I don't play sweepstakes, as I NEVER win, but I have started playing instant wins. I rarely play the ones with few prizes or only big prizes, since I don't really have time or luck to waste. I play the ones with lots of little prizes. I never win much, but it's really come in handy for cutting gift costs this year. Examples:

Juicy juice, won 2 $5 gcs for Scholastic, found spiderman books and toys on sale, and got 3 items for only $4 (shipping). (Everyone I know has won at this site)

VISA, won a $10 gc at disneyshopping. Never shopped that site before, but they had a sale on personalized cinderella sweatshirts, $25 down to $15, and a special 25% off on all personalized stuff, and free shipping that day. So, for $2 I have the PERFECT gift for my little niece.

Won two Nestle crunches, so will go into stockings.

Won a baseball cap. Great for my nephew.

One of the shopping sites had BizRate, which I really NEVER do, but I did, and received their $100 shopping spree. Of course, nothing was free, you had to pay charges on everything, but they did have two DVDs for free, $2 processing, Cinderella and Snow White. Perfect for niece!

That purchase led to a buy one get two free DVD from deepdiscountDVD, which I'd never used, but they did have good prices and a Jackie Chan movie my husband doesn't yet have, so for $9 I got 3 DVDs for gifts.

That site also had a DVD my husband wanted for my father, which was $30 at amazon.com and $13 at that site. Bought it, it came, the quality is great.

I've also won two Vaseline moisturizer bottles from their site, where they actually invite you back to win again. Perfect for my mother with dry diabetic skin. (everyone I know has won at this site)

Ah, and a pack of candy just for entering at Mike and Ikes (?) which my nephew will like.

So, while it's not much, these little things have added up to quite a few free and really cheap GOOD gifts!

Katwoman, I'll post more later about some of the ways I receive internet deals/discounts/etc.