Tracking and Recording Sweepstakes Wins

I mentioned that I track my wins using an Excel Spreadsheet I created using simple formulas. Since there seems to be some interest among my readers for this spreadsheet I decided to post it for you to download and use. Here are some instructions to help you decipher my system.

There are other programs you can use to keep track of just about anything, including wins. I would be interested to find out what other people use to keep track of their wins. This is a simple solution for me and since I know how to use formulas and Excel it is easy for me but there are always a million and one ways of doing everything so find the method that works for you.

Note: If you have a problem downloading the Excel file please email me at sweetiessweeps@gmail.com and I will send it to you directly.

Column Explanation:

Note: The column headings are “frozen” so when you scroll down the page you will always see them at the top of the page.

RCVD: I use this column and put either yes or no in it. When I win something instantly I put no and when it arrives I put yes. If I get something in the mail that I didn’t know about I put yes.

DATE WON: Self explanatory

NAME OF PRIZE: Self explanatory

CONTEST/SWEEPSTAKES: Name of the contest or sweepstakes

VALUE: Input a number like 10.00 or 5.95 and it will automatically change it to a dollar value.

FROM: Here I input a letter that tells me where this prize was won from as follows

• I = Internet
• R = Radio
• L = Local
• M = Mail-in
• B = Blog
• T = Twitter Contest
• O = Other (you can use this for don’t know if you like)
• Don’t Know = Don’t Know

IWG: I input either yes or nothing in this column. If the prize was also won from an Instant Win Game I use this column to help me track how many times. Putting yes if the prize was from an Instnat Win Game will get calculated at the bottom of the page. Leave it blank if the prize was not from an IWG.

NOTES: I put things like the Instant Win Game authorization code, URL of the official rules page, how long the prize will take to arrive if it was from an Instant Win Game and it gives me that information on the screen, who I gave it to if I gave it away, how much it sold for if I sold it, etc. You can put whatever you like or leave it blank.

Formulas and how they work in this spreadsheet

Excel is so great because you can use formulas to do things for you like adding values, counting, and more. I am NOT an Excel guru but since I had to teach it as a software instructor I learned the basics of using it and can create simple formulas.

The formulas I have inputted into this spreadsheet will count the total prizes, give you averages like highest month, lowest month, highest value prize, and let you know where you are winning the most prizes (Internet, local, mail-in, etc.) if you input the information in the columns correctly as shown above.

This section appears at the bottom of the real spreadsheet so you will have to scroll to view it.

If you click on the colored Excel spreadsheet graphic to the right you will see a larger view. ——->

The Small, Medium, High value color section is just a Color Key that shows me which prizes have what value. When I win a prize that is over $25 I will highlight the entire line and use the color from the key. Then, when I am scrolling through the spreadsheet I can easily pick out what prizes have what value. If the prizes are lower than $25 I do not highlight the line. If you do not know how to highlight a line (actually called a row) and fill it in with a color visit the Microsoft site for help. Highlight cells – Excel – Microsoft Office Online

Months, Total for the Year, Averages, and Counts:

As you input information in the rows for prizes you have won the formulas will track what you have won in that month and add them up in each month’s cell. Make sure you are using the explanations above for filling in the columns correctly. If you do the formulas will do their work and you will see the proper results.

Don’t buy Microsoft Office. Use these Free programs to view your Excel spreadsheet:

If you don’t own Excel you can download and install the FREE Excel Viewer 2003 from Microsoft. The Excel Viewer 2003 let’s you open, view, and print Excel workbooks, even if you don’t have Excel installed. This download is a replacement for Excel Viewer 97 and all previous Excel Viewer versions.

Another Free option for viewing and printing Excel spreadsheet is to use Google Docs. With Google Docs you can setup a free account or use your existing Google or Gmail account to sign in. Google Docs let’s you setup documents that are very similar to Word, Powerpoint, and Excel documents and can be read, opened, and printed by anyone who has Word, Powerpoint, Excel, or similar programs. The beauty of Google Docs is that all of the documents are stored on the Google site. You just log into your account and click on Docs to use them. You can also download them to your computer for use with other programs or to store them in another location.

Well, that’s about it. I hope you are able to use my spreadsheet to track and record your wins. I enjoy statistics as you have seen and because I am a visual person and learn better that way I like to “see” my wins all in one place.

Please feel free to share your system with me and the readers of this site. We can help each other as we share. Thanks!

Note: If you have a problem downloading the Excel file please email me at sweetiessweeps@gmail.com and I will send it to you directly.

Check out more popular articles on sweepstakes including:

• Taxes on Prize Winnings
• 6 Top Tips for Winning Blog Giveaways
• The Secret to Winning Instant Win Games
• Effective Keyword Searches to Find Sweepstakes
• Tracking and Recording Sweepstakes Wins

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