NST March: Marching to a different beat

Join the NinjaSavingTurtles, named after our leader and inspiration NinjaSavingKat, and march to a different beat. Your own beat. No more following the crowd. No more keeping up with the Joneses. No more paying the banks extra money for the privilege of having borrowed from them.


March. The month of daffodils and the arrival of Spring. The equinox and altering the clocks. Preparation for Easter. St Patrick’s day. Pi day. Spring cleaning. But, most importantly of all: MARCH MADNESS.


What you will do with your money, your time and your energy this month will seem like madness to those who are still caught up in the maelstrom of consumerism. But Turtles are tough and stand proud against the ‘norm’. They swim against the tide. Turtles always take their lunch to work. They rack up NoSpendDays (NSDs) like they are going out of fashion. They eschew takeaways and big chain coffee shops. No vending machine has their fingerprints on it. They note down every single little spend in the notebook that would have to be surgically removed from their grip should they ever need hospital treatment. They look after themselves – financially, physically, mentally, spiritually, emotionally. They have BIG GOALS. They dream of FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early). They read blogs by other frugalistas to gain more inspiration. They share the lows and highs on here, posting every day. They are grateful for what they have.

The non-negotiables:

• · The challenge runs from March 1st to March 31st
• · For the striders: 18 NSDs; for the plodders: 15 NSDs (you can keep an NSD if the only thing you buy is fuel, medication, reduced items or paying for weekly or random activities [set the money aside for these at the start of the month])
• · Set your budgets before the challenge starts (food, bills, travel, activities, repayments, holidays, treats, clothing, pets, savings)
• · Be generous – there are many who are far worse off. Do not forget to give to your choice of charity.
• · Note down every single spend in a notebook and analyse where the pennies go
• · As ever, always take your lunch to work, and drink and snacks when out and about
• · [FONT=&quot]Pay towards your debt first! This is imperative. You have your debt free date in mind (You do, don’t you?!?!). So calculate how much you need to pay per month to reach it - and pay that first. Live off the rest. Simples.[/FONT]
• · Plan. Look ahead to the month and what your commitments are. Are you working late and therefore unlikely to feel like cooking when you get home? Make sure you have a portion or two of homemade ready meals in the freezer.
• · Check in every day.