Mum of two won £10K worth of prizes including an iPad, £250 Argos vouchers and holidays by entering 100 competitions a day – but is it worth it?
Caroline Cordery, 41, from Birmimgham says she is now addicted "to the feeling of winning" - but is it worth the time she spends entering them?
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A MUM-of-two has won nearly £10,000 worth of prizes after spending hours scouring the internet for competitions.
Caroline Cordery, 41, from Birmimgham started "comping" when she was on maternity leave after reading a Moneysavingexpert.com article about ways to boost your income.
The prize-winning mum, a part-time English teacher for adults, says she is now addicted "to the feeling of winning".
Although she describes herself as a "medium range comper" and not "the most obsessive" one, she spends hours entering about a 100 competitions a day.
Since she started in May 2012, she racked up about £10,000 worth of prizes, averaging out at over £2,000 a year.
This is not that much compared to other compers out there.
Diana Coke, 40, from Brighton, and one of the UK's biggest compers, gave up her job to enter competitions full time.
She wins a minimum of £15,000 worth of prizes per year.
And of course, there’s no guarantee that comping - even entering 100 a day - will end in success.
If Caroline has used the time she spent entering competitions - that's about two hours a day from Monday to Friday and about four hours during the weekend - working in a minimum wage job then she would have earned £5,460.
That's almost half of what she’s earned in five years by comping.
Although, she can do it from the comfort of her own home or even on the sofa watching telly.
Still, since 2012, Caroline has scooped top prizes including a mini break in London in a five-star hotel with her family worth about £900 as well as £250 worth of Argos vouchers, a £600 fridge from Smeg and an £400 iPad.
Caroline's best prizes
THE prize-winning mum has won about £10,000 worth of goods since 2012. Here are some of her favourite wins
- A mini break with her family in a five star hotel in London - worth £900
- A SMEG fridge - £600
- An iPad - worth £400
- Annabell doll - worth £50
- Argos vouchers - worth £250
- £250 in cash
Not bad considering she describes comping as "a treat" after a long work day.
Her children, Barnaby, 6 and Mariella, 9, also get to benefits from their mum's money making hobby.
This Christmas, an Annabell doll and a Slime making kit were just some of the many presents (and holidays) they got to enjoy thanks to her comping.
Caroline's absolute rules include never paying to enter a competition and only participating in the contests where she is actually interested in the prize.
She told the Sun Online: "I know people who enter absolutely everything and anything they can find. I only chose competitions with the prizes that I actually want to have for myself.
"I am hoping that by not taking the prizes that are sought by others, luck will be on my side."
She enters mostly free competitions found on Facebook and Twitter pages of the brand or retailers offering the prizes and tends to stay away from third-party sites.
Another website she checks on regular basis is Prizefinder - the UK's biggest competitions site.
Impressed by her success, some of Caroline's friends have now given comping a go.
But even if it may be one of the most lucrative hobbies you can have, Caroline says you need to be dedicated and most importantly really "enjoy it" to make the most out of it.
More money making tips
She said: "You have to be methodical, organised and patient. Entering just one or two competitions per day is just not enough."
The prize-winning mum tries to make some time for comping even on her busiest days.
"When I get home from work, it's like my little treat. I'll make myself a coffee and start catching up on what I missed during the day.
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"On Sundays, I'll do a longer session and will enter any competitions closing in the following week."
"I can't stop really, I just don't want to miss out. So, I tend to check my emails or my social media a bit too much," Caroline added.
On top of comping, thrifty Caroline uses cash back websites like TopCashback, which work by reimbursing you with any money spent on items they list.
Caroline's comping advice
HERE at the top comping tips from the prize winning mum
- Dedication: Be patient, organised and methodical - you'll need to put in the hours to make it a success.
- Work out a method: Establish a routine, familiarise yourself with some websites and work out a system of data entry that's quick.
- Be inspired: It's motivating to read about the success of other people. Caroline recommends reading SuperLucky, the blog of Di Coke, one of the biggest comper in the UK, where she shares fun competition tips and insipiration.
- Look for competitions on specialised websites: Caroline enters mostly free competitions found on Facebook and Twitter pages of the brand or retailers offering the prizes. But if you want to save time you can also use forums like Prizefinder, which is dedicated purely to comping.
- Find a worthy prize: Look for competitions where the prize is something you actually want, so you don't waste your time.
- Enjoy yourself: Caroline says you need to have a particular kind of personality to enjoy comping.
She treats it like a "hobby" but adds that if you're not really enjoying it, it's not worth putting in the hours.
She said: "Right now, I would love to win a family holiday in Florida for four, worth about £8,000.
"So far, we've only been on mini breaks around the UK - so this would be a huge win."
Caroline is far from the only person using comping to take make some extra cash.
Hollie Gregersen, a thrifty mum of two, was aiming to have a no-spend Christmas by entering up to 100 competitions a day.
In 2016, Sarah Taylor used her comping skills to land a wedding worth £10,000 just after losing her job.
The Sun Online also interviewed Victoria Measure, who started entering competitions to save money as a student and racked up a whopping £30,000 worth of prizes – more than the average UK salary of £27,300.
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