In addition to the warm fuzzy feeling for doing something good and the milkshake after my blood donation last night, I was given a Red Cross-branded plastic drink bottle. While quite useful, it was totally unexpected but it got me to thinking about all the freebies/prizes/rewards I have received in the last little while and the flow on benefits and opportunities. I've referred to a few of them, alluded to others but I figure it's time to reveal other things I‘ve been lucky enough to receive - it's refreshing to be writing about in-comings rather than the outgoings!
The freebies that probably stand out in your mind, dear readers, are the up and coming Solomon Islands trip and also the Uluru famil back in May. On a budget there is no way I would otherwise be able to enjoy such incredible adventures and destinations. A bonus for my Solomons trip is that I’ve earned the opportunity for a colleague to work a day for me while I am away so I can save a leave day!
When I say quiz night - don't think of pub trivia down at your local on a Wednesday night, I mean like Sale of the Century-esque buzzers, the associated nerves of performing in front of a crowd and prizes to match! Two of my colleagues and I competed against teams from across the company nationally and were quick enough on the buzzer to name songs, tie balloons, and quote movies to come second! While 1st prize would have been fantastic, the $3,000 worth of Qantas flights, an Intrepid travel voucher, Gold Class movie tickets, iPod and $500 experience voucher each (oh, and a gourmet hamper to share) awarded for coming second staved off any disappointment at being pipped at the post! To top it all off, I spent the night at the Marriott overlooking Hyde Park!
I have? Good. The benefits don't end there! At the aforementioned Uluru trip, a lucky door-type prize of 4 nights accommodation at the Sheraton Denarau in Fiji made my night, only for that one I’ll have to make my own way there! There’s also the mystery trip in August – possibly Vanuatu - and our team getaway to the Gold Coast but I’ll stop rubbing it in now. Sorry Bek.
Smaller, helpful ‘ins’ that have reduced my ‘outs’ have been gift vouchers for Coles or Westfield, one of which was put towards the food and alcohol at my barbecue a few weeks back – again, only possible because of the meat tray I won! The others are waiting to reward me once I am debt-free. I’m thinking some new music and a book or two. What say you?
The freebies that probably stand out in your mind, dear readers, are the up and coming Solomon Islands trip and also the Uluru famil back in May. On a budget there is no way I would otherwise be able to enjoy such incredible adventures and destinations. A bonus for my Solomons trip is that I’ve earned the opportunity for a colleague to work a day for me while I am away so I can save a leave day!
If you were paying attention you would have also seen that I won my flights to Brisbane to meet the connecting flights to the Solomons... this is actually only a very small part of what is the most amazing prize to date. The Brisbane flights came out of $3,000 worth of Qantas flights my team won during a work quiz night back in April!
When I say quiz night - don't think of pub trivia down at your local on a Wednesday night, I mean like Sale of the Century-esque buzzers, the associated nerves of performing in front of a crowd and prizes to match! Two of my colleagues and I competed against teams from across the company nationally and were quick enough on the buzzer to name songs, tie balloons, and quote movies to come second! While 1st prize would have been fantastic, the $3,000 worth of Qantas flights, an Intrepid travel voucher, Gold Class movie tickets, iPod and $500 experience voucher each (oh, and a gourmet hamper to share) awarded for coming second staved off any disappointment at being pipped at the post! To top it all off, I spent the night at the Marriott overlooking Hyde Park!The bulk of my winnings went straight towards my flights to London at the end of the year, saving me a whopping $2,300 and ensuring that I’ll be in Europe to see my niece or nephew. After London and Brisbane, I had enough left to put towards flights to Melbourne next year! Oh, and I sold the iPod on eBay and plan to use it to pay for my scuba diving lessons. Have I mentioned how much I love my job (most of the time...)?
I have? Good. The benefits don't end there! At the aforementioned Uluru trip, a lucky door-type prize of 4 nights accommodation at the Sheraton Denarau in Fiji made my night, only for that one I’ll have to make my own way there! There’s also the mystery trip in August – possibly Vanuatu - and our team getaway to the Gold Coast but I’ll stop rubbing it in now. Sorry Bek.
Smaller, helpful ‘ins’ that have reduced my ‘outs’ have been gift vouchers for Coles or Westfield, one of which was put towards the food and alcohol at my barbecue a few weeks back – again, only possible because of the meat tray I won! The others are waiting to reward me once I am debt-free. I’m thinking some new music and a book or two. What say you?
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