keeping finances in order is a difficult task for many people. However, it does not have to be so hard. Here are 10 tips for keeping your personal finances organized.

Use accounting software. There are a number of companies that have created software specifically for the purpose of helping individuals to manage their finances. Accounting software can help you track your spending over time and to help you successfully maintain a budget. You also don’t have to worry about missing bill payments again, because most accounting programs will allow you to set up reminders. This software can be a huge help during tax season, as you will already have everything you need to complete your taxes neatly organized instead of having to dig through a huge pile of papers to find the information that you need. We use Quicken for our finances and prepare our taxes with TurboTax.

Create an organization system for your important papers. You should consider investing in a filing system for your important paperwork. This will help you to locate the items that you need in case of emergency or at tax time.

Take a list when shopping. Have you ever gone into the grocery store planning to get one thing, then left with a basket full of items? Making a shopping list can help you to reduce the amount that you are spending at the store and keep you focused on purchasing the necessities only.

Eliminate bills for useless services. If you are not using a particular company’s services regularly, stop letting them charge you every month. Instead, call the company immediately and cancel those useless subscriptions.

Store valuables in a safe deposit box. Storing valuables in a safety deposit box can keep these items safe in case of a house fire, theft, or other adverse event. It will also help you stay more organized by assessing the value of important items in your home.

Sell old items before buying new ones. To reduce clutter and save money, make it a rule to sell a used item before purchasing a new one. If you are interested in buying some new gadget or gizmo, consider selling the old ones first. That way you can have some money to put toward the new electronics while also removing the old items from your home.

Close duplicate accounts. If you have multiple credit cards or bank accounts, consider closing the ones that you don’t need or don’t use often, especially if they have monthly or annual fees. This can help you to those fees on those accounts and also help you to figure out what your actual income and expense levels are more efficiently.

Invest in a shredder. Nothing can make it more difficult to get organized than to have tons of paper cluttering the house. Consider investing in a shredder to get rid of some non-essential papers and protect your identity at the same time.

Review your credit report. Keeping track of your credit report will help you to keep track of your credit and help you to notify the credit bureaus immediately if there is any strange activity in your name.

Pay the bills online. Paying bills online helps to reduce paper waste. They can also often be automated to ensure that everything is paid on time.

Keeping your personal finances organized can help you save money and simplify your life! 10 Essential Tips for Keeping Your Personal Finances Organized was reprinted with permission from NotMadeofMoney.com

Beth’s Note: While I save money when shopping, my husband is actually in charge of our finances.  While he handles it all, organization is an area that we could do better.  But, we’ve been working on that, slowly but surely.

Read more great guest posts from Dana or find out how to be a guest blogger on In Good Cents!

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Don’t forget about RitzPix July Specials!  Their this isr Try-Us-Free, which means there are lots of FREEBies!  Just use the matching code below to get yours -

• 20 FREE 4×6 Prints – TRY38U92
• 4 FREE 5×7 Prints – TRY54K21
• 2 FREE 8×10 Prints – TRY63B78
• 1 FREE 5×7 Folding Card – TRY41Q3F

These codes work for both new and current customers, but new customers can also get 25 FREE prints when they join!!!

Plus, make sure you haven’t missed any of the great photo deals lately!

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Every year, I search the internet for affordable, but unique holiday cards.  Or something unique to announce my kids birthday.  It’s nice to have something fun, that’s you.

Created by Mandy B. is owned by a friend of mine.  As a work-from-home mom, she knows the importance of those precious birth announcements or elegant wedding invitations.  Or even that Christmas card to Grandma.  She puts her heart into her designs and it shows in their beauty.

Ordering is easy.  Plus, the quantity is up to you!  You can order 1 or you can order 1000.  It’s up to you.

What could you use custom cards for?

• Christmas & Holidays
• Birthday Parties
• Birth Announcements
• Baby Showers
• Weddings
• Moving, Graduation, or Other Announcements
• Parties
• And much more!

Created by Mandy B. has more than just custom cards though.  Also checkout their custom stationary for you or your child, save-the-date cards, and programs.  Check it out!

Now for a fun giveaway from Created by Mandy B.!

- – Prize – -

One (1) lucky In Good Cents Reader will have a chance to win 50 Custom Cards of your choice!

- – Enter Now – -

Head over to check out Created by Mandy B. site and tell me if you won, which cards would you like and what would you use them for?  Leave a comment and let me know!

- – Bonus Entries – -

You can one additional entry for each of the following tasks (up to 5 bonus entries) -

1. Follow In Good Cents on Twitter and tweet what you love most about Created by Mandy B’s unique products like this:  I love [TEXT]. Enter to win @InGoodCents at http://bit.ly/9ld9xK. #GIVEAWAY
2. “Like” In Good Cents on Facebook.
3. Subscribe via e-mail or RSS and confirm your subscription.  Already a subscriber?  That works too!  Leave a comment letting me know.
4. Blog your special occasion and this giveaway. Include a link back, so your readers can enter to win as well! Also, include a link to the post in your comment, so I can come visit your site.
5. Grab my button from my sidebar and place it on yours. Include your website link in your comment.

Please, with each additional entry, leave a comment letting me know you did it!  All bonus entries are completely optional, but each gives you a greater chance of winning.

Entries will be accepted until Monday, September 2nd, 2010 at midnight Eastern time. Winners will be selected randomly through Random.org and announced here on Tuesday, September 3rd, 2010.

Disclosure: This giveaway was sponsored by Created by Mandy B.. I did not receive payment for this post.  I did receive custom cards for review.  However, as always, all opinions are my own, regardless of compensation. For more information, check out my disclosure policy.

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Have questions about shopping at Kroger? Read how you can save money at Kroger to pick up tips and tricks!

Don’t forget to keep entering to win,  with the Kroger Family Store’s Summer of Savings!  If you haven’t been lucky enough to win, you can play everyday!

Here’s how -

1. Visit the site and select your store to begin
2. To Spin the Wheel, click “Get Started”
3. Log-in if you already have an account or create one
4. Click “Play Now”
5. Choose your speed – Slow, Medium, or Fast
6. Press the “Spin” button
7. See if you’re lucky enough to win something!

You can play everyday through August 8th, 2010 for a chance to win!  Limit of 2 prizes per participant.

Don’t forget to check out all of the store deals and the other Kroger deals.

In Good Cents contributes to the Becentsable’s Grocery Gathering.

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