I’ve actually won a few “big ticket” items in recent years. A gaming news website that I used to frequent had yearly Christmas giveaways. All you had to do was email a specific address for a specific item. There was no limit to the prizes you could enter to win so I entered all of them, even if I couldn’t use it or didn’t want it (I never thought I would win anyway). The first year I entered all the giveaways and won one of those big gaming chairs (the ones with the speakers in the seat and behind your head). I really didn’t want it so I sold it on Ebay. In 2006 I won a Nintendo Wii (which was the year they first came out and were impossible to find). I had already bought one on Ebay so I sold the one I won on Ebay and got my money back (plus quite a bit extra). Last December I won the grand prize at a Christmas party at work. It was a one night stay at a hotel in DC. I still haven’t used it. I need to call for an extension. It expires next week. :-\

I used to say I never win anything. I can’t say that now.

Next best thing to a round trip ticket to London, perhaps, is a huge platter of delicious seafood from Red Lobster from Wptf radio station a few years ago:)

sadly, i’m a no-winner. at a baby shower last month i won a raffle prize for bringing diapers. i was drawn out of — count ‘em — THREE people. these are the sort of odds i need for even a chance. i was so ridiculously excited because i really don’t usually win things that my reaction was all out of proportion for the very cute little photo album i got. before that…honestly…i can think of nothing.

haha — this just reminded me of something, too. in elementary school we had assemblies every two months and our principal would draw names out of a “good citizen” box. you got good citizen slips throughout the months for picking up trash, being seen doing something kind, good grades, etc. teachers would give them in class as rewards, etc. well, in 5th grade i was BOUND to win something in the drawing. i picked up trash every day at recess, was inordinately kind (for all the wrong reasons i now know), and collected as many slips as i could. then i got the flu. assembly happened one of the days i was out. my name got called 6 times. but if you weren’t there at assembly, your prizes went to the next name drawn.

how sad is that?!?! :) it’s still very painful and vivid even 21 years later. can you tell?

The first prize I ever won was a Klutz face painting set via Barnes & Noble, when I was around nine years old. I was so excited and used it in my first theatrical performance as the evil, green-faced Malificent in Sleeping Beauty. Haven’t won anything that exciting since.

(BTW - I’m a new reader of your blog, and have been enjoying it. Thanks for the posts!)

The best thing I ever won was half a beef in a drawing at the meat locker. I think I was in 3rd or 4th grade. I’m sure I haven’t won anything worth more than $5-10 since.

I feel similarly about not winning anything, but now I remember that a few years ago I won a 512mb jump drive (they weren’t quite as cheap as now) and I still use it regularly, so I can’t complain too much…

My mom won $5000 from a radio station contest in the 80s. After taxes it ended up being something like $3500. Still pretty nice.

Once I won a call-in trivia contest a radio station was running and got to go sit in for one of their morning broadcasts. I think I got to read the current weather on the air, or something like that.

I was at a trade fair several months ago and won a wine bottle opener.

I gave it to a guy in my office.

Also I was at our company’s annual benefits meeting last month and won an electric toothbrush. Haven’t received it yet (to be mailed to me) but think I will keep it

I won a poker set (chips and cards in a nice wooden box) in a friend’s poker tournament. And a 20 dollar gift card when I was at Biola. I bought a mug with it.

The heart of my husband! Does that count?

recently i went to a retail sales meeting hosted by Seal bedding. they had raffles all day long and the last one was any bed you wanted for free.and so, about a week ago, i received my brand new top of the line bed…for free. i haven’t slept this good in years.

I won a huge box of Lego when I was younger. Very exciting and worth quite a bit I found out later!

Last Mothers’ Day I won a drawing I’d forgotten I’d even entered. It was from a local radio station I never even listen to. I’d filled out a slip of paper at Ben and Jerry’s. I won concert tickets to see Alicia Keys, a $125 gift certificate to a local ladies clothing store, a $125 gift certificate to a home decor shop, about $50 in Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, plus a bunch of Ben and Jerry’s paraphernalia. When the guy called me on the phone I almost hung up on him, thinking he was some kind of nut. You could have about knocked me over when I realized I’d won so much stuff. I don’t generally consider myself a “winner”.

I have been the lucky 7th caller a few times at local radio stations. The first thing I ever won was an ice cream cone at Friendly’s. Since then I have won tickets to se Peter, Paul, and Mary and John McCutcheon. I also won tickets to see Ray Boltz, back when he was living for the Lord. I also won a free oil change at Jiffy Lube by being the lucky caller. I also won two tickets to see the Washington Wizards at the local county fair by shooting a couple of free throws. Last year I won two tickets to see the Chesapeake Bay Blues Festival. I guess my winning stuff off the radio is coming to an end now that I subscribe to SiriusXM.

Tim, I did not respond before but I went out and purchased a copy of “Mere Christianity” so hopefully I will be able to keep up and learn from you and others. I only wish I would have done this with the other classics you have done.

Many years ago, when I was a much younger mom with five kids and one on the way, I entered a contest at Becker’s for a racing car. I forgot about it, and when I got the call saying I’d won the car, for a moment I thought it was a CAR. :)

My 2-year old was thrilled when we brought home the pedal car.

A few years later, I entered a radio contest for a Valentine’s Day Wedding Vow Renewal Package. It included guests, champagne, poolside ceremony, etc….and I won! When I heard my name on the radio, I leaped and jumped through the house, with all of the kids leaping alongside of me. My dh just lay on the couch, not believing I’d actually won! It was a great weekend…we renewed our vows poolside after 20 years of marriage. That was 15 years ago, and it’s still one of my best memories.

I won a door prize of a cheapo ring toss game at an all-hands business meeting about 15 years ago. We secured the stakes in some old small boxes (instead of pounding them into the ground) so we could play in the office hallway. It was kinda fun and almost made it worthwhile to have 2 hours of your life sucked away forever by a boring meeting. Almost.

I won 4 Moleskines about 2 months ago from Moleskine’s blog. It was the first time I had ever won anything. I’m still waiting on them to get here. It’s a wave of anticipation and depression every day that I go to the mail box.

The one time I won something, I was a teenager. I was selected to attend a lunch in honor of a state politician. There were only a dozen or so high schoolers out of the 200 people there, and we were all bored out of our minds. I’m not sure what they thought we would learn from being there. Anyway, there was a drawing for a weekend get-away at an expensive bed and breakfast, and I won. The person in charge of the drawing wasn’t sure if he should even reward me with the prize. I had no use for it as I was 17, and the B&B was in a city 100 miles away. I took it anyway, however, and gave it to the parents of my best friend. Their anniversary was the next week so they enjoyed the trip, and gave me about 1/2 of what they would have paid for full price. I guess it worked out well for all of us.

Back when Star Wars Episode 1 came out, they had big lifesize replicas of various characters displayed with Pepsi products in grocery stores, which were given away by drawing after they were done with them. I won Watto from Wal-Mart. But I don’t know if you’d call it “lucky”, because there was no limit to how many times you could enter. So I stuffed the box. With a couple hundred of entries. So…uh…yeah, I more “earned” that than won it.That’s a real valuable prize, I imagine! But due to space limitations (what with the big stand to make the life-size Watto appear to be hovering in the air) I left it at my parents’ house when I married, and it’s kind of gotten beaten up. Still, I bet I could get a good price on it at eBay. It sure would be expensive to ship, though. Do any of you want it?

Back in the summer before my senior year of high school, I took summer school to “get History out of the way” to clear out my schedule so I could take a computer class, Chemistry, and Physics—yes, I was a total geek/dork. I took 3 days off to go to the Creation festival—a great experience.

Later in the summer, I was the lucky 16th caller with a local radio station. This was an accomplishment, not only was this ROTARY dial (I think the dinosaurs were still roaming the neighborhood) but I had to dial the area code as well. I won an album and qualified for the grand prize.

Several weeks later I got a call that I won the grand prize and they put me on the air. However, the grand prize was a 5-day trip to California (entry to Disneyland, A’s game, NBC studio, etc.). However, my school’s policy was that you could only miss 3 days of summer school and the trip would make me miss more time (I already took 3 days for the Creation festival). Even the school principal said he couldn’t waive this. And, I wouldn’t just lose the credit for the class, but it would be an “F” on my transcript just in time to apply for college.

Thus, I couldn’t go on the trip. My parents took my younger sister and had a great time.

The only plus side was that this was all a promotion for The Fixx (a band back in the day when vinyl was popular) and the band got me tickets, photo pass, and back stage passes when they next came to town.

I won another semi-major prize once. When I started my sophomore year of college I won a 10-speed bike from a radio station—ironically right after hauling my old 10-speed bike 1500 miles across the country.

They are constantly giving things away where I work. I have won a $500 visa gift card (which I had to pay taxes on), a snow cone machine and a digital camera. I won a gift certificate to Outback Steak House in a raffle that my supervisor entered all of us in last winter as well, so I suppose I’ve had a couple of “lucky” years!