Oh, yum. I was surfing around the Internet this week looking up the pages for companies that I like and found an unexpected contest on the Eli's Cheesecake site.

Eli's is giving away one cheesecake a month.

They are really tasty and retail for like $40.

The contest is good for residents of the United States and you can enter to win here.

OK, I'm not a "Top Chef" fan.

But that's probably just because I don't get Bravo.

But if you are a fan, check out this essay contest from our Happiness is a Warm TV blog.

Use a little creativity, write a little essay and you could win a very big prize: the complete Season 5 of "Top Chef" on DVD.

Here's the link for the contest...

Remember that you now have just about two weeks left to enter the Triangle Pricebook Contest to win a copy of the Clue Secrets & Spies board game.

To enter the random drawing, enter 25 items in the Triangle Pricebook by Nov. 15.

There will also be a prize for the person who makes the MOST entries in the pricebook during the contest time!

You can find the pricebook at www.newsobserver.com/business/pricebook

ConAgra has an online game called the Recession Payback game. If you play online, at the end you will be given the opportunity to register for offers from ConAgra as well as instant access to a couple of coupons for ConAgra brands. Those would include Hunt's, Manwich, Reddi-Wip, Marie Callender and Chef Boyardee.

If you have a couple of minutes, it might be fun and worth it for the coupons.

Here's the link...

Well, if there are two expenses most people have trouble cutting, it's gas and groceries. So here's a way to save on both.

Betty Crocker is hosting a contest where the grand prize is $5,000 for gas and groceries. There are daily prizes as well.

You must be registered on bettycrocker.com to enter, but that's worthwhile anyway. By signing up, you will start getting the e-mail alerts when there are new Internet printable coupons available on the site.

Here's the link to the contest.

Lysol is running a sweepstakes in which you could win $1,000 in school supplies.

The contest runs through the end of the month and you can enter daily. There are also daily prize winners.

Here's the link. 

If you have kids who are fans of American Eagle or its sister store Aerie, tell them to go ahead and make a holiday wish list for both stores.

Why? Because both stores are running a holiday sweepstakes where 10 lucky winners will get their entire wish lists for free.

It can't hurt to try, right?

Here's the link for American Eagle, and here's the link for Aerie.

Rite Aid pharmacies are honoring pharmacists by asking customers to tell the company about their favorite Rite Aid pharmacists.

For participating, you will be entered in a contest to win $2,500 in Rite Aid gift cards. Man, that's a lot of gift cards!

Here's the link! 

If you live in the City of Raleigh and recycle each week, you could easily be in the running to win a $50 Harris Teeter gift card. The city has partnered with HT and Coca-Cola to present a contest to encourage residents to recycle.

The "Recycle and Win" contest will start Nov. 3 and run for six months. City residents living in single-family homes will receive a mailer from Coca-Cola that teaches the do's and don'ts of proper recycling and includes a special sticker. If you place that sticker on your green city recycling bin and put your bin out like you normally would, you may win one of those gift cards.

The cards will be awarded by the Coca-Cola Recycling Prize Patrol, which will be circulating in our area looking for bins with the stickers. Pretty simple. So keep an eye out for that mailer from Coke!

Lowes Foods is giving you the chance to win a trip to the North Carolina Zoo. All you have to do: Tell Lowes what your favorite zoo animal is and why in 50 words or less before Oct. 31.

Submit finished essays to:
Lowes Food Stores, Inc.
Attention: Lisa Selip
PO Box 24908
Winston Salem, NC 27114

You can find the details of that promotion and a few others at Lowes on this section of the Lowes Foods Web site.