Bank Holiday Fun :)

Here in Wales we are very lucky as we have lots of historical and cultural fun things to do for free.

Today we went to St Fagan's Museum of Welsh Life - it's literally a 10 minute drive from my place and perfect to visit for a fun day out with my friend and her 2 kids(aged 3 and 8)

Parking today was £5 and the car park was really busy and full so we were a bit worried we wouldn't be able to do any activities because it would be packed out but actually because it's such a huge place we were able to see and do pretty much everything we wanted.

As we were in the over-flow car park we entered into the farm area where we saw plenty of ducks, chickens and a turkey all wandering free as well as farm tools and a couple of Sows with their rather cute piglets. We also saw some dairy cows and a big (read as mahoosive) male pig just chilling in the shade of a tree - kids were very impressed with him. We kept on walking and soon came to the watermill - unfortunately the miller had just gone for lunch so the water wheel and mill weren't running but we were still able to have a good look at the building and there was a staff member on hand to provide information about the mill and its workings.

From there we walked over to the tractor play area - which is a small kids playground with a climbing frame and slide, a small barn like building and a variety of push / pedal ride on tractors for kids in different sizes with trailers that can be attached. The kids loved playing on these and we spent a good half hour there whilst they played happily. The kids had their picnic lunch sat at one of the tables around the play area. A cheeky robin popped over to pinch a little piece of bread whilst they were eating.

At this point we needed to use the loo so we followed the signs to the gift shop and popped to the loos outside it quickly - they are doing more work at the museum so there were quite a lot of boarded up areas. We got some ice lollies at the gift shop and walked down towards the maker's market.

At  the marker's market there were lots of activities for the kids to do - we went into the national root veg soc tent where they had all this years prize winning veggies on display - lots of giant leeks, onions as big as your head etc In this area the kids could also do a free plant a seed activity - there was a little queue when we first went in so we looked at the veggies first and then went back to check out the plant a seed. Both kids had their only little plastic pot to fill with compost, they could then choose a seed to plant (bean, leek, cabbage or lettuce) they were given the seeds and told how to plant them in their pots and added more compost on top and then they were told the best way to care for them at home. (we prob should have saved this activity for the end of the day though as we then had to carry their plant pots around with us all day)

Next there was pottery and activities to do. You could make your own little pot at a potters wheel for £4 a go but we skipped that in favour of the paint your own ornament section (which was cheaper with ornaments starting at £1.50 and going up to £6ish depending on the size and the design) - we got a small cat and a unicorn and the kids spent some time painting them using the providing paints - and aprons! Once the master pieces were complete they were given a paper plate with their name on to leave them on and they were left over on a drying table to be collected on the way out at the end of the day.

We had seen a big tractor going past pulling a tram behind it so the kids were keen to ride it - it was difficult to find any info on where to catch it though as it wasnt listed on the map we bought (50p at the front entrance). We decided to take a walk in the direction we thought it went which happened to take us past the bakery. The bakery has a limited amount of home baked items available and today's special included some flapjacks so we stopped to get some to keep our energy levels up (they cost £1 each and were still warm from the oven and totally worth it).

In the end we had to ask a staff member where the tractor picked up from and we managed to get to the pick up point in time for the last trip of the day - the tractor cost 60p per stop (and had 2 stops each way) with kids 3 and under travelling free. As the tractor stop happened to be next to the fairground we decided to just take the ride to one stop and to walk back and visit the fair. The kids loved the short ride - we were sat in the front tram and had a bumpy ride up to the next stop.

On our way back down past the maker's market we grabbed the ornaments which had dried by this point and headed to the fair ground.

The fairground had lots of different things to do - the kids had a go each at hook - a - duck (£2 each with a guaranteed prize). Once they hooked a duck they could just choose the prize they wanted - they got a fluffy duck cuddly toy and a bow and arrow set. They also had a ride each on a vehicle merry-go-round - one choosing to ride on a motorbike and the other on the top of a double decker bus (cost £1.50 each) I was surprised at how fast the ride spun round - it lasted a fair bit and they both enjoyed it.

After that we each swapped £1 at the carnival games area for a cup of coins - this contained old 1p coins (thats the big ones) new 1p 2p 10p and 20p coins to use on the old arcade games. Both kids spent their 20p's (and ours) on a chicken game where you get a guaranteed prize each time winning temporary tattoos and dice - the chicken spins around when you put a coin in and pushes an 'egg' with the prize in out through the slot in the bottom. There were the old fashioned viewing machines were you put in the old 1p and turned a handle to watch a 'movie', old 1 arm bandit machines and lots of other things to play with. The kids spent all their money but I hit the jackpot on the 2p bandits and came away with 78p in 2s which the man kindly swapped out for me :)

The kids each had £1.50 left to spend - one had a go on the swings (£1.50) which after about 30 seconds looked like he would be sick - I dont blame him I cant spin in circles either and again they went pretty fast. The other had a go at one of those ball toss games where the ping pong ball has to land in a glass jar - the lady running the stall kindly gave both kids a couple of extra balls each (£1 for 3 balls but they ended up with around 8 between them) - much to their disappointment they didnt win.

As it was now gone 4.30pm we decided to call it a day and to head back to the car park - it seemed a lot longer walk back to the car park than it did going lol

After that I treated my friend and the kids to a carvery at my local one - it's normally only around £4 a meal but sundays and bank holidays its £8 for adults and £4.50 for kids. We all stuffed ourselves full of veggies, potatoes, yorkshire puddings and meat before calling it a day and heading home

All in all a lovely day and relatively cheap too!

Reviews 2016

I had put these on the actual wins and freebies list but I am doing so many of them that I think they need a separate page:)

So each review will include the price (if any) paid plus a link to my amazon review so you can check out the item yourself if you want. NB if it's not linked it means my review hasnt been written yet :)

For info on how to apply to review items please check out my in-depth post here which lists all the different sites I get review items from :) Unless it states otherwise these items are from amz reviews and review groups for amazon on FB

1. wrist support  £0.10
2. mini spiralizer (item now removed from amazon) £3.80
3. DAB TV ariel £2.35
4. UV Body Paint £0
5. VR glasses for android £0
6. electronic pedicure £2
7. meal replacement shake £1
8. large spiralizer £3
9. silicon baking  mat £1.99
10. rechargable mini day light £5.39
11. moudio headphones £9.99
12. radio transmitter £0.09
13. clip-on light £2.75
14. knife sharpener £1
15. heat protection spray £0
16. led changing mushroom lamp £1.70
17. spy pen £1.99
18. nail varnish £2.99
19. wireless doorbell eu fitting £5.99
20. mini chopper £3.99
21. sleep mask £0
22. xtreme weight loss capsules £0.10
23. detangle diva brush £1
24. pet de-shedding tool £1
25. beard oil £0
26. argan oil shampoo £0
27. cubic zircona earrings £2.50
28. pumice stone £1
29. nail art kit £1
30. no-tie shoelaces £0.99
31. dog bed £5.99
32. copper string light £3
33. flashing dog collar £0
34. i-phone wallet case £1
35. packing tape £2.94
36. colouring pencils £3.99
37. juice pobbles £3.25
38. oil diffuser £4.99
39. mens watch £8.99
40. phone holder for bike £1
41. micro pedicure £2.99
42. detangle brush set £1
43. aloe vera £1
44. dog/cat blanket £1.98
45. necklace display case £10.39
46. google cardboard kit £0
47. chakra pendant £2.99
48. pencil wrap storage £1.99
49. android tv box £18.99
50. RC sports car £1.70
51. candlestick hook £1.11
52. running belt £1
53. compression tights £0
54. crocheted scoodies book £0 (Search Art Facebook)
55. smart watch £15.99
56. anti snoring device £0.10
57. kids construction bits £2.49
58. shower curtain hooks £0
59. folding headphones £2.98
60. power bank £0
61. cordless screw driver £5.24
62. gaming mouse £0.49
63. memory foam seat cushion £6.95
64. emoji backpack £2.99
65. mini card reader £1
66. back posture support belt £0
67. coffee £0.12
68. how to draw mecha and monsters £0 (Search Art Facebook)
69. ladies flower charm bracelet £2
70. hand strength exerciser £0.75
71. camping lantern £3.15
72. usb converter £0.99
73. dream catcher £1
74. LG G3 cover £0
75. food storage containers £1
76. memory foam cushion £3
77. pencil wrap case £1
78. solar charger bank £8
79. star light projector £3.75
80. tea tree oil soap £0
81. baby shampoo £0
82. wireless doorbell £1.99
83. butterfly earrings £0.99
84. usb fan £0
85. pen mouse £7.98
86. zip earphones £1
87. dog harness £3.24
88. activity tracker dayday band £6.37
89. nail hair and skin vitamins £0.10
90. kids construction bricks £1.77
91. photo wall paper £11.70
92. probiotics £0.07
93. black anchor bracelet £0
94. braun ipl £0 (supersavvyme - further reviews on the blog)
95. wireless qi charger £0
96. kids mermaid swimsuit£0
97. pet mess cleaner £1
98. windproof push button open/close umbrella £3.98
99. dead sea face mask £0
100. android tablet £12.99
101. sewing machine bobbins £0.66
102. credit card holder rfid chip protector - ladies £0.99
103. credit card holder rfid chip protector - mens £0.99
104. girls 3pc outfit £1
105. girls 2pc minnie mouse outfit £2
106. thermometer £0.95
107. sports insoles £0.99
108. privacy screen film for windows £2.80
109. calmurid pro hand cream £0 (insiders eu)
110. calmurid pro lipolotion £0 (insiders eu)
111. large k-pop umbrella
112.  cat necklace
113. egg seperater / cracker
114. 5m blue neon light
115. orthpaedic insoles
116. Nurse Hatty pH strips
117. Nurse Hatty Keytone strips
118. Almond oil
119. eye wrinkle cream
120. mini selfie stick
121. ostrich feather duster
122. go pro accessories pack
123. 80pc bobble and clip set
124. green tea supplement
125. decorative letters - paperback book £0 (Search Press FB)
126. skinpep cleansing foam
127. doggy seatbelts
128. space savers vacuum bags
129. Timmy Failure we meet again £0 (Toppsta - review on their webbie no direct link)
130. Little Bits of Sky £0 (Toppsta - review on their webbie no direct link)
131. Diamond Brothers in the Falcon's Malteaser £0 (Toppsta - review on their webbie no direct link)
132. My gym teacher is an alien overlord £0 (Toppsta - review on their webbie no direct link)
133. Last book before bedtime £0 (Toppsta - review on their webbie no direct link)
134. Raymie Nightingale £0 (Toppsta - review on their webbie no direct link)
135. Rose Campion and the stolen secret £0 (Toppsta - review on their webbie no direct link)
136. Truckers: the first book of Nomes £0 (Toppsta - review on their webbie no direct link)
137. Robots to make and decorate £0 (Toppsta - review on their webbie no direct link)
138. Comfort pure - mumsnet £0
139. Oral B Pro 5000 smart series - savvy circle IF £0
140. Washing machine - ao.com  
141. credit card sleeve for mob phones 
142. bath bombs
143. build your own jewellery storage 
144. pedi
145. pink no tick alarm clock
146. led alarm clock
147. battery operated pencil sharpener
148. tunic style sundress
149. adult birthday banner
150. photo clip rope frames
151. wine glass pens
152. colouring pencils
153. rfid passport holder
154. 3d butterfly wall sticks
155. ballet socks
156. argan oil shampoo
157. cheshire cat leggings
158. cat brooch
159. vitamin d tablets
160. pink ear phones
161. invisible socks
162. powerbank
163. rfid card sleeves
164. earphones
165. mini rucksack
166. feather duster
167. swim suit
168. bluetooth lost and found tracker device £0.01
169. Vidal Sassoon Salonist Hair Dye - TRND £0

Competition Wins & Freebies 2016

Competition Wins & Freebies 2016

So this is my second year of comping and freebie hunting as a hobby so I have decided to set myself a challenge to win 366 items (or freebies) in 366 days (it's a leap year)

Based on my previous experience I am going to stick with only counting items as they arrive rather than when won/applied for - this is because sometimes no matter how much you try getting your prize is like getting blood outta a stone - nigh on impossible!

To make things easier I am just going to list the items on one page rather than individuals and count as I go along.

I'm including freebies, non amz reviews and wins in my list :D

Updated: blogger was having a fit with all the pics so if you want to see photos of the pries and freebies please follow me on FB - Ellie Spider and look out for my Today's post posts:)

1. Kindle from Alfresco Holidays (Advent win)
2. Family ticket to see Peter and the Wolf at Cardiff Millenium Centre in April from Primary Times (no pic as it has all my details on it!)
3. Cheeky Monkey AniSnap Watch from Blog
4. Paco Rabanne Olympea Perfume from Carpet Right House Beautiful Comp
5. Prevasore LipTherapy Cream - full size FREEBIE
6. Saga 2016 Diary
7. £25 John Lewis / Waitrose Gift Card from Tots100 twitter comp
8. Goody Bag from Total Merch FB (advent) includes selfie stick, tote bag, pens, sweets, inflatable balls, ice scraper
9. Set of face creams / care goodies from Holland and Barrett on FB
10. Fish Eye Lens for Camera from Comp on FB
11. Imax print - Star Wars - twitter win
12. Varietea loose tea collection - blog win
13. Coupon for free Pizza - freebie for filling in a survey from the box of a pizza i won lol
14. Belleville rendez-vous dvd - win from female first
15. Max Factor full size lippy - freebie from SoPost
16. King of shaves sensitive gel - freebie from king of shaves
17. Ltd edition Snoopy Carmex -  blog win
18. Inside Out DVD -  freebie via topcashback
19. Giant Melissa and Doug Penguin - advent win from ELC
20. Chocolate Buttons - net mum review
21. Domestic Goddess Calendar - twitter win
22. Superfoodio box - blog win
23. 2 x octonauts play sets - magazine win
24. FB win - activity tracker band
25. Freebie - Baby Box from Amazon Prime :) Contained: Nappy Sacks, Winnie the pooh iphone holder, organix rice, mam bottle, lamaze giggling bunny ball, nipple and nappy cream, & muslin swaddle wrap
26. freebie - munchy seeds :)
27. win - James Wellbeloved Flask from FB
28. freebie - e-cig
29. SoPost freebie - face cream
30. WIN - carrier dvd
31. freebie - coconut oil samples
32. SoPost Freebie - nappies
33. SoPost Freebie - effaclar  face creams
34. WIN £5 Youngs SeaFood voucher
35. WIN - Girlz Lego friends DVD from pinkoddy blog
36. WIN - Hirsohima Mon Amour Blu-ray
37. WIN £5 Youngs seafood voucher (yep a second one)
38. WIN 12 rounds 3 lock down dvd
39. Review - mumsnet x 2 hair dyes one for me and one for a friend.
40. WIN - Olive It recipe book
41. WIN - White soap dish
42. WIN -  indoor golf balls (cat toys!)
43. WIN - fish eye lens for smart phone (yes I now have 2)
44. WIN - clear case for iphone
45. WIN £100 iTunes  vouchers
46. WIN - tanning shop voucher for free session and tanning lotion
47. WIN -  dead sea face mask (FB)
48. WIN - dead sea face mask (twitter)
49. Review (FB) - pencil holder
50. WIN - befit posture corrector
51. WIN - Crocheting Scoodies Book FB
52. WIN - Bouquet of Mother's Day Flowers FB
53. WIN - Mini rainbow trug - FB
54. WIN - How to draw mecha and monsters - FB
55. WIN- BeFit back belt
56. WIN - Front Lines book - twitter
57. WIN - Prohibition Bakery book - blog
58. WIN - Fish is the dish goody bag
59. Freebie - Benefit instant comeback face serum 
60. WIN - Lumie Clear - net mums
61. WIN - Simoniz car care set
62. WIN - £30 Slumbersac voucher (bought 2 sleeping bags from it)
63. WIN - £200 urban merino voucher (bought dress and leggings for my niece, tops for my friends 2 kids and a pair of booties for my friends soon to be born baby)
64. WIN - submotion orchestra signed cd and tickets to gig in Cardiff
65. WIN - POD London £20 vouchers (they have only sent £10 tho so waiting on rest) twitter
66. WIN - Intern Goodies (tee, notepad, cards, pens, pen holder, bag)
67. WIN - Ufit bundle (water bottle, skkipping rope, wrist bands, bounce protein balls, ufit drinks and vouchrs for 2x 6pack happy egg co eggs) - blog
68. WIN - lightave monitor - blog
69. WIN - the children's gardn book
70. WIN  - £20 one4all gift card from poundland on fb
71. FREEBIE - YSL perfume sample
72. WIN - charcoal toothwhitening powder - twitter
73. WIN - runners up prize in Pony club of pony stickers
74. FREEBIE - jamberry nail transfers
75. WIN - wax melts - fb
76. Review - drinking chocolate for mumsnet
77. FREEBIE - mascara and prima
78. WIN - Stickman dvd and activity pack
79. FREEBIE - pernation/joint pain gel
80. WIN - House Beautiful Mag Jan
81. WIN - House Beautiful Mag Feb
82. WIN - House Beautiful Mag Mar
83. WIN - House Beautiful Mag Apr
84. WIN - Animal Kingdom DVD - blog
85. WIN - Professor Branestawm DVD - blog
86. WIN - £100 worth of national gardening vouchers
87. FREEBIE - nescafe original post-it notes
88. FREEBIE - make your own bracelet kit and info dvd
89. WIN - Mississippi Grind DVD
90. WIN - House Beautiful Mag May
91. WIN - Bloodlines series 1 DVD
92. WIN - 7 bars of Dairy Milk chocolate - bog
93. FREEBIE - manuka doctor face creams
94. FREEBIE - lactofree milk voucher
95. WIN - crabbies tote bag
96. FREEBIE - benefit instant comeback cream
97. WIN - Front Lines book
98. WIN - Build your own robots book (toppsta review win)
99. Review  - braun IPL supersavvyme circle
100. Review -pedigree dog food trial - mumsnet
101. review - comfort pure concentrate - mumsnet
102. WIN - Truckers book (toppsta review win)
103. WIN - 2 x cineworld tickets from bestofcardiff on twitter
104. WIN - how the lion became king of tinga tinga land
105. REVIEW - oral-B smart series 5000 toothbrush (review - supersavvy IF)
106. WIN - Little bits of sky (toppsta review)
107. FREEBIE - tresemme samples shampoo and pre-conditioner
108. WIN - Thomas Tank bedroom set (beanbag, curtains, bedding and cushion) (made for mums)
109. WIN - Barbie make up set (Barbie mag)
110. WIN - Timmy Failure we meet again (toppsta)
111. WIN - The Diamond Brothers in the Falcon's Malteser
112. WIN - Lindam Travel Kit (mirror, seat protector, sunscreen, reins, harness and back seat organisers)
113. FREEBIE - upbeat vouchers for free bottle
114. FREEBIE - hand cream
115. WIN - Mojave on DVD
116. WIN - Twisty Mazes book - paragon books on twitter
117. WIN - Raymie Nightingale (toppsta)
118. REVIEW - Auafresh little teeth toothpaste (trialling an ap and giving feedback)
119. WIN - Peter Rabbit - the tale of the great breakout - blog
120. WIN - Read me like a book - maximum pop twitter
121. FREEBIE - Super gel nail varnish set
122. WIN - Applaws catfood - from their fb page
123. WIN - The last book before bedtime - toppsta
124. FREEBIE - Boost energy drink
125. WIN - Cree and Flutter Book - blog
126. WIN - Decorative Lettering Book - Search Press Art and Crafts FB page
127. WIN - My Gym teacher is an alien overlord (toppsta)
128. WIN - The Royals Season 2 (no idea it arrived in the post)
129. WIN - toothbrush head holder - twitter
130. WIN - Ironman lego play set - Lego Juniors magazine
131. WIN - personalised bakers days cake - from their twitter
132. WIN - google cardboard headset from the guardian newspaper
133. WIN - Rose Campion and the stolen secret (toppsta)
134. WIN - Paddys squirty stuff - kids bath wash - twitter
135. FREEBIE - E-cig plus 3 filter tops
136. WIN - blackstar amp form their fb page
137. WIN - x-men origins Wolverine blu-ray - twitter
138. WIN - the actual one - mumsnet
139. WIN - choice of plushie from paw patrol (chose skye)
140. WIN - £30 worth of party supplies - blog
141. WIN - £50 scarf - web
142. WIN - signed copy of love song - maximum pop twitter
143. WIN - caspar lee book - maximum pop twitter
144. WIN - House Beautiful Mag - June
145. REVIEW - Washing Machine (ao.com via their review request list)
146. WIN - Sky Devils DVD - myfilm twitter
147. WIN - Miss you - hard back book - Joy shop
148. WIN-  £20 love 2 shop vouchers and car cleaning kit (containing some really random items )
149. REVIEW - UNibond instant tile repair  - the insiders eu
150. FREEBIE - Digby the Dino activity book, stickers ad dino mask
151. WIN - Bad Rhino outfit (larger mens wear jeans, polo shirt and daps )
152. WIN -  months supply of coffee in a bag
153. WIN - 70 years of heathrow notebook
154. WIN - starwars smuggler starship book and model kit
155. FREEBIE - Simple facial wipes
156. FREEBIE - maximum muscular drink shaker (excellent if you ever have diet or other shakes) amazon
157. WIN - cute drawstring bag and pencil case
158. WIN - portable powerbank
159. WIN - football
160. WIN - mystery grossery gang squidgee
161. WIN - mystery finding dory squidgy (we got hank the ocotpus)
162. WIN - Rio cookbooks x 2 twitter
163. WIN - Prevasore - Love it mag
164. WIN - house beautiful mag - July
165. WIN -  Adaptil calming spray fr dogs - monster pet supplies facebook
166. WIN - knitting for gold book - twitter 
167. WIN - Hills Science Plan dry dog food
168. WIN - now thsts what I call music 94 - twitter
169. WIN - family ticket (4) to alton towers plus a in the night garden activity table - madeformums
170. WIN -  50 years of steadtler goodybag with £50 worth of stationery
171. WIN - World of Warcraft book
172. WIN- webbox lickelix for cats
173. WIN-Flexitol heel balm
174. WIN- Toppsta - The Zebra Rescue
175. FREEBIE - free yoghurt
176. WIN - Toppsta - The Cat in the Hat
177. REVIEW - Flexitol Cava - trendz
178. WIN - T-shirt - race of champions
179. WIN - Enemy Mine Bluray
180. WIN - INtruders Bluray
181. WIN - Dental Bites for kitties
182. FREEBIE - Weetabix on the go  - sopost
183. FREEBIE - 2 x whiska pouches from pets@home vip club
184. REVIEW - Swimsuit
185. WIN - House Beautiful Mag August
186. REVIEW - Vidal Sasson Hair dye - Trendz
187. REVIEW - cheshire cat necklace
188. WIN - signed ab fab the movie poster
189. FREEBIE - mac mascara
190. WIN - Vegetable cookbook
191. WIN - case of 25 get fruity bars
192. REVIEW - dog muzzle
193. FREEBIE - post-it notes
194. WIN - The Conjuring Bluray
195. WIN - voucher for free cheese (pilgrims choice)
196. WIN - Toppsta - Thimble Monkey Superstar
197. WIN - Squish Squash Squeeze book
198. WIN - sensory miffy toy
199. WIN - hero attax mag
200. WIN - Bad Guys Book - toppsta
201. FREEBIE - pantene shampoo samples
202. FREEBIE - facial moisturiser
203. WIN - house beautiful mag - september
204. WIN - tickets to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (London in Oct)

How to review products for free or a discount

How to review products for free or a discount

I have previously posted about reviewing for companies on amazon but there are so many other opportunities out there I thought I'd do a separate post on reviews.

Firstly this isn't an exclusive list there will be other companies, other promoters and other opportunities out there especially if you are a full on professional blogger who posts daily and youtubes and stuff.

Secondly this is a list for UK mainland people - some sites will offer opportunities to EU residents or to  ROI/Northern Ireland as well but it's best for you to go check the info out yourself if your interested in them.

Thirdly there is no specific order to the sites - they are simply ones where I have had the opportunity to get items for free or a discount in order to provide my feedback and review.

Finally, there are a lot of scam sites out there - all the sites listed here are ones that I have personally had experience of using, that I have received items from and that I would be happy to use again. I would say if something looks too good to be true then it probably is - whilst there are opportunities to review some incredible big expensive items these are few and far between and the majority of items for review are every day essentials and basics.

If  you have any questions or comments please feel free to add them :)

AO.com

AO or appliances online is a major uk retailer supplying various hold hold appliances. They are online only and have a massive social media presence on both Facebook and Twitter. They offer people the chance win items to review via their social media channels. You can also just apply with them to be a reviewer as well.

Things to note:

- you must provide a video review therefore you will need a youtube account (these are free to set up)
- you must provide a written review
- you must provide both reviews within 7 days of receiving the item
- if you do not provide the reviews in the set time scales then you are liable for the full cost of the item
- you can review for them once every 6 months

To apply to review for ao you can

- following their social media channels and enter their competitions - they get several thousand entries so chances of winning and reviewing are low
- create a short video explaining why you would like to review for them and upload it to youtube. E-mail a  link of your video to customerreviews@ao.com or post it directly to their FB page. If they like the video they will get in touch with you usually within a couple of weeks. If the item you are asking to review is not currently available they will either offer you what they do have available or put you onto a waiting list. There is no guarantee if you are put on the waiting list that the item you want will come up so you should consider what other items you are interested in as well.

Items that are available for review from them include TV's Fridges, Freezers, Washing Machines, Hoovers, Smoothie Makers, etc

I reviewed a Miele hoover for them.
My youtube video which I used to apply can be found here
My review video is here
My written review has vanished into the ether that is the internet as ao no longer stocks it!

The Insiders EU (This site runs campaigns across Europe as well as the UK)

This is a company that works with various different products and companies. They have various campaigns and during these they look for a set number of people to try a product.

Things to note:

- you will be expected to discuss the product with other people and then put on conversation reports, to post reviews and send in the links and to blog about the product (a basic blog like mine is fine)

- for higher end products you will be expected to provide your banks IBAN details. If the product for review is a loan only then you will need to return it at the end of the review or you will get a set price deducted from your bank e.g. on the LG G4 campaign they ran you had to agree that if you did not return the phone at the end of the trial to pay them £250 or so which was at the time 50% of the cost of the phone. As it happened everyone who took part in the project got to keep the phone at the end after completing all the set tasks.

- they expect you to apply for each trial and you have to give valid reasons as to why you want to try the product

- not everyone who applies will get chosen - they have set numbers for the trial and they have criteria on the candidates e.g. If they are working with  company who are marketing their product at big and tall men then being a short woman I would be unlikely to be chosen.

- the more campaigns you take part in and the more active you are the more likely it is that you will be chosen for campaigns in the future - even if you are not selected for one of the current campaigns it's a good idea to make comments on the blogs etc for the different campaigns as it shows you are active and want to take part - it also earns you points which show on your account and show how active you are - just make sure the comments are relevant and not spammy.

To review for them you need to visit the page, find the campaign your interested in and apply - they will ask you a few questions, get you to confirm your address and filling the all important 'why you want to take part' box. If you are successful you will get an e-mail confirming this and the item will be set in the post within a couple of weeks. You may or may not get set tasks to do during the campaign. You should complete these as you go along as well as recording your conversations and following the blogs.

You should be aware that these campaigns can be quite time consuming and you do have to put a lot of effort in - it's not just one review post and a few photos and your done - for the LG G4 campaign we had to take 100 different photos and upload them with #LGG4 to social media and via an ap, we had to write reviews, write up several conversation reports and provide feedback.

Previous items offered for review include cat food (read my reviews here  and here), LG G4 phone (reviews here and here), samsung home security, Dog food, Coffee, skincare products

I have done 2 campaigns with these guys (I applied for 3 but only got accepted for 2)

Savvy Circle (This is part of SuperSavvyMe website - you need to be signed up for the website and the the savvy circle separately) 

These guys have been around for ages - their main website which has lots of money off coupons, freebies, reviews and advice on various products - mainly home and health items such as laundry products, skin care, baby etc. It's a good site to sign up to if you like your free samples and coupons as well as for reviewing. The site is part of the P&G family so it's mainly their products and companies they work with that are offered.

The Savvy Circle is a separate part of their site where they run specific campaigns. They run these pretty regularly and you apply through clicking on the savvy circle tab and finding the current campaign and applying.

Things to note:

- you will be expected to discuss the product with other people and then put on conversation reports, to post reviews and send in the links and to blog about the product (a basic blog like mine is fine)

- they expect you to apply for each trial and you have to give valid reasons as to why you want to try the product

- not everyone who applies will get chosen - they have set numbers for the trial and they have criteria on the candidates e.g. If they are working with  company who are marketing their product at big and tall men then being a short woman I would be unlikely to be chosen.

- the more campaigns you take part in and the more active you are the more likely it is that you will be chosen for campaigns in the future - even if you are not selected for one of the current campaigns it's a good idea to make comments on the blogs etc for the different campaigns as it shows you are active and want to take part.

- it's usual when you take part in a campaign for them to send you out a complete pack of info including money off vouchers and samples to share with family and friends - unless the item is something like a shaver or face sauna or similar then you will just get the information pack

As with the insider these campaigns are time consuming - you usually have 3 questionnaires to fill in online 1 at the start, 1 half way through and 1 at the end. You are also expected to submit conversation reports, reviews, complete feedback sheets with people who you give samples to, provide photos and videos etc. Most campaigns run over 4-12 weeks and you need to be able to commit to taking part in the activities during this time.

I have taken part in around 10 campaigns with these guys and had some great items including hair dyes (x4 1 for me and 3 for friends), lenor products, car air freshners, toothpaste etc Whilst most of the items I have had have been lower value ones (by that I mean under £10 to purchase an item) they do higher end items as well - I have recently been chosen for a braun IPL hair remover that is really expensive. The items they tend to offer are things that you would buy as part of your weekly shop but new versions so the latest fabreeze product or flash, perhaps some olay skin care or head and shoulders shampoo.

They have a lot of people applying for projects so dont be too disheartened if your not selected the first time round - follow the campaign blog, get involved and apply for the next project. Some projects are really popular and they only have 30 spaces, others they might have 2000 spaces. If your new try going for a project that has a larger number of spaces - complete all the tasks submit all your reports and earn some stars and then when a project with less spaces comes around and you apply they can see that you are going to take it seriously, get involved and complete the tasks.

Toppsta (They do their giveaways via twitter / FB and their website ) BOOKS

Toppsta do kids books from ages 0 up to teens. They usually have a couple of copies of each book to giveaway.

To apply to review a book you can follow them on facebook or twitter (links above) and look out for their review posts. You will need to say why you want to review and like/share, follow/RT the posts. You can also sign up to their website and have a look at their giveaways and apply to review.

Once chosen to review you will receive the book in the post - they usually come with a certificate for the child too which is a nice touch. You then read with your child or your child reads the books and you log onto their website and leave a review once your ready. Like most places they like a review within 7 days or so.

There is no limit to the amount of books you can apply to review with them.

To increase your chances of being selected to review you can sign up to their website and submit some reviews on other books you have read.

I have reviewed for them once with my niece H - we won our review from their twitter page.

Childs Farm (sign up to newsletter) Children's skincare / toiletries.

Every couple of months these guys recruit some new ambassadors - they recruit between 50-200 at a time. To find out when recruitment is open you need to be signed up to their newsletter. When recruitment is open you fill in a brief form to sign up. Once selected they will send you a selection of full size products from their range to use with your child and some miniature/ sample bottles too to give out to friends and family. They ask that you try out the products and then review them across various sites including superdrug, netmums, mumsnet, boots, ocado etc

They have a private FB group for ambassadors and they e-mail you surveys and activities every now and again to complete and for completing the activities you get entered into various prize draws.

I am an ambassador and the products are fab

Search Press Art / Search Press  Art and Craft Books - Facebook giveaways for reviews - BOOKS - must have an amazon account

These guys do regular giveaways on their Facebook pages (linked above). The books are all about arts and crafts, artists etc.

The giveaways are listed usually on a wednesday or a friday.

To enter you need to like the post and then add your name under it in the comments.

They announce the winners the following week - they don't always tag you so its worth going back to check.

If chosen to review you need to send them a DM/PM with the name of the book you have won and your contact details.

When the book arrives you have to do a review on amazon within 7 days and the e-mail or DM/PM them the link to your review.

There is no limit on the amount of times you can enter. I have reviewed 2 books with them so far.

AMZ Reviews (review amazon seller products) - must have an amazon account - worldwide

AMZ reviews is a site that allows amazon sellers to offer their items for free or at a significant discount in return for reviews on amazon.

Its completely free to sign up to be a reviewer. Once you have signed up you can then browse the offers available and then request to review any items you fancy.

Things to note:

- discount varies between sellers - if you see an item you like have a look to see if any other sellers have something similar - some will charge you £0 some will charge you £5

- the site is quite glitchy - often it removes items so you cant log your reviews - it says they will find them but I have done around 80 reviews but have under 60 confirmed the others have vanished in the ether!

- be sure to check the postage costs! If you plan on doing lots of reviews through here then amazon prime is a great idea it costs £8.99 a month and majority of deliveries will be free.

- Sometimes the codes dont work or they give a different discount to that listed - always check before you click buy on the price. If the discount hasnt worked or is less than expected dont buy! Contact the seller first

- to increase your chances of being selected go to your amazon account and review some regular items you have bought - include videos and pictures for brownie points.

- you have to declare at the end of the review that you received the item at a discount/for free - if you dont declare it you can get into serious trouble with amazon - they took a bunch of people to court last year for 'fake' reviews!

- you should be honest if the item doesnt work in the first instance contact the seller, if that doesnt resolve the issue leave a constructive review

For a list of the items I have reviewed check out here

UK amazon review AFUNTA - specific facebook group for AFUNTA an amazon seller - must have an amazon PRIME account

Group on facebook - anyone can join. Offers items at a significant discount in order to provide reviews. Expect picture / video reviews.

You need to sign up via a form they have posted in the group, add the 2 admins as friends on facebook and then comment under posts of items you want to review. If chosen they will inbox you a link to the item and the discount code.

Once the item has been received you need to post your review to amazon and then send them a link to confirm it's done.

No limit to the amount of items you can apply for - they usually post 2-10 a month

I've reviewed several items for these guys -  I had a problem with one code but they responded to me via dm and we sorted it out until the code worked.

Mumsnet / Gransnet 

They often look for people to take part in trials. As well as getting the item for free you also get entered into a giveaway for giving back your feedback.

You must be a member of the site to apply and they usually send out an e-mail when they have a new trial available for your to sign up. Sign up to the sites completely free.

Generally they get more applicants than they have spaces so you may not be selected. If you are selected you need to complete the different parts of the project as given. This may include taking photos or video. If you fail to complete all the tasks set then you may be excluded from future projects.

Items available depend on the brands they are currently working with. I have had audio books, chocolate buttons, hair dye, hot chocolate and dog food to try so far. I have only ever had trial items from mumsnet but I have included gransnet as they are run by the same team.

FINAL WORDS OF WISDOM...

Please remember these companies are looking for genuine feedback on their items and that people out there will read your reviews and make purchase decisions made on what you say therefore it's important to be honest in your reviews.

List the Pros/Cons or what you liked or didnt like.

Include photos and video if you can so people can see how the product works or how it looks properly

Think about if you would buy the product at full price or again, if you would recommend it to family and friends and the reasons.

Facebook - SCAMS & FAKES

Facebook - SCAMS & FAKES

Loads of companies run great competitions across Facebook which is great as they are generally easy to enter and have some lovely prizes. Unfortunately Facebook is rife with SCAMS and FAKES.

I hope this information will help you spot a scam/fake site.

Scam/Fakes sites are on Facebook for the following reasons

1. To like harvest

2. To get your information

3. To earn money through affiliated links

4. To scam you out of your money

I'm going to explain the above in a bit more detail.

1. LIKE HARVESTING

A scammer will make a page. They will then by various means get people to like and shared the page. Some of the tricks they use include:

- a heart wrenching picture such as a cancer sufferer, an abused animal, a child molester, etc these pictures are used without permission. There will be usually text included such as Like and share if you hate cancer ignore if your a heartless piece of shit (okay maybe not quite that graphic but it's the implication behind the like and share bit) or like and share if your against animal abuse ignore if you like having sex with horses and so on and so on. The purpose is to get you to like and share the post and the page with the text written in such a way as to make you out to be evil and nasty if you dont.

- a post with or without a heart wrenching picture saying that Microsoft, Bill Gate, Facebook etc will donate 25c (it's usually in american but could be 25p or other currency) to some charity for every like and share - again they are working hard to get you to like and shared the post and page

- a post that Bill Gates, Microsoft, Facebook, someone else who is loaded is giving away a prize of $gazillion to one lucky person who likes and shares the post/page

- a post that you can win some amazing prize by liking and sharing the post to all your friends.

With all of the above they want you to like the page and the post and to share it. 

They want you to share it so they can reach as many people as possible, if your friends see you sharing something they are likely to look at the post and they might be encouraged to like and share too. 

So - if you share to your wall - 

1 share and 1 like

5 of your friends then share and like

5 shares and 5 likes

5 of their friends share and like

25 shares and 25 likes

5 of their friends share and like

125 shares and 125 likes

So the numbers increase exponentially and before you know it the page has a few thousand likes and shares and the more people who like and share it - the more its showing up on news feeds and timelines and the more people will see it and like and share it.

Whats the purpose of all this?

Well once they have reached a set number of likes on the page its going to show up in lots of newsfeed and timelines and high on searches too. They can then sell on the page. The more likes and shares, the higher the value of the page.

Who do they sell it to? fake companies, scammers and other nefarious people who then use it to scam people.

It's easier to trust a page with 10,000 likes than one with 100 likes.

How can you tell a fake page?

Luckily it's fairly easy to tell a fake page:

1. Have a look at it's history - scroll down the page - if there s literally nothing but giveaways, no winner announcements and little info it's likely to be a scam or fake page

2. How long as the page been running for and when was it created? If it's just been started and is giving away crazy prizes its most likely a scam or fake page

3. Is it claiming to be part of or affiliated with a specific well known company E.g. Disney, Thomas Cook etc? Check by the name for a blue tick - if it doesn't have a blue tick it's not a verified company page. Other things to look out for are slight mispelling's of the name and / or additional punctuation e.g Disney. Company or Tomas Cook Holidays, Carnivaal Cruises etc. Also check the company information section and the logos used. If your not sure then check out the companies official page - if they are working with another company or running an amazing giveaway its going to be listed on their official page

4. Do they have a website? If it's a real business then they will have a website or at the very least a lik to their etsy shop. If the website is down or the has a strange link then it might be a scam page

5. Is it too good to be true? No company is going to give away 1000 free cruise line tickets, or 200 first class flights or 700 ipad airs if it looks too good to be true it probably is! 

What should you do if you have been suckered in?

First thing first - go to your timeline - find the shared post and delete it

Second - unlike the post, unlike the page and hit the report button - report it as a fake, as a copy or as spam.

Third if you see your friends or family sharing it - tell them to stop - tell them it's a scam and tell them to follow the steps above.

Why is it important to do this?

Because it can lead to vulnerable people being fooled and scammed

At the least it's annoying to have your page spammed with fake comps at the worst by promoting the page you are helping the scammers who will then go out and prey on other people.

2. GETTING YOUR INFORMATION

Please see my post on SPAM sites here.

Often these fake pages will have a link to another site to put your information in to win or enter. Once you have done this your information can then be sold on by the scammers or used by aggressive telesales / marketing people. I wont go into detail here as I have already written in depth about it on the SPAM site posts.

3. TO EARN MONEY THROUGH AFFILIATED LINKS

These fake scam pages will often have a link for you to enter to win the competition - this will be a link to sign up for some site, or to complete a survey or something similar. As soon as you click on the link the scammer is earning money, if you complete the sign up process then they earn even more money. It's a win win for them and a LOSE for you as you are likely signing up to a spam site or worse. If you share their post and your friends all click on the link thats even more for them! 

4. TO SCAM YOU OUT OF MONEY.

So the page announces you as a winner (along with a whole bunch of other people) The prize is free but you have to pay postage. You can pay it via paypal, money transfer or some other means. The P&P is only a small amount say £3. But they announce 3000 winners, the prize costs less than 25p from china or some other country an they are pocketing nearly 10 grand off the back of their competition. That's a best case scenario. A worst case is where you give them some information that allows them to get access to and wipe out your accounts or through paypal. 

If in order to get your prize you have to pay it is highly likely that it's a scam and you should seriously consider whether you should enter. You should NEVER give out bank details or any other information.

The only cases where you may need to pay towards the prize would be:

- The item is coming from outside the UK and your liable for tax and customs - you should take this into consideration when entering international comps (although I have had prizes come this way and just be marked as gift so no customs applies)

- The competitions clearly states that anyone applying from outside the country it is run from will have to pay the international postage costs

- The competition is being run by a small business - they clearly state in advance on the competition post that the item is collection only or can be posted at the winners expense and has a set postage cost listed (and is only offering 1 or 2 prizes)

- If the prize is a holiday and there are additional expenses not included with the prize e.g.the cost of upgrade, the cost of a single person supplement, the cost of visas, the cost of travel insurance, etc

- If the prize is for appliances or furniture or flooring etc where the prize is the item but fitting is not included.

Please note

Scammers are clever people - they are constantly changing the way they work in order to rip people off - if they put as much effort into a real job they would be loaded! Therefore this page doesn't list every scam but hopefully it does list the main ones run on facebook and also how to spot them.

Spotting fake comps on other sites is a whole different topic and I will be posting on that separately.

Any comments or feedback or anything you think I have left out please let me know

SPAM SPAM SPAM *not the musical!*

SPAM SPAM SPAM - companies who use comps to harvest your personal data

There are lots of real and great comps out there but there are also plenty of companies who are harvesting your data and using comps as a way of spamming you

This is some information that will hopefully help you make an informed decision about whether to enter the competition or not

Firstly SPAM sites (and no thats not Monty Python fan pages)

SPAM sites run legitimate competitions for the purpose of harvesting your personal information. By entering their competitions you agree to your information being used for marketing purposes and for it to be shared. They may also lead you on a wild goose chase to enter the comp by having you sign up to affiliated links.

The purpose of these sites is:

1. to get your information - they can then send you emails for offers and other sites. Any time you sign up to one of these they make money as they are the one who referred you

2. to sell your information - to other companies who will then spam you via post, email and the phone

3. to earn money from clicks on their site - to enter the comp you have to click on a link - every click on the link earns them money

4. to promote their site so it shows higher on search engines as the more visits it has the higher it shows in the listings - the higher it shows the more money they can make from ads

5. your name, address and other details get added to a 'soft' 'easy target' list. You then get less scrupulous companies and people using your information to aggressively target you.

The issue with these sites is not just that they sell your information on it's that its incredibly hard to get you details removed.

An example. 

You signup to site 1.
Site 1 sells your information to sites 2, 3 and 4.
Site 2 sells your information on to 5 , 6  and 7,
3 sells your information to 8, 9 and 10
4 sells your info to 11, 12, and 13 and so on.

You go back to site 1 and say hey take my details from your list which is fine. They remove your details BUT by this point another 12 sites have you details on their list and will therefore continue to spam you.

It can be difficult to tell if a site is SPAMMY or not.

Here are things to look out for:

1. If as part of the sign up process you have to sign up for other deals/offers

2. If during the sign up process you cant opt out of marketing information via post and telephone

3. If the T&C's have a phrase in there which says by taking part in the competition you agree to your details being shared / used for marketing purposes and if you dont agree you cant enter (It will be worded differently but that is the gist)

4. If you are sent a winner's e-mail where you DONT win outright - by this I mean an e-mail which says you have been selected as a potential winner of 'prize' and then has a link for you to click and follow or one that lists like 3 people's name including yours with text similar to " The following people have one of the winning tickets: Joe Bloggs, Bugs Bunny, Your Name - click here to confirm your entry"

5. A company that offers lots of high value prizes but appears to have no means of income or sponsorship for them - or a company website that is only giveaways and affiliated referrals.

For example a page might be called AllUkPrizes and list giveaways for Macbooks, iPads, Iphones, Holidays, £1000 shopping vouchers etc but has no other content other than links to offers and lots of ads. A genuine site that is giving away these type of prizes such as the Daily Star will have articles, content, sponsored ads and paid for content - it's also a site for an in-print magazine/paper and is a recognised name and part of a specific new group/company.

6. The site name is similar to that of a well known company yet is not affiliated with them in anyway

What can you do if you are signed up?

To be honest there isn't really a huge amount you can do!

- you can wait for the e-mails from them and look for the unsubscribe link at the bottom and click on unsubscribe. This should reduce the amount of junk e-mail you get.

- you can find the contact me section on their website and send them an e-mail asking them to remove you, or if they are uk based send them a recorded letter requesting they remove all your details - if they dont they can be taken to court - a bit extreme! If they are non-uk they dont have to comply

- you can set up a separate e-mail address just for comping and then it doesn't matter if its hugely spammed

- If giving your phone number never give your home number/landline. You could also 'mis-type' your mobile number so it's one digit out - you could also screen your calls on your phone - dont answer any numbers you dont know - look them up on google if they are known as spam/scam or telesales/nuisance calls add them to the your auto reject list - I've found that after about 2 weeks of daily calls being sent straight to my reject list the company gives up.

To be honest for most people these guys are an inconvenience that we are well able to deal with - the real problem is when a vulnerable person is targeted and bullied into giving money or buying into services they have no need for.

Below is a list of SPAMMY sites I have come across in my first year of comping. It's not an exhaustive list - there will be others. Also, these sites can and do give out prizes. I am not saying they are scams - I am simply saying that the cost of entering these sites is your personal information being compromised and used and sold. It is completely up to you whether you are happy for this to happen and to enter

SPAMMY SITES

Activeyou - activeyou co.uk/
Britpoll - britpoll.co.uk
Catalink - catalink.com/
FreeStuff - freestuff.eu/
GetMeATicket - getmeaticket.co.uk/
LoveMyOffers - lovemyoffers.co.uk/
MyOffers - myoffers.co.uk/
OfferX - offerx.co.uk/
Prize Reactor - prizereactor.co.uk
Sign-ups.com - sign-ups.com/
Simple2win.co.uk - simple2win.co.uk/
SoapboxSurvey - soapboxsurvey.co.uk/
SurPrizes - surprizes.com/
Surveys.co.uk - surveys.co.uk/
SurveySavers - surveysavers.co.uk/
Swooosh - swooosh.co.uk/
TopFox - opfox.co.uk/
UKprize.co.uk - ukprize.co.uk/
Vaniki - vaniki.co.uk/
Very Us - veryus.co.uk