Week One, Day Five -- Contests vs. Sweepstakes

While searching for things to enter, I (Teresa) learned something new today. There is a difference between contests and sweepstakes. A sweepstakes usually consists of a random drawing. A contest, on the other hand, usually requires some sort of skill or effort on the part of the contestant. So Publisher's Clearinghouse is a sweepstakes (and yes, the singular of sweepstakes is still sweepstakes) while the Marlboro trivia game we are participating in is a contest.

To be sure, these two terms are sometimes used interchangeably but as a general rule, this is how they are defined. We have probably used these terms incorrectly in previous posts but from here on out, we will try to adhere to the correct terminology so as not to confuse anyone reading this blog.

Now, on to today's sweepstakes. :-) The first two I entered today actually came from the bottom of my cash register receipts--one from Target and one from Walmart. I have noticed that I get these all the time but I have rarely (if ever) responded to them. Basically, a store will invite you to fill out a survey about your shopping experience. Your name is then dropped into the proverbial hat for a weekly, monthly, or quarterly drawing. Although I have ignored these invitations in the past, I will now be sure to respond to them each time. When I filled out these surveys I discovered that there is an entry option for those who do not have a receipt invitation (Walmart's is online but Target requires a mailed in entry). So I'm linking to those below.

• $5,000 cash -- one prize per month, one time entry (Target)
• $1,000 gift card -- five prizes per quarter (I can't find any info on how many entries per person or per promotional period)
• Wall Appliques -- one prize per day, enter daily indefinitely
• Books -- periodic prizes, one entry per book
• Homemade Baby Food Supplies -- one prize available, enter up to 5 times through different methods through January 5, 2011 EXPIRED

Well folks, that wraps up week one of our little project. I hope you all have a great weekend and that you'll come back on Monday to see what other prizes we're trying to win!