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My blog is about our life after MORTGAGE FREEDOM (achieved Oct 2012), saving hard for TRAVEL EXPERIENCES and EARLY RETIREMENT from my job as a teacher. I also have an ULTIMATE LIFE LIST (which works like a Bucket List)of dream travel destinations and experiences. Please leave a comment if you can. I love reading them! A little about me! I am so grateful for the life I’ve been given. I don’t need ‘things’ to be happy. I appreciate my family, friends and the value of experiences over the materialistic. By respecting the power of money and using it wisely we have had a beautiful, simple wedding and bought a tiny cottage with some land overlooking fields. We try to live simply and appreciate the beauty of the nature around us. But we have an adventurous side too. I met Mr SFT whilst travelling in Cambodia. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR STOPPING BY!

WHAT IS SEALED POT SUNDAY?

PLEASE JOIN US FOR SEALED POT SUNDAY!!

Have you been emptying your purse each week into your pot?

Have you found a coin down the back of the sofa and fed your pot?

Have you been putting in all your £2 coins or Loonies or Gold Coins in?

Have you 'saved and not spent'-not having that coffee has meant more for the pot?

Please pop along EVERY SUNDAY and share your week with the other GLOBAL SEALED POT CHALLENGERS. It's a chance to get to know and support each other! Maybe pick up an idea or two? And keep the momentum going-we have 20 more weeks to go until we open our pots together.

Sunday, 3 March 2013

SEALED POT SUNDAY-WEEK 13-NOT UNLUCKY FOR SUZE!/PLUS FRUGAL FUN!



Hi Everyone!
I had a lovely email this week from Suze. At the start of  this challenge she decided to have a special sealed pot, which would be funds towards her cruise on the Queen Mary.

 She has just opened it and you can see the result above. In her own words:

 I am pleased I did this as this last month has been tough. If I hadn't put money aside every day then I would be drawing on my savings on Tuesday morning.

 These tins are tough to open and my scales have not been found. So we headed for my son's workplace and used the industrial can opener. William so pleased that he wanted to open the other tin which was being weighed. He also asked for the notes! 

 The final stats are

 Wt.....650 g

 Contents $245 in notes and coins.

 Congratulations Suze! I am so thrilled for you! I hope this extra cash will help you have an unforgettable time. And I'm sure I'm not alone in wanting to hear all about your trip when you return.  Bon Voyage!

I like the way that Suze weighs her pots. That's a great way to record progress.

 My Sealed Pot Week

 MONEY NOT SPENT-£5.80 change from purse,

SAVE NOT SPENT


My brother gave my Mum a wonderful Christmas present-2 tickets to see Phantom of the Opera in London. 

 And lovely Mummy asked me to go with her! My brother even bought rail tickets!

 So what SHOULD have cost £22 rail fare and £40 for my ticket was free. I did treat my Mum to lunch (so she didn't spend a bean). So I'm going to add £20 to my sealed pot. This is frugal fun at it's best! :) And the show was amazing. As we were seated in the Grand Circle we got to see close up all the chanderleir acrobatics, when the Phantom was hiding/singing from it and when it dramatically crashed onto the stage! My Mum's face was a picture!


SAVE NOT SPEND-£5.00 from not buying ice-cream at theatre yesterday. We took our own cheaper treats instead.



IT'S A RAID-from Mr Sft 
(I take all his silver change except 5ps which we collect in our china hen towards paying for eggs-when our neighbour's hens start laying. Our copper coins are saved in a pot for gambling with my family at Christmas time)

OVER TO YOU-WAS WEEK 13 LUCKY?

 Sft x





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40 comments:

  1. I have weighed the darned things to keep tabs on my little burglar.

    I now have to save harder as our one direction concert plans were crushed this afternoon. Someone gave our tickets away. Gosh they are popular and even with new shows in our city I have had to book in Sydney. So I have paid for the lot including airfares. My girlfriend advised me too as she had a look online and many of the cheaper flights are sold out. So my next tin is aimed for fund replacement but I now next my next break is 7 months away after the two nights on the Queen Mary 2. Miss Pip thinks she has the best birthday present ever,

    Keep on saving everyone. It amazes me that you keep count of what goes in. I know that $10 went into the tin this afternoon as I was repaid coins not notes. I think a whole year of saving at my present rate might be way more awesome than I ever anticipated.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies

    1. What a lovely treat you have planned for Miss Pip, certainly the best birthday present ever.

      Thanks for encouraging everyone to save!

      Sft x

      Delete

  2. I managed another 5 £2 coins, admittedly 2 came from the bottom of my bedside cabinet, found when I gave it a very overdue tidy up. Change from my purse and discarded coins from various flat surfaces around the house, even the bathroom sink shelf! I am not counting any of this as I want it to be a surprise/shock when I open it. A fun frugal day yesterday I needed some tray cloths so I emptied my stash of strips of material and with part of a curtain liner for backing I made 6 very pretty ones. All it cost was the little bit of electricity for my sewing machine and iron. Then we had friends round for a hot buffet style meal, all from the freezer and pantry, and watched Madagascar 3 and Skyfall. They brought pudding and wine so a frugal evening as well.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies

    1. Hi Pam,

      You are a wonder for finding £2! Glad the tidy up paid off.

      I think most of us are in for a huge surprise when we open our pots, I do like to see what I put in each week but I have no idea what my final total will be.

      Your fun frugal day sounds wonderful..just shows you don't have to spend loads to have a great time.

      Sft x

      Delete

  3. The Phantom of the Opera is wonderful isn't it? I loved every minute of it. I am still saving £1 per day and £1 every time I get some money. Raiding hubbies change, collecting stray money in the washing machine and now putting £2 in for every 1lb lost. My tin is actually quite full, I think I am going to have to get another one by the end of March. I admire your self control at not buying Haagen Dazs! Have a good week x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies

    1. Hi Fran,

      Yes Phantom was amazing.

      You are doing brilliantly with your sealed pot. Soon be time for you to get a new one!

      Mum was stronger than me! I started to weaken when the ice cream seller stood right next to my seat. Good old Mum for stopping me.

      Sft x

      Delete

  4. I love the Phantom- was lucky enough to see it twice when it was in Edmonton. I had to go to the bank this week for cash so got an extra $20 out to put in the pot. Cheers!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies

    1. Lucky you seeing the phantom twice CC!

      $20 is a nice amount to add to your pot.

      Sft x

      Delete

  5. Hi next time I come to London I am going to see The Phantom Of The Opera can you pls tell me which are the best seats and row tnkx !!! Last time we went to london we went to Stock pot and you were right its worth it ! At the moment I
    am saving saving and saving!!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies

    1. Here is a link to a brilliant website

      http://www.theatremonkey.com/HER%20MAJESTYSstalls.htm

      which shows you the best seats-we liked the Grand Circle because of the Chanderleir but the green seats show you the best.

      Stockpot is just round the corner to the theatre too.

      Keep up the great saving Simone!

      Sft x

      Delete

  6. All my reno spending is finished and March is here so now I am back on track adding to my sealed pot, $5.00 in change was added during the past couple of days. I also transferred the hundred dollars amount from my chequeing account to savings/trip account.
    I have seen the Phantom twice in Toronto, loved it both times, so glad you and your Mum had a good time.
    Patricia

    ReplyDelete
    Replies

    1. Hi Patricia,

      You sound so organised with your savings.

      Good to hear you are another Phantom fan.

      Sft x

      Delete

  7. What a wonderful Christmas present, and how lovely that your mum took you with her. This is a show I've never seen. Just to let you know that I've left an award for you on my blog. Don't feel obliged to accept it if you don't want to, I just wanted to let you know that I enjoy reading your blog.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies

    1. Yes, we were both very lucky. I'm sure Eleanor would enjoy this show.

      It's so nice to see that shows like Lion King and Cats are touring.

      I'm happy to accept the award and I'm looking forward to answering your questions soon.

      Sft x

      Delete

  8. This has been an amazing few weeks for my pot,2 lots of unexpected windfalls which was over $600 then another 2 lots of $10 and some $5's plus the coins each day.my large pot is almost full and i know the rest of the year will be a bit slow so I am just so chuffed that we got that boost.However if it were not sealed up I would have had to use it for a roof repair that will happen on Tuesday,we will just have to use other money for that and I feel blessed I can't get mine out..hee hee hee(it is mine! all mine! but really for us both lol)just so happy it is safe!
    We saw Phantom over here one our wedding anniversary many years ago and it was wonderful now we are married 43 years,I had no idea it had been going that long..we had great seats right under the chandalier when it came down,I thought I was going to have a heart attack!

    ReplyDelete
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    1. And I am DELIGHTED that you've had such a boost. Those airfares are within sight!

      Glad mentioning the Chandalier brought back so many happy memories.

      Sft x

      Delete

  9. I'm pleased that the money that I put in to replace what I took out in January STAYED THERE during February plus I was able to add another $80 or so. I have about 3 or 4 bags filled with wine and liquor bottles from Christmas and New Years so the deposit $ I get back will also go into my pot. I feel like the worst of my financial crunch is over and it's up up up for the rest of the year (let's hope I'm not wrong!)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies

    1. Sounds like you are doing really well with your sealed pot Jane. Well done.

      I love that you can get deposits backs. Sounds like money for free.

      So glad you feel so positive about things.

      Sft x

      Delete

  10. Hi, Sounds like you've had a good week as has Suze and I hope she enjoys here cruise. It gave me a boost hearing about her pot as, you may remember, mine is for a trip to the USA to see my son and daughter in law. Anyway it's been a good week for the sealed pot here in Wiltshire, with £6.32 change from my purse, £3.70 from the man's coins pile when he wasn't looking and I've 3 items on ebay which finish in about an hour or so, and are currently totally £43 which will go straight in the pot. And on top of that I finally made it under 13 stone too so the diet is doing pretty good too!
    Hope things are good with you too?
    KatieJane x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies

    1. You are doing brilliantly KatieJane and should feel delighted.

      Well done on the weigh loss.

      Now the weather has improved I can approach that too.

      Before now my SAD was too much to deal with it.

      Sft x

      Delete

  11. So excited! Something I bought for J at the carboot sale but which didn't fit, has just sold on ebay for 170 times what I paid for it!! I'm rather glad it didn't fit now! Added to the money from this weekend's other sales the virtual sealed pot will be getting a nice feed this week.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies

    1. Wow! I am so happy for you Scarlet! That's wonderful. Your virtual sealed pot must be so happy.

      Sft x

      Delete

  12. I have the change from my purse to add to the pot this week- a grand total of £3.84. Slowly but surely the pot is filling up :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies

    1. That's right Sarah, slowly, slowly catchy monkey....

      Sft x

      Delete

  13. You are doing so well with your pot contributions and still managing to live life at the same time - good on you!

    Only $3.00 from my purse this week for my tin. While not a lot, this is still good as it means I have not been out spending too much, which in turn means less change in my purse......if that makes sense lol. What I am trying to say is that I have not been spending notes which is what gives me coins for my tin. OK I'll leave it at that lol.

    Have a great week.

    Sx

    ReplyDelete

  14. Took my US money from my pot to be counted and turned into bills this so added $28 and also sold a knitting project for $25.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies

    1. Hi Marjorie,

      Well done on that extra money-converting all those bills paid off and well done for selling your knitting project.

      Sft x

      Delete

  15. I was able to add $20 plus assorted change and a few small bills to the pot this week...

    Sounds like a wonderful day out with your Mom...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies

    1. Hi Kelley,

      Well done on adding lots more to your pot, It all adds up.

      Yes, we had a wonderful day.

      Sft x

      Delete

  16. SFT
    You are doing so well with your savings.I have put in £3 in change this week.But hoping to do alot better in the coming weeks except 18th-24th as away in Cornwall on holiday:-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies

    1. Welsh Poppy,

      Yes, am trying really hard to put cash in the pot each weeek.

      Slow and steady savings works!

      Have a great time in Cornwall. We will be popping down there the week after.

      Sft x

      Delete

  17. Well done Suze! Weighing the pot is a great idea.

    I've been really good this week and hardly spent a thing, so there was very little change to put in the pot. I found a 20p and 2x1p on the ground outside, plus I took my own water to the cinema so put £2.50 in the pot as money saved on buying juice xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies

    1. Hi Lonestarsky,

      Well done on your low spending.

      Can't believe how good you are at 'finding' money. Well done for saving at the cinema too. Thinking ahead really does work.

      Sft x

      Delete

  18. Wow! Lots of intense savings going on. Well done fellow savers!

    This week my pot gained about $12. My employer waived the dispensing fee of $10 on a prescription, and I scrounged up approxinately $2 from the wallet, so a pretty good contribution considering I spent very little last week.

    Keep looking for the small savings. They do add up! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies

    1. Connie,

      Yes, isn't it great that everyone is doing so well!

      Great news about the prescription savings and wallet funds.

      Yes, those savings really do add up.

      Sft x

      Delete

  19. Hi sft, sorry for not joining in for a while... It's been a bit hectic here!

    We are still saving like mad & now have an extra bonus - B&B guests having meals with us are contributing to our pot. We ask for a minimum of £5 per person, so we've made an extra £50 in 2 weeks!

    We'll will post about our holiday soon, though it's still not concrete - it's looks like (if we can get cheaper flights than £600 per person) we'll be heading to Tromso in northern Norway for new year... we've found a couple of fab places for us to stay, though if we can't find cheaper flights - I think we may go to visit friends in Basel, Switzerland. All very exciting!

    Keep it up everyone!

    K&S :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies

    1. Hi Kay,

      Good to hear from you.

      I am delighted that you are doing so well with your pot. All that extra money is fantastic but you provide a meal at a great price so you deserve it.

      I am sooooo excited about your travel plans, you're all working so hard to achieve them.

      Sft x

      Delete

  20. Suze has done great with her total! How fantastic!

    I loved seeing the phantom of the opera, it is definitely one of my favourite. What a wonderful treat your mum taking you, sounds like you both had a lovely time.xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies

    1. I am thrilled for Suze!

      Glad you enjoyed the Phantom. It was like getting a Christmas present too and we did have a lovely time.

      Sft x

      Delete

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