Free Money

You've seen them--the commercials where the Publishers Clearing House shows up with the giant size check and gaggle of balloons to announce to the person behind the door that they're a content winner! Who doesn't love to win free stuff, especially when that free stuff is money. Well, you've got to play it to win it so find out the secrets behind being a sweepstakes winner.

1. You have to enter to win, so head on over to www.Sweepsadvantage.com and www.Online-sweepstakes.com and check out some of the sweepstakes available. Companies, blogs and websites run contests all the time. Enter as many contests and as often as you can. It's the only way you have a chance to win. Sometimes the prizes are items, trips or stays in hotels, but other times it's cold hard cash.

2. Save time with an auto-fill program. If you don't have a form auto-filler, you can download one for free online. This cuts down on the time it takes you to enter all of your information in contest forms and gets you closer to the time when your name is picked as the winner.

3. Persistence is the key. Like almost anything, you have to keep trying over and over again until you get it right. Since contests tend to have a long lead time, it can take six months to a year to see the fruits of your labor, so be persistent. Set some time aside for your entering contests or at least regularly enter the contests you come across. The more contests you enter the better your chances of winning free stuff.