PARADISE, N.L. — Kirbie Humber could be the luckiest woman in Newfoundland.
She has been on a hot streak for a year, winning at least one contest a month, and sometimes more.
“It’s like, ‘How is this even possible?'” joked the 31-year-old woman from Paradise, N.L.
“Obviously I love it, because who doesn’t love free stuff? But now it’s kind of ridiculous.”
Humber, who works as a salesperson at a flooring store, appears to have a knack for snagging prizes, mostly through social media and radio station contests.
Her bounty includes dinners from local restaurants, tickets to a Tim McGraw concert, a Christmas-themed rug, clothing, skin care products, chocolate and a barbecue.
Other swag is more peculiar: A unique succulent holder made from a Troll doll, and a portrait of herself created using rainbow-coloured Sharpies, both made by local artists.
“Sometimes it’s sort of things you wouldn’t normally seek out, like this, you know, succulent holder — the kinds of things that if you were going to a craft fair you might splurge on because it’s kind of quirky,” she said.
The first contest she recalls winning was in 2015. A car dealership selected her selfie to be displayed on the side of a vehicle for a few weeks and gave her a $250 prepaid credit card — the day before her birthday.
Humber’s biggest win to date was a trip to Daytona Beach, Fla., for a country music festival a few years ago, where she saw Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton, among many others.
The country music enthusiast said it was quite the thrill, since Paradise — a town of roughly 20,000 people in eastern Newfoundland — doesn’t attract too many big names.
“I listen to them on the radio now and I’m like ‘Wow, I actually I saw them’,” she said.
Humber said she enters about two contests per day, but it’s usually as simple as liking, sharing and commenting on a Facebook post, requiring only about 30 seconds of her time.
She’s not sure what’s behind her good fortune, but surmised it could have to do with computerized tools used to randomly select winners favouring her unusual name.
To add to the curiosity, she said she’s even had repeat wins from the same business.
“I still don’t understand how I’m so lucky, but I’m glad it’s me,” said Humber.
On Tuesday night, Humber bought a break-open ticket for a dollar and won $100.
But despite the winning streak, she said she’s not interested in upping the ante on her lottery habits.
Humber said she only participates in contests that have little or no cost, as she is well aware of the dangers associated with gambling and addiction.
“I’ve seen people literally ruin their lives because it’s a little bit of a high when you win something, so you want to see what the next thing is,” she said.
“I don’t want to be that person and expect to win. It’s just all a little bit of fun.”
— By Aly Thomson in Halifax.
Follow (at)AlyThomson on Twitter.
The Canadian Press
