1. Stop entering so many sweepstakes! If you find yourself deluged with email due to the number of sweepstakes you are entering, you will probably begin to delete it without even reading it. If this sounds familiar, stop entering so many sweepstakes -- you are wasting your time! Most sweepstakes rules explicitly state the winner must respond to a phone call or email within a certain time period before the prize will be fulfilled.

2. Pick the sweepstakes you REALLY want to win and then enter as often as you can. If a sweepstakes allows you to enter every day, then by all means, you should enter every day! Each time you enter, you are drastically increasing your odds of winning! Another benefit of entering the same sweepstakes over an over is that you will only be on their mailing list once!

3. Check your email filters or "rules". Make sure your emails are not being deleted before you ever read them. You may not want to use your company's email address as the email administrators often filter out emails that they consider spam - especially emails with subject lines such as "You are a winner" or "You have won".

4. Keep track of the drawing dates. If you keep track of when the drawings are occuring for the sweepstakes you have entered, you will know when to "look" for a winning email in your inbox.

5. Always "opt-out" if that is an option. Unless you really want to receive email from the sponsor, opt-out. It will not affect your chances of winning and it will greatly decrease the amount of email you receive.

Remember, most legitimate, reputable sponsors will not abuse their opt-in lists and will not sell or spam you with unwanted emails. The key here is "reputable". If you do not know a company, and if you are concerned about your privacy, I would recommend NOT entering their sweepstakes.