| A simple shopping expedition to buy new clothes can | | | | accompanied us to a check out. It was like meeting |
| become a daunting experience when you've lost your | | | | Santa Claus in a suit. He totted up the bill to the |
| income through redundancy.Suddenly, "luxuries" like | | | | amount of our prize win, thanked us for entering their |
| family holidays or a new car seem things of the past.I | | | | competition and smilingly escorted us to the door |
| understand that feeling only too well. It happened to me | | | | before waving us a cheery good-buy!Although |
| some years ago. As if that wasn't enough, my | | | | unsuccessful at finding new employment, despite |
| husband was also made redundant at the same | | | | scouring job advertisements and completing application |
| time.Then a newspaper article changed my life...The | | | | forms, my new pastime of "comping" was keeping my |
| article featured ordinary people, like me and you. I read | | | | brain active as well as changing our shopping and |
| how they enjoyed holidays to exotic locations, drove | | | | eating habits.Instead of window shopping, knowing we |
| gleaming new cars and showered their family and | | | | couldn't afford to buy expensive goodies and luxuries, |
| friends with exciting goodies - all for free.Intrigued, I | | | | shopping became fun. Often the only thing I'd come |
| read on. Thinking there must be a catch | | | | back with from an afternoon of shopping, was a pile |
| somewhere!All these "compers" had one thing in | | | | of entry forms!The competition tasks were varied, |
| common - they won prizes. Cars. Holidays. | | | | challenging and fun as family general knowledge |
| Landscaped gardens. Entertainment systems. | | | | improved by leaps and bounds. The reference library |
| Computers, toys and games for their kids. Luxury | | | | became a second home.Our diet changed according |
| kitchens. Even a house. You name it. They won | | | | to qualifying till receipts."Tonight," I'd tell my family, "we're |
| it.Normally, I'd read an article and forget it. But with | | | | having pizza - to try and win an Italian holiday. Served |
| teenage daughter needing new trainers and time on | | | | with tomato salad - to win a holiday in the Canaries. |
| my hands, apart from seemingly endless job hunting, | | | | Followed by apples - to win a healthy break in France. |
| what had I to lose?A prize crossword in a high street | | | | Oh, and as a treat, you can have a chocolate - to win |
| chain store caught my eye. Completed, I sent it on its | | | | a Valentine's cruise!""Just remember I need the |
| way and forgot all about it. Three weeks later the | | | | wrapper!"Within six months of discovering this new |
| postman brought me a long white | | | | pastime, I won a family holiday in Devon, a TV, video |
| envelope."Congratulations...," I read, "you've won a small | | | | recorder and lots of welcome runners-up prizes like |
| gift voucher."At that moment I realized there wasn't a | | | | bottles of wine, spirits, leather handbag, a watch, |
| catch. Ordinary people like you and me could, and did, | | | | camera and shopping vouchers. Then came a |
| win competition prizes.It was fun spending the gift | | | | worrying time followed by an exciting ten days.On |
| voucher, after writing a thank you note to the | | | | Christmas eve my daughter was rushed to hospital |
| competition promoter, I wondered if my win was a | | | | with suspected appendicitis. Whilst in the hospital, we |
| fluke! I decided to find out...Wandering round the high | | | | watched Del Boy and Rodney from "Only Fools and |
| street stores I discovered a competition in a free | | | | Horses" in The Everglades and wished we too, could |
| magazine in a bank to win one of 25 pair of trainers | | | | take an airboat ride just like Del and Rodney.The lady |
| and an entry form in a men's clothing store.Having | | | | in the next bed passed her magazine to my daughter. |
| never noticed competitions before it was like going on | | | | Inside was a tiebreaker slogan competition to win a |
| a treasure hunt. Sherlock Holmes would have been | | | | healthy weekend break.A few weeks later, returning |
| proud of me! An entry form collar on a bottle of wine. | | | | late at night from an interview, I opened an interesting |
| A prize draw on a bookmark in the local bookshop. | | | | looking letter. Tiredness disappeared as I |
| Instead of bags of shopping I came back laden with | | | | read:"Congratulations, you've won a health and country |
| entry forms, all shapes and sizes.Sitting in the library, | | | | club weekend in the Lake District."This was followed, a |
| wading through an encyclopedia to answer some of | | | | few days later, by a fantastic sur-prize - a family |
| the competition questions, I realized what a challenging | | | | holiday for four to Miami, Florida, including hotel, flights, |
| and fun pastime I'd discovered. And one that was only | | | | car hire AND tickets for an air boat ride in The |
| as expensive as I wanted it to be.Quickly discovering | | | | Everglades. Wow!Still on cloud nine, the next morning I |
| that prize draws were free to enter, all it cost was a | | | | answered the phone to a man who quizzed:"Do you |
| postcard and stamp and not even that when you | | | | remember entering a competition in your local |
| were allowed to drop your entry form into the free | | | | supermarket recently?""Mmm, yes," I answered, trying |
| prize in-store posting box.Those competitions where | | | | to recall which competition he meant."Well", he |
| you were asked to complete a tiebreaker sentence, | | | | continued, "you've won a brand new car!"I was |
| such as:"I want to win a car with store because..." | | | | speechless! He said a confirmation letter was in the |
| usually asked you to attach a qualifying till receipt, I | | | | post. An agonizing "have I dreamed it or not" weekend |
| noted.Avoiding expensive "qualifiers", it was easy to | | | | followed until a long white envelope arrived on Monday. |
| switch buying habits. For instance, instead of your | | | | It was true - I'd won a car! And all for identifying eight |
| normal brand of soap powder, you simply bought the | | | | products and writing a slogan "In 10 words or less".And |
| brand which was running a competition. You kept your | | | | a new job? Well I gave up job hunting! You see, I |
| till receipt and enclosed it with your entry as proof of | | | | remembered a childhood ambition to write a book - |
| purchase or "qualifier" as it was known.Thrilled was an | | | | when I had the time - and now I had the time and the |
| understatement, when a store manager phoned to | | | | subject - how to Win Your Fortune in Prizes. And the |
| say I'd won first prize in their free to enter contest. A | | | | rest, as they say, is history!Lynne Suzanne is a |
| new wardrobe of clothes. My kids were delighted. | | | | freelance writer and author of Win With Lynne |
| Hubby and I took them to the store.I could hardly | | | | Intaslogans, Pun-ch Lines! and Win Your Fortune in |
| believe it when, laden with jeans, trousers, T-shirts, | | | | Prizes. |
| fashionable shirts and trainers, the manager | | | | FREE Win With Lynne - How to Win guide. |