Author Topic: Have you ever won a raffle?  (Read 12750 times)

Adventine

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Have you ever won a raffle?
« on: January 20, 2015, 01:55:51 AM »
Curious how many people here have won a prize of significant value. In 2013, I won enough airline miles to pay for a round-trip ticket from Manila to San Francisco. I didn't go out of my way to join the contest. It just so happened that I needed some things at a low-cost department store and paid with a credit card that was running a promo at that store at the time. Winning was a pleasant surprise, especially as I'd never won anything so valuable before.

So, what did you win and how did you win it?

innerscorecard

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Re: Have you ever won a raffle?
« Reply #1 on: January 20, 2015, 02:06:29 AM »
How was your trip to San Francisco?

I won the ovarian lottery. Then I threw it away with some bad decisions (expensive degrees). Now I'm working hard to rectify my past mistakes.

I was also thrilled to win about USD 129 in a scratch-off from a tax receipt recently. It was very exciting. I would link to my blog post on it if I could.

2Saving4Life

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Re: Have you ever won a raffle?
« Reply #2 on: January 20, 2015, 07:27:33 AM »
Congrats on winning the air miles.  It's a nice surprise when you win something.

I won a trip to the Marlboro Ranch back in 2003-ish.  I just went to a bar and the marlboro people were there so I entered the contest and won. 5 day 4 night trip with airfare included for 2 people to the ranch at the base of the crazy mountains in Montana.  It came with $2500 cash plus all kinds of luggage, clothing, cameras, binoculars, cigarettes (former smoker) etc.  Cant remember all the stuff we got, it was a lot of stuff.  Then I found out I had to pay the tax on it.  Cant remember exact value of the trip but it was high, maybe $7500.  It was an amazing trip of adventures, rafting, horse back riding, fly fishing, and mountain biking. Gourmet food, all the booze you can drink, full body and chair massages.  Fun trip. Thanks for making me remember that trip, good times.

frugaldrummer

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Re: Have you ever won a raffle?
« Reply #3 on: January 20, 2015, 05:59:18 PM »
Lol - in over 50 years, the sum total of ALL my winnings at ANYTHING (raffles, lottery tickets, etc) does not exceed $20! 


falcondisruptor

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Re: Have you ever won a raffle?
« Reply #4 on: January 20, 2015, 06:07:12 PM »
When I was 10 I won $200 in a 50/50 draw (was that legal?)

johnny847

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Re: Have you ever won a raffle?
« Reply #5 on: January 20, 2015, 06:14:49 PM »
I won a digital camera once. It was worth about $100. I had a better one at the time, so I gave it to my parents.

dividendman

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Re: Have you ever won a raffle?
« Reply #6 on: January 20, 2015, 08:19:37 PM »
I won 5k in vegas while playing poker... it was a bad beat... so I guess that's a kind of raffle.

Goldielocks

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Re: Have you ever won a raffle?
« Reply #7 on: January 20, 2015, 09:35:22 PM »
I won a $350 bicycle last year from our work safety raffle.  I wanted a new bike, and calculated the odds as better than one in 40 with only a $10 raffle ticket, so I went for it.     Otherwise, I just don't raffle -- I would rather give the money straight up as a donation.

Lanthiriel

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Re: Have you ever won a raffle?
« Reply #8 on: January 20, 2015, 11:09:50 PM »
I won $2000 in an essay contest about a year and a half ago. It was about debt reduction, actually.

MakingSenseofCents

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Re: Have you ever won a raffle?
« Reply #9 on: January 21, 2015, 12:03:03 AM »
I won a fairly big cash prize recently and I still cannot believe it. All I had to do was enter the giveaway, and there were no strings attached and it was free.

johnny847

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Re: Have you ever won a raffle?
« Reply #10 on: January 21, 2015, 05:56:35 AM »
I won $2000 in an essay contest about a year and a half ago. It was about debt reduction, actually.
So.....did you use the winnings for debt reduction? =P

midweststache

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Re: Have you ever won a raffle?
« Reply #11 on: January 21, 2015, 06:49:52 AM »
I bought two raffle tickets at a charity event and won movie passes and a really pretty wine box that we used as a Christmas gift. Pretty good for $2 (which, again, went to charity).

BF won a TV at his senior all night party just for showing up. It's big and bulky, but it has a built in DVD player (it was top of the line when he graduated HS) and he's had it for 12 years now. It's still going strong.

(Sometimes when I wish we could de-clutter I pine for a smaller, flatter TV... and then I remember that this one was FREE, and already has the DVD player we would need in a new TV [we only watch hard-copy DVDs on it, since we don't have cable].)

jopiquant

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Re: Have you ever won a raffle?
« Reply #12 on: January 21, 2015, 11:18:22 AM »
Yes! I've had pretty good luck winning things generally. When I was around 20 an in my first office job, caller nine on local radio station FM 97.1 would win $97.10. Won that one a couple times. Won tickets to see the Rolling Stones. Won tickets to see Tom Petty. My mom won a radio contest for $5000.

Specifically for raffles: Work raffles that were no cost - I won a cordless drill on two separate occasions.

For a paid raffle of $50 to our local theatre company, we won the grand prize of a cruise for two to Alaska (or the Caribbean, but we live in BC where the cruise leaves and would have had to pay for flights otherwise, so we went to Alaska). No option to redeem for cash. Cruising is not our thing. Now we know. DH also got a concussion on the ship so we missed our last day on shore in Alaska.

Drifterrider

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Re: Have you ever won a raffle?
« Reply #13 on: February 25, 2015, 01:01:47 PM »
I won a coffee pot at a Credit Union annual membership meeting.  I was 8.

Yes, I drink a lot of coffee now:)

lise

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Re: Have you ever won a raffle?
« Reply #14 on: February 25, 2015, 01:29:10 PM »
I won a green card in the green card lottery.

Unique User

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Re: Have you ever won a raffle?
« Reply #15 on: February 25, 2015, 01:49:16 PM »
Not exactly a raffle, but it was like a raffle.  I sold $14 million of real estate my first year as part time realtor due to pure stupid luck, never repeated, not even a minute fraction. 

lizzzi

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Re: Have you ever won a raffle?
« Reply #16 on: February 25, 2015, 02:04:11 PM »
I won a small, 2-foot by 3-foot, wool, Aubusson rug that had been donated by an upscale Oriental rug dealer for a charity raffle. It is a pretty thing, although nothing I ever would have purchased. It has always looked nice in the house--adds a little tone! As I never, ever win anything, it is the exception that proves the rule.

MillenialMustache

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Re: Have you ever won a raffle?
« Reply #17 on: February 25, 2015, 02:46:06 PM »
I enter a lot of contests, so I win a lot of contests.

I am trying to think of some of the best things....

-My Reebok tennis shoes I have had for 3 years now (from Dr. Oz)
-$50 to Buffalo Wild Wings (from Coca-Cola)
-About 100 Xbox codes I turned into $500+ on Ebay (from Snickers)
-A night at a fancy, local bed & breakfast ($250 value) - local contest

I win something several times a week. Often candy bars and small things. Today I won an Xbox game, yesterday 500 disposable plastic gloves. Tomorrow? Who knows.

cavewoman

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Re: Have you ever won a raffle?
« Reply #18 on: February 25, 2015, 03:50:32 PM »
I enter a lot of contests, so I win a lot of contests.

I am trying to think of some of the best things....

-My Reebok tennis shoes I have had for 3 years now (from Dr. Oz)
-$50 to Buffalo Wild Wings (from Coca-Cola)
-About 100 Xbox codes I turned into $500+ on Ebay (from Snickers)
-A night at a fancy, local bed & breakfast ($250 value) - local contest

I win something several times a week. Often candy bars and small things. Today I won an Xbox game, yesterday 500 disposable plastic gloves. Tomorrow? Who knows.

How do you find all the contests you enter?

wtjbatman

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Re: Have you ever won a raffle?
« Reply #19 on: February 25, 2015, 05:51:45 PM »
Congrats on winning the air miles.  It's a nice surprise when you win something.

I won a trip to the Marlboro Ranch back in 2003-ish.  I just went to a bar and the marlboro people were there so I entered the contest and won. 5 day 4 night trip with airfare included for 2 people to the ranch at the base of the crazy mountains in Montana.  It came with $2500 cash plus all kinds of luggage, clothing, cameras, binoculars, cigarettes (former smoker) etc.  Cant remember all the stuff we got, it was a lot of stuff.  Then I found out I had to pay the tax on it.  Cant remember exact value of the trip but it was high, maybe $7500.  It was an amazing trip of adventures, rafting, horse back riding, fly fishing, and mountain biking. Gourmet food, all the booze you can drink, full body and chair massages.  Fun trip. Thanks for making me remember that trip, good times.

Funny, I had a coworker who won a trip to the Marlboro Ranch. He said they told him about the taxes and advised he pay them out of the cash he was given as part of the prize. Apparently that was at least part of the reason they give you a chunk of cash.

SomeDaySoon

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Re: Have you ever won a raffle?
« Reply #20 on: February 25, 2015, 09:48:19 PM »
My Dad purchased a $20 raffle ticket and won the top prize, a Mercedes (200 series.)

Riff

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Re: Have you ever won a raffle?
« Reply #21 on: February 25, 2015, 10:19:18 PM »
I went to see an AC/DC tribute band, and everyone there got a free raffle ticket upon entry.  There was about 1,500 people, and one winner: me!

Front row tickets and back stage passes to see AC/DC kick off their Stiff Upper Lip world tour.  Meeting the band was a dream come true! (I've been an AC/DC freak since I was 9)

11ducks

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Re: Have you ever won a raffle?
« Reply #22 on: February 26, 2015, 02:32:31 AM »
I enter a lot of contests, so I win a lot of contests.

I am trying to think of some of the best things....

-My Reebok tennis shoes I have had for 3 years now (from Dr. Oz)
-$50 to Buffalo Wild Wings (from Coca-Cola)
-About 100 Xbox codes I turned into $500+ on Ebay (from Snickers)
-A night at a fancy, local bed & breakfast ($250 value) - local contest

I win something several times a week. Often candy bars and small things. Today I won an Xbox game, yesterday 500 disposable plastic gloves. Tomorrow? Who knows.

I gotta ask what you are planning to do with the gloves...

cashstasherat23

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Re: Have you ever won a raffle?
« Reply #23 on: February 27, 2015, 08:31:25 AM »
I've won a couple things!

An iPad, free happy hours at bars, free catering for my office a few times, two tickets to a private concert on Liberty Island (that was a cool one!), Chipotle gift cards, etc.

The key is to enter everything! You won't always win, but at least it gives you a chance! My friends always make fun of me when I stop to write my name down for a raffle...but I also win a ton more stuff than them, so joke's on them!

MillenialMustache

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Re: Have you ever won a raffle?
« Reply #24 on: February 27, 2015, 02:34:57 PM »
I enter a lot of contests, so I win a lot of contests.

I am trying to think of some of the best things....

-My Reebok tennis shoes I have had for 3 years now (from Dr. Oz)
-$50 to Buffalo Wild Wings (from Coca-Cola)
-About 100 Xbox codes I turned into $500+ on Ebay (from Snickers)
-A night at a fancy, local bed & breakfast ($250 value) - local contest

I win something several times a week. Often candy bars and small things. Today I won an Xbox game, yesterday 500 disposable plastic gloves. Tomorrow? Who knows.

How do you find all the contests you enter?

Go to FreebieShark.com and there will be a long list of sweeps to enter. He does a great job of keeping it current.

MillenialMustache

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Re: Have you ever won a raffle?
« Reply #25 on: February 27, 2015, 02:36:26 PM »
I enter a lot of contests, so I win a lot of contests.

I am trying to think of some of the best things....

-My Reebok tennis shoes I have had for 3 years now (from Dr. Oz)
-$50 to Buffalo Wild Wings (from Coca-Cola)
-About 100 Xbox codes I turned into $500+ on Ebay (from Snickers)
-A night at a fancy, local bed & breakfast ($250 value) - local contest

I win something several times a week. Often candy bars and small things. Today I won an Xbox game, yesterday 500 disposable plastic gloves. Tomorrow? Who knows.

I gotta ask what you are planning to do with the gloves...

I am hoping they will be sufficient for my DH's gloves needs, such as when he changes oil - he likes to wear gloves so he doesn't have to wash his hands. Also for when I use CLR - it burns my hands a little so I prefer to use gloves. If it doesn't work for that, who knows? Worst case scenario, as long as they are worth something, they will go on Ebay.

campath

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Re: Have you ever won a raffle?
« Reply #26 on: February 27, 2015, 02:37:07 PM »
My wife has won a Samsung 32" LED TV and my sister won a XBox One Assassin's Creed Bundle.

cavewoman

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Re: Have you ever won a raffle?
« Reply #27 on: March 03, 2015, 01:47:29 PM »
I enter a lot of contests, so I win a lot of contests.

I am trying to think of some of the best things....

-My Reebok tennis shoes I have had for 3 years now (from Dr. Oz)
-$50 to Buffalo Wild Wings (from Coca-Cola)
-About 100 Xbox codes I turned into $500+ on Ebay (from Snickers)
-A night at a fancy, local bed & breakfast ($250 value) - local contest

I win something several times a week. Often candy bars and small things. Today I won an Xbox game, yesterday 500 disposable plastic gloves. Tomorrow? Who knows.

How do you find all the contests you enter?

Go to FreebieShark.com and there will be a long list of sweeps to enter. He does a great job of keeping it current.

Thanks!  And wish me luck :)

I also jumped on the socialrewards site.

I'm in month 3 of job hunting and sometimes indeed just doesn't have any new offerings ... I get a little bored here at the library!

I won a 24 pack of Pepsi at a frog jump when I was a little kid, it's pretty much a game of luck, kind of like a raffle!

MamaStache

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Re: Have you ever won a raffle?
« Reply #28 on: March 03, 2015, 02:13:15 PM »
My co-workers call me "the lucky one" for all the crap DH and I win.

Concert tickets
$50 gift card to the grocery store
Restaurant Gift Cards

Not a raffle, but the best was a "bride wars" competition I was in before my wedding.  I won a spot in this contest on the radio.   The contest was at Mall of America where 5 brides had 30 minutes to run through the mall and get something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue.  After 30 minutes was up, you needed to present your found items to a movie theater full of people, and a panel of judges.

My items were:
Borrowed:   My mom's credit card, because I had forgot mine and I said "because my parents are paying for a lot of wedding stuff"
New: A T-shirt with a spray painted bikini body and said I would be working out to achieve a new body
Blue:  Blue Lingerie
Old:   An old lady....  literally asked an older woman to come with me to this silly contest.  I said "she's not old but represents all the new friends that come into your life to make your wedding memorable."

Needless to say, I WON.  My prize was $800 to the Chapel of Love at Mall of America and I was able to get all my wedding flowers for free with the voucher!

Also - My old lady from the contest was from Texas.  We stayed in touch.  She owned an embroidery shop and made custom monogrammed weekend bags for my entire bridal party for free.  Her husband worked for an airline so she flew back and hand delivered them.  It was amazing. 
 

johnny847

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Re: Have you ever won a raffle?
« Reply #29 on: March 03, 2015, 09:05:36 PM »
Also - My old lady from the contest was from Texas.  We stayed in touch.  She owned an embroidery shop and made custom monogrammed weekend bags for my entire bridal party for free.  Her husband worked for an airline so she flew back and hand delivered them.  It was amazing.

This is so cool!

windawake

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Re: Have you ever won a raffle?
« Reply #30 on: March 03, 2015, 09:18:39 PM »
When I was a kid I won a Snow White and the Seven Dwarves sleeping bag in some contest/raffle. I was very pumped at the time.

Alas, I no longer have the sleeping bag.

Nudelkopf

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Re: Have you ever won a raffle?
« Reply #31 on: March 03, 2015, 11:20:54 PM »
I won an iPod in the year 2002. That was pretty cool.

I never used it. (Still own it, though.)