Unconventional Ways To Save Money

Two weeks ago I entered into a contest to win a trip to New Zealand. The contest was simple. The company would tweet a question daily and choose a winner based on the best answer. The question I answered was "You're a chef preparing a dinner for Valentine's Day. What are you preparing?" I tweeted back with my answer thinking I would never win.

A few days later while grocery shopping I got the word that my answer was the winning tweet. Now, I originally wasn't planning on going to New Zealand so in theory I won't really be saving any money. However, there are sweepstakes that offer cold-hard cash as the prize. I encourage you to pursue this option when trying to live large on a small budget.


A few options for finding these great sweepstakes:

•  Twitter is a great way to find easy contest. Search #win or #giveaway
• This blog (best for women) details daily giveaways
• Sweeps Advantage has a variety of sweepstakes separated by category
• Search Google for even more sweepstakes and sweepstakes websites

If you do win but you don't particular like your prize or have no use for it, sell it for some extra cash. Online markets, like Ebay or Amazon, make it easy to unload your prizes.

Unfortunately, not every contest is honest and there are scams out there so always read the fine print. This article offers tips from sweepstakes veterans and ways to avoid scams.

Have fun and good luck!!