I had this problem last year when I won a trip to NYC from Vogue valued at $14,900. It included a suite on 5th Ave. for 5 days. No spending money was included but it did include a $2500 gifty card to a fancy online store, 2 purses from Tory Burch, A $1000 pair of designer shoes, a makeover and an assortment of Vogue gifts and books. We kept the airfare and hotel and gave the rest to a local charity for their auction. We still had to pay the tax but the donation help offset the value. You only have to pay tax on the "fair market value" not the stated value. It could be significantly different but you have to do your homework.We looked up on every travel site the cost of that suite. It was $400 per night lower than the stated value. We printed that off and saved for our taxes. Airfare was non negotiable as we had the exact fare listed on the tickets. We managed to get the value down to am affordable level. We bought 2 more airline tickets and took our adult sons. It was an amazing trip but we felt a little like the Beverly Hillbillies staying at such a fancy hotel in a suite. We were a little "outclassed" LOL! The other thing we do is save all the stuff (games, toys, coffe pots, watches, etc)we win during the year and donate it to that same charity auction. This helps offset our big wins. We have won 5 trips. Hope this helps!
