The Best Contest I Never Won

If you are new to this blog you may not know that as a side hobby I enter contests. They must be free and only for items I would actually like to win with companies I am familiar with.

I got the best email earlier this month letting me know that although I did not win the General Paint Canada's Got Colour contest (photo entry but final draw was picked out of entrants, they did not judge the photo entry)in appreciation for my entry I was given a free can of paint.

Our home is only four years old but there is still maintenance required to ensure it stays in good shape. There are two areas of trim paint that need touch-ups. We had them match the paint from a chip we peeled off of one of the door frames (they painted over plastic). Final cost? Zippo. Zilch. Nada!

This particular paint is $58 per can. So even though I did not win anything - I am counting it as a win. When the rains stop in Spring we can mark one item off the list without having to spend a dime!

In case you are interested in previous wins - check out these posts:

Trip to Whistler August 2012 Part 1, Part 2

Mirror April 2011

$4000 in furniture August 2010

Fabulous Whistler Trip Part Two

Saturday morning started with a walk around Whistler Village. As the mountain biking competition Crankworks was on when we were there there were demonstrations and competitions going on in several spots. It was great to watch the skill level of these competitors. We also took advantage of a couple of freebies. I ended up with a free cup of Ben & Jerry's icecream as they were doing a promotion (Cherry Garcia) and hubby took a testdrive in a new Jeep over gigantic rocks. While we always purchase our vehicles used it still is a good idea to test drive a new model to get the feel for the cars. I really don't think a Jeep is in our future but you never know.

We stumbled upon the finals of the men's freestyle and got to see the winner (the guy on the screen). The event was held at the bottom of Whistler mountain right where we got off the lift. It was something that I would never go to watch but am so glad we did. These mountain bikers are the worlds best and the crowd was treating them like rockstars, very fun to watch.

The mountain was dotted with thousands of wildflowers. One of my favorite parts of the trip was going up the open chair lift on Blackcomb mountain. It was so peaceful and quiet.

The Peak To Peak Tram is the jewel in the Whistler Blackcomb crown. A feat of engineering opened just before the 2010 winter Olympics it connects Blackcomb mountain with Whistler mountain. It is the highest lift of its kind in the world and it spans over 3 kilometres unsupported. It was truly amazing.

Part of the prize was tickets for the Roundhouse BBQ that runs weekend nights in summer. Normally I avoid buffets as dislike overeating and never feel I get my moneys worth. This one is $30 per person but was one of the best buffets ever. Absolutely everything was tasty, not a single miss in the entire menu.

We bought our own beer and were entertained by a good band playing at the BBQ and this tiny chipmunk scavenging for bits under the picnic tables. He was fast as lightening, obviously a return customer.

This picture shows a little red and blue dot on top of the cliff. Those are people who somehow managed to hike and climb there. Just looking at them gave me the willies.

The vistas were breathtaking, and we were so fortunate for the clear sunny skies. Normally you only get views like this out of an airplane.

We had lunch on Sunday, which was my Birthday at the outdoor view patio at Christine's at the top of Blackcomb mountain. I had what possibly might be the best mixed green salad ever made with pea shoots and candied almonds. We had several cocktails in celebration and then did some hiking to walk it off.

It was a wonderful holiday weekend and we discovered something new - we actually enjoy hiking! We have finally figured out a way to get exercise and spend quality couple time together so I see local day hikes in my future. The weekend was far more than we could have hoped for and I would love to return to Whistler one day.

Fabulous Whistler Trip - Part One

Late December last year I received a voicemail message indicating I had won a three night trip to Whistler. A part-time hobby of mine is entering contests and it has paid off big-time in the last several years. Due to our recent move to B.C. the trip had to wait until this past weekend, booked to co-incide with my 43rd Birthday.

We had wonderful weather, clear blue skies and hot summer days. First, the ferry crossing from Nanaimo to Horseshoe Bay, then an ocean cliffside drive up into the mountains.

Our budget of $500 for expenses was as follows:
Gas $25
Parking $100 ($30 per night plus tax)
Ferries $160 ($80 each way for a car and two passengers)
Meals and drinks $220

$505 Total. This was my birthday weekend as well as our only real holiday this year so we budgeted for it. We packed our own alcohol, muffins, fruit and snacks for the room.


No trip is totally free even if won as a prize. This one did not include transportation to the resort and only included two meals. When researching the trip I quickly realized that Whistler has absolutely no free parking. An outdoor lot for the day costs a minimum $8 so our hotel charge of $30 per day for underground secure parking, while high, was not unexpected. We planned it into our trip budget as could find no cheaper way to get there than driving. If I had not researched this, it would have been a very bad shock. The trip did include unlimited passes on the chair lifts on both Whistler and Blackcomb mountains and peak to peak tram so that was our main form of entertainment for the trip.

Hotel Fairmont Chateau Whistler and the lift chairs at base of Blackcomb Mountain


We stayed three nights at the Fairmont Chateau Whistler, an old-world charm five star hotel which lived up to our high expectations. There was lush bedding, bathrobes, hot tubs and pools enjoyed every evening after a long day of hiking and sightseeing. The hotel is in a wonderfull location right at the bottom of Blackcomb mountain and we rode the lift down right to the hotel at days end.

Whistler hosted many of the skiing events from the 2010 Winter Olympics and is definitely a world class town. We ate great meals, did some hiking and conquered our fear of heights (not quite but we pushed ourselves) to go as high as you can go on the mountain.

I am breaking this post into two entries due to the number of photos I took. Part Two to come shortly.

Freebie, Salvage sale, Thrift Find & A Win!

Freebie this week - it came unrequested just for being on the P&G mailing list! Hubby loves these razors.

I currently work for an insurance company. A few times a year they hold an employee only salvage sale. Usually they have things like written off vehicles and leather jackets but this time they had a few household items. As I was trying not to buy anything as we are moving I did not go to the first round but was enticed to go when they dropped the prices as everything had to be sold. I got the men's hair paste for $1 each and the watches for $2 each. They need batteries but look to be unused. I don't wear watches myself so bought one for thrifty hubby and one for my Mom.

I picked up this cute little guy for .99 last week when I went thrifting with a friend. Originally I was going to put fudge in him but am holding him out for caramel popcorn twists (from the recipe off the back of the package of popcorn twists) as tried some at work and LOVED it! I plan on making some this week for the kids and my nephew.

In addition to getting a raise (4%) this week at work I got some more good news - I won another contest! Very surprising as I have not entered very many at all this year. It just shows even if you have little time for contests if you stick to one entrant per person contests you still have great odds of winning. What did I win? A three night summer package at Fairmont Whistler, tram passes, and some meals. Estimated retail value $1800 Yippee! This is a couple of hour drive from our new home in British Columbia so am hoping to book in August for my 43rd Birthday. Very welcome news!

My Latest Contest Win and My Two Cents

I picked up my latest contest win this week (as mentioned in previous blog post) 2011 Collector Edition Harvey Ellis Wedding Mirror made by Stickley Furniture

Value: $299

It is very pretty and both hubby and I like it and are trying to find a good place in our home to hang it.

I had a friend over for dinner last night and she said "you are so lucky!" Luck? Really I am not that lucky at all. I enter a lot of contests and at some point, you are bound to win! I only enter contests for companies that I know and trust therefore avoid scams and disappointment. This win has been just what I need to get motivated to enter a few more contests as I had slacked off over the winter.

My Two Cents
I use coupons and strongly believe in stockpiling groceries so that my family only pays the lowest possible price for the things we use every day.


Recently TLC has been running a new show called Extreme Couponing. So far I have been a little disappointed. Why:
Buying diapers for a baby you don't even have yet?
Buying 73 bottles of mustard just because the price is .43 cents after tax?

This is likely a case of the right idea with some misdirection.

Yes, if your family will use 73 bottles of mustard in the next two years by all means buy them - but I feed anywhere from 2 - 6 people at a time depending on which kid has landed at our dinner table for a meal(4 step kids) and we go through maximum 6 bottles of mustard in 1 - 2 years. Tying up your money in something you will never use seems a little misguided. I have personal maximums - 2 years worth on non perishables, 1 year on perishables. Every six months I have a good look at the stockpile and donate anything that I won't use in time by expiration to the food bank or shelter so that nothing goes to waste.

On the bright side the show does have a few couponers who donate to food banks, shelters and their churches, so I will continue to watch.

No great deals this week other than my Easter Turkey for .99 cents a pound which really is not that cheap but is as cheap as it gets here in Alberta. Spring is having a smack down with winter - we had another blizzard on Friday so no raking the snow mold off the front yard as planned this weekend. The Canadian Geese are bound and determined to stay until the ice melts so I wake up every morning to their chatter. Have a great week everyone!

January 2011 Coupon, Freebie and Contest Results

January Grocery Budget: $450.00
(same goal every month unless over prior month)
Actual $481.80.

February Grocery Budget $418.20

In an effort to keep to my annual grocery budget new in 2011 is when I go over the next months budget is reduced.

This month hubby helped with some of the grocery shopping. After some review of grocery spending we both "agreed" that I am the better grocery shopper, therefore am now 100% in charge of the grocery shopping :) He is a sweet helpful man, but never looks at a grocery price (but get a car part in front of him he comparison shops all over town).

January Coupon Savings: $74.66
I could have used more coupons but then the grocery bill would go up, and bottom line is the after coupon grocery spend.

January Freebies:
1 Pair pants for work - Haggar clothing freebie
Dr Oetker 50 Calorie Mousse Free Product Coupon
Vaseline Hand lotion Free Product Coupon
Kashi Cereal Free Product Coupon
$10 in free Amazon.ca gift certificate codes from Swagbucks.com (saving this up for Christmas 2011)

January Contest Wins:
$10 credit from Beyond the Rack winning from Sweetspot.ca

I really have not been entering contests much due to full-time work, blogging, 4 stepchildren and a very busy household. I am not sure if I will use the above credit as it does not include shipping but when added to last year's same win from sweetspot.ca contest I now have a $20 credit. Likely I will wait and use this in November for another goodie for Christmas for someone on my list.

Contest Wins 2010

One of my hobbies is entering contests. I have very little time to do this so only enter the contests that you can only enter once and only the ones that I truly would like the prize or would have the ability to accept the prize to give to someone I love. This way I figure that I have just as good as odds as the next guy and by avoiding unlimited contests entry and USA based contests the pool for little fish contesters like me becomes much easier to win. This is a hobby that pays:

Ten years ago when I was a travel agent I won a trip for two to Hong Kong including airfare, hotels, tours and breakfasts. I took my mother and we had a wonderful time (before I met my hubby).

This spring I went through a bout of contest entering with no results....then July the winnings started to come in:

$25 Superstore Joe Fresh Gift Card
Free product coupon from Catelli
Windowsill Herb garden

and - drum roll please:

Grand prize in a liquor contest - $4000 worth of gift cards to the Brick furniture store!

Well, three weeks ago the $4000 in gift cards arrived and we went shopping, $2600 spent so far. The rest will be spent in the next six months on a new set of coffee tables for my main floor and accessories yet to be found. I need a little more time to shop. Can you believe that after a lifetime of scrimping, saving and bargain hunting I had a hard time spending the winnings?

-Sofa and love seat

-2 lamps

-TV Stand (We had the TV - was housewarming gift to ourselves 2 years ago)

-two end tables

Our 18 year old basement furniture has left the building - by way of Kijiji and $300 in our pockets.

Recommended contesting sites in order of preference
#1 Favorite - Contest Girl - if you become a member you can record which contests you entered
Smartcanucks.ca - Contest section (also great for coupons, deals and freebies)
Redflagdeals.ca - Forums contest section (no you don't have to belong to look)
Contest Canada
Canadian Free Stuff

So, if you like to enter contests keep trying. Eventually something will pay off. This is one hobby that has paid off in $4046 worth of prizes this year.