Mum’s The Word

You would think that running a household and raising five young children would pretty much take up every spare minute of the day but somehow Ali Henderson still seems to find plenty of time to enter competitions. “I’ve always entered competitions”,she tells me. “I used to get small wins through magazines such as Take 5 and That’s Life but I was never consistent with my comping. Then three years ago I won $1000 through mix106.5 radio station right on Christmas.” It wasn’t until the middle of 2014 that Ali decided to take comping seriously.

Pregnant with her fifth child she began entering competitions every day and just before giving birth she won a pram – a Mama and Papa Armadillo. She was hooked! Ali’s next big win followed in October with a brand new Thermomix and $150 cash. She couldn’t believe her luck as there had been over 50,000 entries. “Since that day,” she explains, “the prizes have rolled in. These have included a $6,000 holiday, white goods, toys, DVDs and movie tickets to name a few.” All together about $15,000 worth, she estimates. Ali enters every competition that attracts her attention but she has found that she has a flair for 25 WOL less ones. “Winning helps to keep me motivated,” she explains when I ask her how she manages to find the time in her busy life. “Sometimes, if I have a few weeks between wins, I get a little down but keep going knowing the next win is probably just around the corner,” she adds.

Ali also writes a regular blog – Mum to Five - where she shares her hectic life and also runs giveaways for her followers and I am sure with just as much hard work and dedication that she puts into her own comping, her blog will grow and grow and others will enjoy sharing in her successes. Ali’s best comping tip for newbies is to try to remember to send a thank you to the business that sends your prize out. “Manners are free,” she reminds me. “When I won the Thermomix, I sent a thank you to all the businesses that were involved in the promotion and a big majority said I was the first person to thank them.” I think this is a tip we all should take on board. Thanks for that great advice, Ali! Speaking of mums, it’s nearly May and May only means one thing to me – Mothers Day comps! How retailers love Mothers Day. Mothers Day competitions appear everywhere as May nears. It is amazing how many products and services can be related to Mothers Day. Maybe not tools, but I’d never put it past some company to tie these to Mothers Day (a kitchen renovation, perhaps?).

So hold onto your hats for all kinds of competitions appearing with prizes like slippers (an old favourite), chocolates (again…still) flowers, lingerie, and restaurant vouchers and so on. I fondly remember my son winning a $50 Kmart voucher for me one Mothers Day many years ago when he was quite small. His answer to the question “what is it you love about your mother?” was a simple acrostic poem – Mum Understands Me! As with other competitions you may find photos highlighting smiling mothers, grandmothers and even great-grandmothers could be useful. So get cracking and win some of the amazing prizes up for grabs during the next week or so!