Houstonian has what it takes to win — at sweepstakes
Last week, I got an email from reader Nancy Mottu.
“I was lucky enough to be the grand prize winner in the ‘Good Morning America Fall Concert Series Sweepstakes,’ so I’ll be going up to New York City in late November. Can you recommend some Italian and Chinese restaurants?”
I answered, “Go to Little Italy and Chinatown and play eenie meenie miney mo, you’ll be fine. But tell me about this contest you won.”
Big mistake. Mottu doesn’t enter “contests.” She’s enters sweepstakes. She’s a “sweeper.” What’s the difference? “Technically, a contest requires you do something, like send in a photo, write an essay or jingle, etc. Contests are usually judged. A sweepstakes … you just enter. Nothing is required, and the winner is picked by random draw,” she said.
“A sweeper is someone who enters sweepstakes as a hobby. Sometimes it’s more than a hobby. My husband refers to it as my job. I can’t even begin to tell you how many sweepstakes I’ve entered.”
By this time, I’ve stopped worrying about her rigatoni and sweet and sour pork. I’m more interested in the “Good Morning America” sweepstakes.
“I had a few choices of concerts, and I based my pick on the date, not the artist. I discovered the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center will be lit on Nov. 30. What a dream come true that will be! So I picked the Nov. 30 concert with Kacey Musgraves. They are putting me up in a hotel in Times Square, so I’ll be in the thick of things,” she said.
Mottu picked the Mus- graves concert over dates with Michael Bublé, The Fray, Alessia Cara, Brett Eldredge and Panic! At the Disco.
Tell me about your “sweeper,” uh, hobby.
“It was a natural progression springing from my need and desire to save money. First it was coupons, then rebates, then as the Internet became a thing, websites that offered free samples of their product or small rewards. I began getting really neat stuff in my mailbox almost every day. One day, I saw a website listing sweepstakes and tried it out. I was hooked pretty easily,” she said.
Mottu is a semi-retired, part-time legal assistant. Her typical day starts with a few hours of finding and entering sweepstakes. Then a couple of hours more in the afternoon. At night, she “multi-tasks,” filling out entry forms for mail-in contests while watching television.
“I do it every day, even on vacation. I even took my laptop on a cruise so I could enter sweepstakes. It relaxes me, and I enjoy it. It’s less time than a lot of people spend playing video games, and it has a payoff. I don’t think it’s obsessive because I do it as a hobby. I do not stress about it, and once the sweepstakes is entered, I forget about it. I’m not depending on any wins coming my way.” But she does win. A lot. Her first prize was a digital camera in a sweepstakes off the back of a box of Frosted Flakes. Next a trip to Disneyland from a Mission Tortilla sweepstakes. That was 2003. She was hooked and looking good on the bottom line.
Hobby? Hurricane Ike hit Houston in 2008. Mottu and her husband had a generator that would keep a few appliances charged during the electricity blackout. Let’s see, the refrigerator, of course. Some ceiling fans.
And her laptop so she could continue to enter sweepstakes. She won a Travel Channel sweepstakes while her neighbors were in the dark. The prize was membership in the Disney Vacation Club and $12,000 to cover airfare and expenses.
“There is no way my family could have afforded all the things and trips I’ve won. From tickets to sports events, ice shows, the Strawberry Festival, to gift cards that help pay for Christmas gifts. Without sweepstakes, I’d never have gotten to go to see Pearl Harbor, gone to Astros spring training camp, so many experiences that are unforgettable.
“The vacations I’ve won are a dream come true. We’ve been to Hawaii, Orlando a couple of times, a cruise with VIP tickets to the Lionel Richie concert onboard, Las Vegas. Last March, we went to Orlando to the (Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Center for Elephant Conservation), where they have all the retired circus elephants. The barbecue pit in my backyard and most of my coolers are from wins. My iPad was a win. I just won Texans tickets to an upcoming game. From a free coupon for a product at the grocery store to the biggest trip — I love it all, appreciate it all and would never stop!”
Her other “hobbies” are reading, family time and going to concerts.
Mottu offered me “tips” on how to win a sweepstakes. “Tips? It’s just a random draw, pure luck, no?”
No … and yes.
Mottu’s tips on entering and, more important, winning sweepstakes:
1. Read and follow the rules. If it’s a one-time entry, enter only once. Otherwise, enter as often as the rules allow. 2. Check all sources. There are local and national sweepstakes. You have better odds of winning a local sweepstakes, but the prizes are usually smaller. 3. Look hard. Sweepstakes are everywhere. Some require you to mail in an entry. But you can find sweepstakes on texts, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other online sites. 4. Keep your expectations low. Dry spells will happen. 5. Realize that prizes are taxable, and it’s your responsibility to claim them. Wins worth more than $600 will come with a 1099 form.