The Love is in the Air February NSD Challenge

wildcherry · 24 February 2013 at 5:31PM

Hi All,

Fully expected today to be a spend day but my friend whom I cooked lunch for went to Mr S for me and paid for the bits I needed so that has made today NSD#14!!! Very pleased with myself. I only need one more to get to target and I think I should do that. Might even get a couple more....

kerri_gt · 24 February 2013 at 5:50PM

*hangs head in shame and shuffles in* no NSD here

:o Met my DM in town and ended up buying a pair of furry ear muffs for £4.80 (reduced from £16) - things like that don't usually suit me that well but these look very sweet even if I do say so myself - and go very nicely with the gloves that I got untagged.

DM bought my niece a really sweet pair of gloves for next winter too - capped stripy mittens down from about £12 to £3 - BUT there was a small imperfection which she said she could sew up, so I told her to ask for a discount...she asked if they had any more in stock, answer (not surprisingly was no) - but they offered her another 50% off - so £12 down to £1.50 :T

Then went and picked up a few 'things' in JS - I was actually following a list for 2 recipes (curry and cheesecake - though not together) and a few other 'bits'...came to £45 (incl discounts) :eek::eek: no idea how that happened

Freezer seems somewhat fuller than I expected now though so if I do the A$da shop next weekend it shouldn't be as much as it would have been.

EverTheOptimist · 24 February 2013 at 5:54PM

Unfortunately it's been a spendy weekend, so no more NSD's to add. Booooooo.

But I should have most things for the week now. Just the cinema on Tuesday to pay for.

Well done to everyone who has managed to grab NSD's over the weekend.

emslovesmickey · 24 February 2013 at 6:07PM

An unexpected NSD today - so NSD 20

katholicos · 24 February 2013 at 7:18PM

Nsd number 16 today.

beanielou · 24 February 2013 at 8:20PM

So NSD no 19 today.
Spoony~Hope you feel better soon xx

Karb · 24 February 2013 at 8:35PM

11 NSDs so far. 4 days left in Feb and I need three of them to be NSDs to hit my target. Its going to be a close run thing

Delilahh · 24 February 2013 at 9:01PM

Managed another one today, so now am up to:

7/11 NSD's

IF · 24 February 2013 at 9:18PM

Hiya my No Spendy chums :hello:
As you can see there is lots of activity on this challenge at the moment and it's difficult sometimes to see how many NSDs you're all declaring on posts.
Could we ask you to highlight your number of NSDs in a colour and in bold so that Freeby, Spoon, BDINI and Marmite can see them easily when they whizz through the posts - red would be best but they don't really mind as long as they can see the numbers easily.

Some helpful suggestions and ideas to follow below from our sponsor and godmother, BigMummaF :A

NO SPEND CHALLENGE.

1. Have a good, long think about what YOU want to include in your Spend & Excluded categories.
Some of us count everything from Direct Debits & school expenses, while others do not include things like essential Bills or emergency medical costs. If you plan what is or is not a Spend for you now, it will help you decide on a realistic Target.
2. It is NOT a race!
We all have very different demands on our time & bank balance, so please do not think you have to buy everything on 1st January & make it last till 31st December! A few of us have been following this Challenge for a long...long...LONG time so have developed plans & ploys to help us along the way

3. Most important of all, WE..DO..NOT..FAIL!
Sometimes we can't quite reach our Target, but that is fine

Everyone knows how Life will try to trip us up, & that is when you will find us here to help you back on to your feet.

OK, an idea of how some of us do things.
1. What you will or will not include as a 'Spend'.
Some people are doing other challenges too, & don't include the money spent on those for this one.
Some will try to shop for other bits on the days their direct debits etc go out of their bank accounts; they're the real hard core of the bunch

& have been l-o-n-g time Nsders so don't panic

Some won't count those annoying last minute demands from school & collections as you can't plan for them in advance, likewise emergency prescriptions or visits to the vet

Personally speaking & providing I don't buy anything else, I don't count parking for hospital appointments.(..but then I usually do my shopping because I'm already out :whistle:)
General thoughts on €bay sales is the buyer has paid P&P so no cost to you

2. It takes Time to reach mega-numbers!
The First suggestion is the first, because a bit of planning will work wonders on your road to your Target. Have a look at thefirst posts each month for a hefty list of other threads that may be of help. For example, there's a few giving ideas for packed lunches so you can avoid standing in the queue at the bakers for 45mins of your lunch hour! A good incentive to tweak your healthy eating & the pounds you save will show in your bank balance AND your waistline

It helps to have various 'money pots' for the different costs that happen like Scouts, dinner money, yoga, window cleaner etc etc. The idea is you "spend" all that money in one hit by..:think:..let's say **putting the week's bus fares into the pretty coffee jar, Jo's tumble tots SIZE=2]Weds mornings[/SIZE in the cracked teapot & Ben's £1 coin for the gym locker SIZE=2]Friday lunch[/SIZE in the pocket of the changing bag, on Tuesdays every week when you've got some change from doing the food shop, so an already spendy day. At least four 'spending days' condensed into one

(**mine's jam jars for windows, milkman & a bit towards the bills!)
3. Any day the money stays in your pocket is a bonus!
If you look at it as a day you beat the system, you can't help but :j so don't fret it--ENJOY! If nothing else in here, we do manage find something to make us smile

We have virtual outings to wonderful places that never cost us a bean :rotfl:New York, Edinburgh & Brighton have been a couple & Spoon usually pilots the Tardis but you can use your own transport; my personal favourite has been a sit-on lawn mower borrowed from the cricket club

The only thing to be aware of is Hubert the donkey who is partial to anything remotely edible but is not yet house-trained

And Remember;
there are no silly questions, so don't be afraid to ask us anything!

marmiterulesok · 24 February 2013 at 9:35PM

That's another nsd bagged today,so I'm at #16!

freeby thanks for the update and all your hard work.:A:A

spoon get well soon.

Have a great week everyone!And well done to all of you who've reached their target!:j:beer::money:

The Love is in the Air February NSD Challenge

Comments

Categories

Get our FREE Weekly email full of deals & guides - and it’s spam-free