My 2013 Competition wins!

Decided to make a separate page with all my wins on it.
The newest wins will be at the top and I will do my best to make a note of the date I won and the website / method I used to enter.
Some prizes may include photos and a separate post on the main page of this blog.
To prevent confusion I will only post when I have received the prizes and not when I am informed.
This is not me boasting or showing off in any way - initially I want to make a record of my wins - but also to prove to sceptics that you have to be in it to win it - and anyone can win a prize!


L'Occitane perfume set - Won from London Beauty Queen blog - received 31/12/13
Another Surprise win - Call the Midwife christmas Album - received 30/12/13
Surprise win - Crabtree and Evelyn hand cream! Received 28/12/13
Bissell Vac ad steam cleaner RRP £149 won from the Bissell comp on facebook ..received 23/12/13
Malibu cocktail shaker - another one... received 23/12/13
Aerial topper - won from Corsa website received 20/12/13
Malibu cocktail shaker - won from the advent competition - received 20/12/13
One direction love hearts.  won from life with ASD blog back in november received 20/12/13.
Nintendo XL 3DS plus game.  Won from times newspaper hourly competition on 16th/12- received on 18/12/13
2 Guess watches BEST PRIZE THIS YEAR... won through twitter Ernest Jones website 17/12/13
12 Personalised Christmas note cards - won from Blog received 16/12/13
Rudolf socks won from Utopia Bathrooms via facebook advent received 14/12/13
Set of nailvarnishes. won through a magazine. (13/12/13)
Cute sterling silver bird necklace won from Stretchmarks and sparkles blog. (13/12/13)
24 Berol Oil Pastels - won from Berol on facebook in Nov (received 12/12/13)
King Size duvet set - won from Tony's textiles voucher £25 voucher. originally won in nov received 10/12/13

Beauty products worth approx £70 Won from all that slap blog 30/11/2013
Braun in ear thermometer - Surprise win dunno where from 30/11/2013
Linen tote bag - won from real foods. co uk 30/11/2013
Craft set - won from Motivating mum blog - 28/11/2013
Gorilla Glue & mosaic craft book - surprise win 27/11/2013
60 slimming pills - won from GKH weightloss on facebook 20/11/2013
Pudsey bear teddy bear and headband. Won from Feel Good Drinks on Facebook 19/11/2013
Packs of Jelly Belly Jelly beans x2 - won from the instant win on facebook - 18/11/13
heat Holders socks won from family fever blog 15/11/2013
Tomy toys - surprise win. No idea where from!! 15/11/2013
£30 Primark voucher won from ridings shopping centre wakefield - 08/11/2013
Carmex Lip balm - Surprise win! 06/11/2013
Alana Cereal (Porridgewith apple and cinnemon) Facebook daily comp! 06/11/2013
Logo Billionaire game won from a blog received 04/11/2013
Cheerios grab to go 5 pack , surprise win 02/11/13
Cat ears pearl headband  won from hair trader on facebook received 02/11/13
Little Mix Collection 2000 make up box. lots of make up and goodies. Won through facebook 30/10/13
DVD - After Earth - won from Kiss radio website 28/10/2013
a Pair of rubber gloves (the washing up kind) - won from Bizzybee 26/10/13
Cushelle Koala - won through facebook app - 26/10/13
lambrini Umbrella - surprise win (25/10/13)
Dark Chocolate kit kat - Won from I love Brands on Facebook Received 19/10/13
Silver Sweet Rosie Earrings! Won from blog I think 19/10/13
Skwooshi set - like magic playdoh! won from a parenting website! Received 18/10/13
Book - Dear Sister - Won through Good reads - 17/10/13
Primavera Ginger and Lime Body wash - won from facebook like and share competition 16/10/2013
Hair mousse - volumising won from Twitter - Love your hair - recieved 16/10/2013
Book - The True German - Book about a WW2 Military judge! Won from Goodreads 14/10/2013
£10 Amazon Gift Voucher - Won from Aunt Bessies on facebook 12/10/2013
Poison Diaries bag - won from the Poison Diaries website! Received 12/10/2013
Cheese Hamper - worth £22 Won from the blog Fuss Free Flavours - Received 08/10/2013
Spontex Goodie box - sponges and other cleaning cloths! Surprise win which I didnt know about Received 04/10/2013
4 Rawhide dog bones - Won through facebook -received 02/10/2013
£25 George at Asda Voucher - won from facebook competition (E-voucher only) received 01/10/2013

Family Pass to the Deep (Hull) won from What to do with the Kids website - Received 28/09/13
California Raisons set -(pretty pants actually!) won from ?? Received 21/09/2013
Maybelline 14 hour lipstick Won from doing a survey for Fabulous online magazing- received 21/09/2013
Personal Planner- which is amazing!! Won from blog, Boo Roo and Tigger too - Received 21/09/13
Comfort Umbrella - Won from Comfort App on facebook, Received 20/09/2013
Martha Hill - Beauty set - won from Take a break - Received 19/09/2013
How to be the perfect Host Book - Win from a blog - I love food its all I eat! Received 17/09/2013
Wilkinson sword personalised Razor won through Wilkinson sword on Facebook - Received 14/09/2013
Pack of Greetings cards - Blog competition - received 10/09/13
Stationary from total merchandise - won from a like and share and comment on facebook received 07/09/13
3 dresses from Chi Chi - won from a daily competition on the Chi Chi website! Received 07/09/13
Yahoo notebook, pencil case and pen! Won from Yahoo - received 06/09/2013
McCains Limited Edition Sharing bowl (for Potato wedges) Won through mccains received 06/09/2013
Yakult mug - Runner up prize from a yakult competition on FB I think? Received 05/09/2013
£200 cheque from Thats Life Magazine - received 02/09/2013
4Packets of Frizz Ease from John Freida - received 02/09/2013

£5 Amazon Voucher - Won from Sophie Marie Hendley on facebook - Received 29/08/13
2 Dolce Gusto Cups and Saucers - Surprise win and I do not know where from! Received 28/08/2013
Gothic Necklace and earring set! Won from Mookychick - an email competition - received 28/08/2013
The Silver Chain- Erotic fiction by Primula Bond - won on twitter - received 19/08/13
Brita Water filter jug! Won through an email comp in Good Housekeeping magazine! Recieved 19/08/13
Rimmel Stay Matte Foundation - Won from Rimmel- Recieved 14/08/2013
Now you see me Goodie set (tshirt, pack of cards, lazer pen, ipad case, USB stick) Recieved 14/08/13
Maybelline 14 hour lipstick in pink colour! Won from Fabulous Magazine Received 13/08/2013
Imperial leather foam burst gel and facemask won from Imperial leather on Facebook - Recieved 1/08/13
Book - My Education by Susan Hoi  - Recieved 01/08/13

Special K cereal and Special K cereal bars! Won from the Kelloggs special K app on facebook - 26/07/2013
Book - Spirit and Dust by Rosemary Clement-Moore - Dunno where from - perhaps a Good reads competition? (18/07/2013)
Superdrug glimmer eyeshadow - in Golden Sand - won from Superdrug, but totally a surprise! (13/07/2013)
Book - Nearest thing to Crazy by Elizabeth Forbes - Won from Mumsnet - need to review this when I have read it! (12/07/2013)
Wax Stamp set (As in red blob thing used to seal letters originally!) (11/07/2013)
Fudge Hair Mousse - Raspberry and vanilla Won from Stella competition - (10/07/2013)
Some plastic food storage containers! Won from 'havent a clue!!' a nice surprise win when I returned from a school trip! (09/07/2013)
Dr Organic Bioactive skincare- organic virgin coconut oil (for skin, hair and nails) Won from the Stella Comp in june (Received 4/07/2013)
Finger puppets - won from the Hippy chick blog, received 4/07/2013
£10 Cheque won from Take a Break Magazine (issue 5 cashword) received 1/07/13 GOOD START TO THE MONTH!!!!!

Bakers Silver Dog bowl won on an instant win competition - received 29/06/2013
Higgidy cool bag and lots of vouchers for free picnic food. won from Higgidy cooks website (received 28/06/2013)
Lipbalm / lipgloss- won from Stella competition (Received 27/06/13)
/Yeo valley yoghurt goodie bag (lots of yummy yoghurt) plus seeds and cool bag. Won from GoodtoKnow website (received 27/06/2013)
Metoyou (not the blue nosed bears!) Daughter journal (won from a Blog) Received 22/06/13 RRP £12.99
Horrible Histories signed book (celebrating 20yrs of the programme and books. (received 21/06/2013
Bare Minerals lipgloss in Oh So Cosmo - won from Cosmopolitian Magazine worth £16 (20/06/2013)
Nails Inc - Nail varnish (Green) won through the Stella beauty competition (19/06/13)
Loreal Full Size hair expertise Ever Riche Shampoo, condition and hair mask. Won from Loreal website. (Received 17/06/2013) (approx £13 worth of stuff)
Elemis Papaya Peel - won fom Glamour Magazines Big beauty competition - (13/06/2013) worth £30
A 3metre by 6 metre Gala Tent Marquee - won through Gala Tents on Facebook- worth £300 (Received 12/06/2013)
A Family Annual Merlin pass for theme parks etc Won through facebook from the one stop convenience store! (Received 07/05/2013) (Retail price is £500)
6 Packets of babywipes - won from a blog I think? (Received 05/06/2013)
Watermelon lipbalm from body shop - won from the daily glamour competition in may received 3/6/13

Heineken Glass - Dont know where from arrived with no letter (25/05/2013)
Charles Worthington Moisture Seal Masque - Won from Facebook app. (25/0152013)
Box of Kelloggs All Bran Red Berry Crunch - Kelloggs app on facebook (25/05/2013)
RC Car, Huge Car Cleaning kit and Apple TV Device - Runners up prize from Men's Health Magazine - (23/05/2013)
Toni And Guy, Volume Plumping Whip - think I have won it through the glamour mag site (23/05/2013)
Bottle of Lambrini- won from facebook via The Lambrini page (22/05/2013)
DVD - Blood Simple - Won from emailing a saga comp - (20/05/2013)
Bee Prepared Daily defence herbal type tablets Won from the Vegetarian website (18/05/13)
Book - The Collector of Lost Things (Jeremy Page) Won from the little brown book company! (18/05/2013)
Spartacus Box set - Won from a film website - (17/05/2013)
Marc Jacobs Limited Edition Coke Glass- Won from Style it light website. (16/05/2013)
Book Six Weeks by Harlen Coben - signed! Won from the most wanted site - (09/05/13)
Book - The Sea On Our Skin - Madeline Tobert - Won from Twitter (7/05/13)
Lazy Oaf TSHIRT - won through twitter from a cider company (7/5/13)
OPI nailvarnish in red won from look magazing (2/5/13)
Hallmark childrens books and teddies - a huge box of them! surprise which I did not know I had won!! (2/5/13)
Blue 4 leaf clover necklace - won from the website us2friends. (2/5/13)
Billingtons sugar goodie bag- won from sainsburys (2/5/13)
Anne Dressed in Blood book- by Kendare Blake - won through facebook (1/5/13)
Love story with murder - book by Harry Bingham - won through facebook. (1/5/13)


4 Boxes of Kelloggs Cereal! Won through a blog (Received 30/04/2013)
The Girl Behind the Mask - book by Stella Knightly. Won from Shaz's book blog via facebook (Recieved 27/04/2013)
Jack the Giant Slayer goodie bag - 2 tshirts, hoodie, notebook, pen, hat and earphones! Won through a film website!! (in march) (24/04/2013)
JollyWobbles DVD (childrens Justin Flecter aka Mr tumble!) Won through a blog rafflecopter comp - (23/04/2013)
Primavera Intensive revitelising face cream. Won through a like and share competition on facebook. (18/04/13)
Sightseers on Blu-ray! Won through a film website! (17/04/13)
£20 scratchcard win After deliberation decided to put any lottery wins £10 or over on here. (16/04/13)
Mariella Mystery - childrens book! Arrived 15/04/13
Mackies icecream Voucher Won from answering a Mackies Survey! (Received 13th April) Worth £3.50
Office goody bag (Pink pen, chocs, teabag & cup) Celebrity angels - Received 6th April) - entered through a website.
Nestle Oats and more cereal - full size box- won through facebook (Recieved 5th April)
Google Nexus 7 tablet - 16gb - Gumtree competition - (Received 4th April) worth £180
Hotel Chocolate Easter egg - You crack me up - from the good natured company.A surprise win received 3rd April - must have won in March. Worth £27

£25 Amazon Voucher - this is bad but I can not recall what company I won this from. (Received 28th March)
Blog - Everyday things - Dior Nailvarnish - all the way from france. (Received 26th March) (Worth £20)
Elizabeth Arden - An eyeliner in iridescent Teal - Surprize prize - dunno where it came from (Received 19th March) (Worth £14.50)
SmartShopper - A Cuddly toy from Shrek - won through a facebook app. (Received 14th March)
Inside the Wendy House Blog - Won a brita water bottle with 4 filters. (Received 13th March)
Spontex - entered through a short facebook survey - won a cleaning pack with cloths and gloves - (Received 9th March)
Celebrity Angels - entered through website - Won a bronze necklace from LA Jewellery (received 2nd March)


Lingerie Stylist - through facebook - A playful promises set! (Bra and Pants) (Received 28th Feb)
Clean Campaign Andrex Facebook comp - some eye make up remover wipes. (Received 23rd Feb)
Books from Sharon - facebook like and share comp - 3 erotic fiction books - (Received 23rd feb)
Hair trade - a lovely black bracelet. - facebook comp (like and share) (Received 16th Feb)
Halifax Bank Plc - Facebook competition - daily entry - (Received 16th Feb)
Stardust perfume set - won through a Blog back in Jan - Thought it had got lost in the post. (Received 15th Feb)
Books from Sharon 6 erotic fiction books - won through a like and share competition on FB (received 11th Feb)
Botanics - Herbal creams - won through facebook (Received 7th Feb)
Le Powder Room Blog - 4 Mini Ciate nailvarnishes - amazing colours! (Received 7th Feb)
Batiste Dry Shampoo - Beauty uk lipstick - shade brown sugar - facebook competition - won Jan (received Feb)

Visionary Soap Company - selection of fair-trade organic goodies - won through Facebook - Won in January.
Galaxy hot chocolate - 5 various full size hot chocolates - won through the website - January 2013
Chelsea Mamma - A Lenor Sleep Sack- full of goodies like a mug, books, cds, lenor, hot chocolate, and a pillowcase you can draw on. - Won through the blog Chelsea Mamma - January 2013
Guide to the british - A book with some really fab illustrations - Won via Twitter - Jan 2013
PGUK - A instant happy book (see seperate post) - Won via Facebook - Jan 2013
Cloud freebies - £25 voucher - won on website - see seperate post.
ShoeZone £50 voucher - won through the website found link through the prizefinder - Jan 2013
Waterstones - GU cookbook - Dec2012
PGUK - Jimi Hendrix book - a twitter competition - dec2012

Where is my motivation?? (And not the Greenday lyrics but just in general!!)

Ive got no motivation (and even though I can not say that without the Greenday song dancing around my head) this lack of motivation is not helping with my blog posts!!
*What blog posts??? hahaha

I would like to say I have been super busy trying to change the world or training for a marathon - however that would be lying!! Ive spent more or less this past month trying to sort out the families financial situation seen as the other half is now unemployed due to his ill health! Entering competitions (for a change), battling with my ears and the ENT Docs (for a change!), helping kids with their homework (both have huge projects due in within 2 weeks). I have also been signing up to Uni after finally coming to a massive decision about my career!

So in a quick round up - being doing well with my competitions - won quite a lot this month (Feel free to check out the specific page on this blog dedicated to my wins!) had to sell quite a few of the prizes so I can afford clothes for the kids. But I have had some nice beauty treats which I have kept because like any other girl I like to have a bit of a pamper every now and again. I'm now trying to win a few things to put away for Christmas! I know that it is months away but unless my lotto numbers come up it will be a huge struggle financially - if I can win a few things to stash away and wrap up in December I am sure my purse would be grateful. So fingers crossed I will have a few more wins - I got a £10 cheque this morning so I am hoping it is a sign of things to come!

The financial situation is too boring to explain and I will end up going on a rant about the economic climate and current affairs - but slowly we are battling agencies and government policies to try and stay alive.

My ears are even more boring to talk about but its a massive part of me so I am not going to spare the details - since November 2012 they have been leaking that yucky gunk! Well finally they have just stopped piling me with Anti-biotics and drops and have changed their tune. Apparently it is mucus which is leaking from my ears - so I am now on an intensive course of flushing out my nasal passages for 6 weeks to see if this helps? At the moment it is painful on my sinus' and does not seem to be working on the wet lugs - but its early days and I want to give it a fair shot! In general my hearing is rubbish and sometimes even with my aids in sounds are muffled and can be difficult to understand! It is so depressing when it is constant and the hospital just seem to shrug it off as it is nothing. Would they like gunk dripping from their ears for 6 months? Probably not so why do they seem to think that it is nothing to me??

Oh and saved the most important update for last - IVE SIGNED UP TO UNI!! Again - and at the moment it is only Open University but I have studied with them before and am happy to have another couple of years with them whilst I try to sort out a degree! Because them I am going to a local Uni to do my PGCE which is Post Graduates Certificate of Education! I want to be a teacher! Well always wanted to be a teacher but life happened and circumstances told me otherwise! Well now since I have been volunteering with my daughters school I have realised how fulfilling and rewarding I find it so I figured why not reach for the stars and get my degree!!

So in a nutshell you have the reasons I have been absent from here for a while. I am sure I will add more updates on Uni and my ears in the future - I will also pick up my A-Z of dislikes when I get the chance!!

My prize winning April!!! Long may my luck continue!!!

My last post told you all about my comping frenzy - it seems that it has paid off!! 

• 4 Boxes of Kelloggs Cereal! Won through a blog (Received 30/04/2013) 
• The Girl Behind the Mask - book by Stella Knightly. Won from Shaz's book blog via facebook (Recieved 27/04/2013)
• Jack the Giant Slayer goodie bag - 2 tshirts, hoodie, notebook, pen, hat and earphones! Won through a film website!! (in march) (24/04/2013) 
• JollyWobbles DVD (childrens Justin Flecter aka Mr tumble!) Won through a blog rafflecopter comp - (23/04/2013)
• Primavera Intensive revitelising face cream. Won through a like and share competition on facebook. (18/04/13) 
• Sightseers on Blu-ray! Won through a film website! (17/04/13) 
• £20 scratchcard win After deliberation decided to put any lottery wins £10 or over on here. (16/04/13) 
• Mariella Mystery - childrens book! Arrived 15/04/13
• Mackies icecream Voucher Won from answering a Mackies Survey! (Received 13th April) Worth £3.50
• Office goody bag (Pink pen, chocs, teabag & cup) Celebrity angels - Received 6th April) - entered through a website. 
• Nestle Oats and more cereal - full size box- won through facebook (Recieved 5th April) 
• Google Nexus 7 tablet - 16gb - Gumtree competition - (Received 4th April) worth £180
• Hotel Chocolate Easter egg - You crack me up - from the good natured company.A surprise win received 3rd April - must have won in March. Worth £27

This massive list is my total prizes for the month of april - even though I won some of them in March I received them on the dates stated! 

Yesterday I also got another 3 winning emails (WEM) so hopefully that stands for how lucky I will be in May! I am really loving these competitions I find on http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/  the people on there are so lovely and friendly and there are a lot of comps added daily! Plus I like being able to help manage the forum yourselves by reporting expired comps and adding new ones! 

A catch up with me..... (kids, easter, comping, Maggie Thatcher and life in general)

Firstly I was going to apologies for not writing in so long.... but then I figured that I have never set a rule to what and when I will update this blog of mine so I should not feel so guilty for not been on here in a while!!!!

I haven't been particularly busy as such I have just been entering a lot of competitions. My hubby on sick now and his sick pay run out so we are 'attempting' to live on £800 a month. I say attempting because it is so hard and emotionally draining with every day been a battle to sort out some money and battle some other organisation. Looking for jobs is depressing when you have been trying for so long and sometimes life just seems cruel and unfair!! So I have been on a comping frenzy to win things to make me smile and things to make my life easier! I haven't done bad if you check out my comping prize tab!

I've still been on the job hunt, and trying to settle in our new puppy (Buddy) and the Easter holidays were a fab time to chill with my kids without the early school runs and homework panic! But I was happy to see them off in their uniforms yesterday morning ready for a day of not been at beck and call every 2 seconds! I'm human and although I love my babies they are full of energy and noise and beans..... a break from them is needed once in a while. (And I get no help from our parents or families so the only time out we get is when they at school!!)

My ears have still been bad... it has got to the stage where they are bad all the time so I am used to gunk leaking all the time!! Nice imagery I know but its not nice to live with neither! I really need to make another hospital appointment and see the specialist!

Finally in this rambling mess of a post MAGGIE THATCHER... I am in the group of people who are disgusted with the amount of expense and fuss that is been made over her funeral. I do agree she needs to be shown some respect but not to the extent that it has been planned. Coming from Yorkshire I know many people who were affected by the mining strikes and other protests that happened when I was a twinkle in my dads eye! (My grandad always worked down the pits and suffered lots of upset at the hands of this woman.) I admire her straight talking and everything she did for feminism but still think she caused more problems for people than she solved. Out country is in a financial mess and children and their parents are going without meals to survive and yet the country is paying to bury a woman who caused financial hardship for many. Why can't her own funds  pay for the funeral? She must have plenty of money and so must her family who did well off her name... so why dont they put their hands in their pockets and the money tax payers have spent on her funeral could be used for families who can't afford to eat?

So there a rambling post complete with a rant... not everyone will agree with me but I wanted to have my say non the less.....

The perfect Mother's Day outfit from Next!

My mum always get invited to go out with the in-laws but refuses because she says she feels like a poor relation. She has been registered disabled for many years, physically unable to work and living in constant daily pain. So in my opinion she deserves a posh slap up meal and evening out as much as her (not-very-nice) in-laws. (It is my step family - who coincidently do not like me neither because I was a teenage mum)

The Style Rawr!'s blogger competition gives me an opportunity to dress my Mum up albeit virtually - using www.next.co.uk I have selected what I believe to be perfect frock !!!

First is the Lipsy strapless embellished dress. 
The Lipsy Dress

At the reasonable price of £65 .The neutral colour would suit Mum and varied skirt layers would boost her confident . (She feels like most dresses fit wrong because she is short !!! )

Grey Metallic thread scarf. £12
Scarf with metallic thread

This is contrasting colour and would provide cover up and added warmth because March is not always a spring month weather wise. The metallic thread running through adds to the glam factor. 

Silver swirly Embellished clutch bag £30!
A fab and stylish bag

This matches the scarf perfectly and would hold her phone and purse and other essentials (mascara, perfume sample, eyeliner etc...) really well. 

Nude Jewelled Pointed Court Shoes £48  Glitzy shoes!

Back to the Nude colour scheme now but still with a bit of added bling. 

Mum loves her heels (which goes back to the short thing!) and this style is 

her favourite. As long as I have known her wardrobe has been filled with pointed court shoes and stilletos. 

Alan Hannah Spray Drop Earrings  £16

Gorgeous earrings

These are pretty and sparkly- need I say more? She also really likes flowers and I like the fact that pearl type gems are typically 'Mumsy' yet these aren't! 

Alan Hannah Spray Necklace  £38

Matching necklace

This matches the earrings and I love how unusual it is. I think this is definetely a statement piece. 

Santuary Spa Youth Boosting Facial in a Box £16
A special treat

This is just an extra treat because she deserves it! If she was having a meal out then she should feel pampered before she goes!! 

I must admit my 8 year old daughter has helped me select a lot of these items and I do think grandma would be pleased with her choices. 

If you want to create the perfect Next Outfit for your mum then check out the post on The Style Rawr! You could be a lucky winner! 

Deleting old Competition links.

This is not just a place for competitions and I do love to share when I come across them however I am thinking there are just too many links for competitions and it shadows the 'proper' posts. You know the ones where I ramble on and rant away!!!!

So now I will delete the competition posts when the closing date has been reached! This will also stop the annoyance of clicking on a competition that is no longer valid!

Sorry if this bothers people who look on here for the odd comp - I just hate clutter and feel like there is too many posts which clutter this page up!!!!

However I will keep updating new comps I find on here and my hope is that one day in the future (When I have enough followers) that I will be able to run a few comps of my own!

COMPETITION LINK - daisy meadow - beauty goodies!

It is a while since I have done a competition link - and this post combines both my love of blogs and my love of competitions. Daisy meadow Is a blog I subscibe too and I because I get all excited when there is the chance to win something from a site which already has excellent posts I was really pleased to come across this; plus I get a chance to share the opportunity with anybody who may read this!!

The lovely goodies include Urban Decay Basics Palette, Real Techniques Core Collection & Bioderma 250ml
so if like me you love these items pop on over and use the rafflecopter form to enter for yourself!

Don't just enter the competition though take a while and look at some of the other posts, you might find you enjoy them as much as me!

Enter here  - COMPETITION LINK

Prize - Stardust perfume set.

Back in January I received an email telling me I had won a Stardust set from 

sophiespages.blogspot.com

Just like the next person I love winning competitions and because times are hard and the pennies are being well and truly pinched I never get to treat myself to new smellies!! So this was a double treat.

It did take a while to receive the parcel but once I did I was super impressed. Not only do you get a full size bottle of perfume but there is a handbag sized one, a body lotion and some shower gel too. The fragrance suits me - because I don't just think that a perfume should smell just how you like it - I believe the perfume should fit you too. I particularly like how the smell stays and doesn't wear off. But I also like the blue appearance in the bottle too - I am a bit odd like that. 

So all in all I am very pleased - this is definitely a time when my comping obsession has paid off! 

My guide to competitions - You gotta be in it to win it!

As you can see from the posts on here it is obvious that I like entering competitions. I have been doing them for over 10 years now on and off and have picked up several hints, tips and useful knowledge about the world of online competitions.

I am not saying that I am the ultimate comping champion - there are other really successful blogs and people out there with a lot more experience than me. But still I would like to make my mark and share my opinion, if it helps anyone then it's a bonus!

Why do we enter competitions? (in my opinion) I think mainly it is the excitement, everyone can be skeptical about the odds and chances of winning. That is until you hear you have won your first prize - skepticism soon turns to feverish searches of other competitions you can enter and eagerly waiting for an email (WEM), phone call or surprise delivery off the postman! It becomes like a buzz / addiction and even the little wins can provide excitement. I also think the current economic climate plays a part in the massive rise of compers. Money is so tight for everyone that the little wins can mean a treat for the family or a pampering session for yourself.

Where to find competitions? 

• I've previously mentioned www.theprizefinder.com which I still use daily because they have a clear and concise method of listing comps as well as providing a tracker system so you know what you have entered. I tend to go on the new competitions list and then check on the closing date list to make sure I have not missed any I wish to enter. It is worth checking back a few times as the new competitions list is updated throughout the day.

• There is also www.loquax.co.uk which is a forum based site now, but as I have been logging in on a regular basis I have discovered that it is equally useful in finding other competitions. It can be a bit harder to navigate with just list after list - but there are some hidden gems of competitions on there. Like prizefinder you need to register with the site. Reading the forums it is a very friendly bunch of compers and they are ready to offer help and support where they can. 

• On facebook there are several groups I have come across that generally focus on the thousands of comps on social networking sites. Competition Addicts is one of these and it may be a small group but with people helping to post competitions then I think it will grow and be a useful tool in comping success.

• Another facebook group is UK freebies and competitions an even smaller group which focuses on only competitions that are shared on Facebook and contain no links to another webpage. Occasionally competition can be found on here that are no where else so it is worth checking out. 

What do I think of Facebook / Twitter comps?
I do like comps on facebook and twitter and over the past 6 months have had a bit of joy from both these sites. The groups mentioned above provide valuable comping buddies who help share the comps and keep an eye out for your name in a winning post.
There are downsides though, some people who don't like entering giveaways can get frustrated with the amount of likes and shares that you do. I think I have 'lost' quite a few school friends from my FB feed because I post too many posts about comps. But I am not particularly close to old school friends so have not gone to the effort of making a separate account just for comping. If people don't like all my posts then they have the option to delete me or change the settings so they don't see so many things they don't want to.


How do you know if you have won on Facebook / twitter?
Readers of my blog will know that I have missed several prizes through twitter and facebook because there are that many notifications your name can get lost. Some companies who run the comps can not tag you in a post to highlight the fact you are a lucky winner and even if you have selected to get all notifications from the company there is still the off chance your name can be missed.

www.social-searcher.com  is a website that helps you check if your name has appeared on social networking sites. It is free to use and most importantly easy to use, simply type in your name in the search box and put congratulations or winner next to it and press search. I do this several times a week to make sure I have not missed a prize.

There are also groups on FB which copy and past all the winning posts they come across - here people can tag you and highlight the fact you have won.

The winners circle  is a really popular group with a lot of updates on purely people that are named as winners.

Competition checkers  is another one - although this allows you to add to a document when you win something and offers some other general comping advice.

Both these groups in my opinion are worth joining and checking regular - if you are a competition addict!!

Rafflecopter competitions. 
Increasingly Rafflecopter forms are been used by blogs and independent companies through FB to run competitions.

Personally I love rafflecopter competitions because you get many ways of gaining extra entries and you can visibly see how many people are in the running for the same prize as you.
I use my FB account to enter them but using your email to log in is an option that some people may prefer.

Over the past couple of months I have won several prizes from these kinds of comps and always found the people who have run them to be friendly and approachable.

Other competition blogs which are invaluable! 

Here are the links for some other blogs which explain in a much better way than me about competitions, they also run a few themselves on occasion.

Competition Grapevine

A winning touch

Super Lucky

If you like entering comps as much as me then perhaps you should check these out and see if there is any advice and tips that will help you?

Update positive, competition wins and puppies!

It has not all been doom and gloom however.

On the competitions side I have had some joy because the other day I received 2 parcels and was notified about 2 wins. All in the same day!!  I got some fantastic nail varnish through a blog and some herbal botanics cream which looks to be amazing stuff. And I am still waiting on £100 love2shop vouchers being delivered and some erotic fiction. It is these wins like these which give you incentive to keep entering more competitions whilst crossing your fingers that one day the 'Big Prize' will come my way.

I do update my competition win page when I receive a prize so as soon as my new wins come my way I will be adding to that list!!

On another note we are getting a puppy. I did mention this on the post I wrote on my birthday, but now they have been born. It is my mums dog which is a mixed breed spaniel type heinz 52 pooch and on the 5th Feb she delivered 4 healthy puppies. Although times are tough we believe another dog will help Cherry the pooch we already have, and the kids adore animals so in a couple of months we will have a new baby to add to the household. (The hardest thing is choosing which one to get because they are all so incredibly cute!!)

There are a few people who have mentioned in passing that we must be silly to get another dog when we are going through a tough time. But it means to afford it I need to cut down on my smoking, this will be hard but worth it for the kids and my health. I firmly believe pets are a benefit to children and a household, and because my ears are so bad I always feel reassured that I have a furry friend to help me out when someone is at the door or the kids are shouting me! (A doorbell on legs! someone said the other day!)

When I have photos and other news on this new addition then I will do another post!! But I am like a big kid and so excited!

January - the month I turned 30. (An overview)

Well although I am a day late the month of January is now over. Like many others I do generally feel fed up and skint in the month following Christmas. But having always had a birthday at the end of the month I do have something to look forward to which helps me through the 'down' days.

This blog has been running over a month now and I am so surprised and pleased to have now had over 500 people viewing it. I am still learning a lot about blogging, including the etiquette etc... But I don't think I have offended anyone yet!!

I know I write a lot of competition posts with a lot of links for you guys to enter the comps, I post lots because I enter a lot. But because I don't want to be predominantly a competition blog I am trying not to post too many. Perhaps when I finally find a job I won't post the comps but write more about lifestyle and family things? Who knows....? The aim of this blog was not to focus on one thing alone so because of that I am trying to vary it.

So my January was hard, financially and emotionally. My laptop broke leaving us with 3 broken laptops in the house. I've had no call back from the thousands of jobs I am applying for. Sick pay has been brought into force for my husband so incoming money reduced to a worrying figure. My son has been upset because still no sign or contact from his biological father. Both me and hubby still suffering from the operations we had in November last year. This ear infection has been going on for over 2 months and I have had loads of different antibiotics to try and get rid of it. Thank fully the children seem to have escaped illness (touch wood)  so it could have been worse!

I am trying to stick to the list of goals that I wrote on here - I'm looking for work on a daily basis, slowly de-cluttering the house, I am logging on weekly to see if there are new council houses for us. Each day I am trying to achieve something positive, but there are days when even the littlest task seems too hard, the delights of living with depression I guess?

All in all though I am pleased with myself, I have had more good days than bad and am actively trying to change and better my life rather than sit and mope like I did last year!

Instant Happy!!

ANOTHER LUCKY WIN!

If you read my last post then you will see I nearly missed out on a prize. This was because the competition was on Facebook and I missed the original post where I was named as the winner. It was only by a stroke of luck I caught my name on the last day I could claim the book! 

I received the book this morning from Publishers Group UK and am so pleased with it. I love reading and this book is full of 10 second attitude makeover quotes. 

My favourites include

 "Talk to yourself the way you would talk to someone you love!"

"Angry thoughts make your mind messy!"   &  

 "We're all beautifully different. cherish what makes you YOU!"

This is a useful little book for me because I can be so negative and full of self doubt a lot of the time, which comes from 16 years of depression. I do try to be positive but some days it feels impossible. Maybe now I can get my little book out and inspire my mood and make over my attitude? 

Cloudfreebies.co.uk - New website & a win!!

Cloud freebies is a website I came across recently when I had just started entering competitions again. Initially it was the cute logo that stood out but as I signed up to updates on FACEBOOK and TWITTER I began to take advantage of the fab links that they posted.

As well as providing links to new online competitions and freebies they run their own comps and have money off vouchers. So this is a really good website for those that like to use the internet to learn about new products, free samples as well as been beneficial all those other competition addicts out there-  like me!!!

Cloud Freebies will be one website in future that I will always click onto when I am perusing the latest online offers. Not only because I was one of the lucky ones to win a £25 Love2Choose voucher but due to the customer service and communications with the staff which were outstanding. I did not know I had won the competition -  for some strange reason my Hotmail email address was not showing any messages and Facebook where I had entered the competition was acting up too. So the team at cloud freebies were having no joy trying to get hold of me and give me the good news. I have heard of of a lot of companies and websites who not been able to reach the lucky winner end up having to redraw the names and pick another lucky person. But yesterday on Facebook a message appeared on my profile asking me if I had received any DM's (direct messages) - with the answer from me being negative I was asked to email them personally because they had sent messages and wanted to contact me. Thinking on I replied to them with another email address I use and this time I was successful in hearing I was the lucky recipient of a voucher.

I was so pleased - I do love winning prizes and this voucher can be used at many suppliers ( Homebase, Superdrug, Wilkinsons,  Argos  Iceland  Shoezoe & Matalan - to name a few) so it means I will be able to treat myself for my 30th birthday in 9 days time!!

But if I am honest what pleased me more was the effort used to let me know I was a winner. I personally have missed a few prizes on Facebook and twitter because companies can not tag your name in a status and without the @ on twitter a tweet can go un-noticed. (In fact the next prize I am posting about was nearly one of those!)

Because the staff there put the extra effort in the website will be one that remains firmly in memory and one I will definitely visit in future.

Maybe you should check it out too?

http://cloudfreebies.co.uk/

Ears, Competitions, Jobs & My last rant!

Thought after my 'rant' the other day I should face the music and write another post explaining myself a bit more. I think I may have mentioned the fact I suffer from depression - I have done since I was 14. It's a condition I can usually manage but every so often I do explode. It doesn't help that my ears are still infected - think its coming up for 6 weeks now - it is making me all irritable and moody. So the post the other day was written when emotional and in a bad place. I did debate whether to just delete it - but that means deleting thoughts and feelings that were right at that moment in time. So its staying....

No updates on my ears - I did go back to see the doctor last week but just left feeling upset. She gave me antibiotics for the gunky ear infection but admitted that they probably wouldn't work. Apparently my condition means I am likely to need micro-suction to clean them out on a regular basis, which annoys me because the operation I had was supposed to improve the infections and the gunk.

Been up to my eyeballs with the job hunt - and I have applied for more positions. There is one that I really want so badly. It is perfect for me and I have relevant qualifications - but because I have been a stay at home mum for 10 years I have little experiance. Someone somewhere has to give me a chance to get this experience - so i am really hoping its this school that will give me a chance. On a good note though I have got an interview with Childline and the NSPCC for a volunteer role. It is in February so I will keep you updated.

Still waiting for my big competition win - haha- I have won a book from PGUK via facebook - will take photo when it arrives. And I am still waiting for 2 prizes to be delivered so every morning its exciting just waiting for the postie to arrive!!!

Competition Links

BIRCHBOX BEAUTY PRODUCTS

The above is a link to enter into a Birchbox giveawy - it includes a lot of products and a years subscription to the shop. Check it out (if you do click on the link then it does give me another entry.)
Competition runs until 2/2/13

Competition addiction and my 1st win in 2013

Like a lot of people whose blogs I follow - I love competitions!

It all began about 10 years ago when my son was little and over this time I have reaped some rewards from it! About 5 years ago I had a super lucky year and won a laptop, £500 Debenhams vouchers, Designer handbags, a bumper collections of books and DVDs etc...

Unfortunately although I am still winning the odd prize I haven't had a massive win since then.

But here we are the 1st week into the year and I have received an email saying i've won a £50 voucher from Shoezone. Who doesn't love shoes??

Now I am sat thinking my luck may be about to change - in the advent competitions I won several books and as a reader I was pleased with this. But we are scrimping every penny at the moment so a treat like this voucher is very much appreciated!

My fave site for finding competitions is www.theprizefinder.com - here they are layed out in a way I can easily select the ones that I want to enter. Plus with the new improved tracking system it is easier than ever to save comps, mark them as read and even add notes to a link! If you have a bad memory like me this is perfect.

I did check www.loquax.co.uk on occasion too - however this site is no longer listing new comps. I still believe the useful and friendly forums are available and it is still a useful website but without regular new listings then it isn't as effective at finding competitions as prizefinder.

Social media is also a fab tool for competitions, especially combined with Rafflecopter. I must admit I am getting to the point with Twitter where I have reached my follow limit - and unless I become mega popular overnight i find myself having to unfollow people I don't want to. I'm debating whether to set up another twitter but following those who follow me because I follow some but i now realise I should follow ALL who follow me.

Potentially that could raise almost ethical questions and I will have to limit myself to just entering a competition using just the one twitter account! - Definitely something to think about!

Any hints / tips or even comping questions please comment - I am by no means an expert but I do know a but from over the years.

2013 My hopes and aspirations

I am not going to call them my resolutions - mainly because I never, ever, ever stick to them. This year I have decided to rename them hopes and aspirations (although I know it means the same thing!) 

• FIND A JOB - this will be hard with my disabilities but I am staying positive that there is a position out there for me. I've revamped my CV and am checking the good job websites daily - I even applied for a Shop assistant job at 9am this morning - that's dedication. 
• KEEP SEARCHING FOR A NEW HOUSE - on the council waiting list and it operates on a Bid system so I need to make sure every week I log in and express my interest on those houses that are in the right area and the right size. 
• REDUCE THE AMOUNT I SMOKE - this is one of those I make every year. My main problem though is I am at home on the laptop too much - I am hoping that the more I am out of the house with my new job(!) I will smoke less. Its all willpower - and I don't have much of that! 
• KEEP WRITING - I always feel better when I have written something, can be creative story stuff or just rambling on here or in my paper diary thing. I need to keep up with this for my own piece of mind.
• TAKE MORE PHOTOS- this is to preserve more memories. I have a camera phone so always have the means to take photos - yet rarely do. There are even less photos of me around - i know I am not the most photogenic - but surely the more photos are taken the more likely I am of finding one of me that I like?? haha
• DO MORE CROCHET - I set myself the mission to learn last year - and although I have learnt the basics and can make play/ toy food and teddies etc... I want to do more and hopefully sell some - I did attempt selling some through ebay - but think I need to look at other avenues now. (I will put some photos on here at somepoint - all my creations!! ) 
• ENTER LOADS MORE COMPETITIONS -  had a bit of success with the advent competitions over Xmas - so now I am hoping my luck with extend into 2013. 
• DECLUTTER MY HOUSE - I have loads of things that we no longer need - clothes, books, toys, etc... I have trouble throwing things out. I am not a hoarder but sentimental. When you are forever dodging clutter there is no room for sentiment. Therefore need to sell some stuff, donate it etc.... 

Going to leave the list at that for now! I dont think I will achieve them all - but at least writing it down on here  I have the opportunity to check back in a bit and maybe prompt myself to tick more off. 

My 1st blog - about me

The 1st post!! 

All about me; 

I am totally new to this blogging malarky - however after looking at other peoples blogs and how much support and fun they seem to have has encouraged me to start my own. 

I've called it muffled rants - mainly because my world is muffled. Let me explain - I need to wear hearing aids otherwise I can't hear words. I'm not 100% deaf and can lip read to a degree but telly is a no-go (unless its subtitled) and in general day to day life I can struggle - even with the aids in. 

I don't want to just write about my impediment though - there are lots of other things that make me stand out and make me.... well me!! 

I love tattoos and piercings and will try to add some photos of my collection as I extend my blog. I read a lot, I crochet, I adore entering competitions (which is why I came across so many amazing blogs!), I enjoy writing, learning about history. I cook and bake, I am a life long chocoholic and coffee-holic!

So that's what I like! 

But that's not all - I'm approaching my 30th year (27th January), I've been married for 8 years, I have 2 amazing children (11yr old boy & 8yr old girl) and a pretty fab stepson too (he is 17). Oh best not forget our dog too - we adore dogs in our house!

At the moment I am trying to look for work, obviously the job market isn't as big for me because I am limited. (Noisy environments and lots of telephone calls not an option!) But my hubby is off sick so is willing to take care of the household duties whilst I try to start my career - having had the kids young I put it all on hold. 

Thats enough for now I think - I do tend to ramble on when I write! However as I get the hang of this blogging I am sure I will fill people in more. I'm sure you are all very interested. ?!?! 

If there is anything you want to know - just leave a comment - any tips on doing this blog thing- leave a comment!! haha