The Deliciously Decadent December NSD Challenge!

marmiterulesok
marmiterulesok Posts: 7,812
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edited 29 December 2014 at 10:49PM in Debt-free wannabe challenges
Yes,that's right,December will soon be here!

I've been racking my brains to come up with a theme,and really was getting a tad stressed out.....what happens in December after all that's of any interest to a bunch of skinflint-aspiring wallet watchers?After a detailed chat with Father Christmas,he put forward an idea so brilliant,that well,for once,I was speechless.That's right, a tropical holiday in a tropical paradise,full of sun,blue skies,sandy beaches,scuba diving,lovely cocktails,getting that tan just right and not getting burnt....that's right,we're going to escape from those ghastly winter blues and anything at all Christmassy.Just think:the sun,the sea,the flying fish.....:j
The tardis is all set with lots of coconuts,cocktail sticks,loads of pink'n'sparkly bikinis and T-shirts,tanning lotion and some of last year's famed sprouts curry,just in case on-one likes the local delicacies!Igor has also come up with a powerful 'jungle juice' as he calls it,that'll put hairs on your chest! :eek:


Of course,the best thing about this tropical jaunt is that it's all free!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D


For those of you who are new to the challenge,we are a happy (and some might say mildly insane) bunch doing battle with those retailers - and there’s plenty of temptation out there at the moment. We are seriously committed to saving money, but nobody said it can't be done with a smile on your face - so we organise riotous nights out and gatecrash any function going - all without leaving the comfort of our own imaginations or armchairs!

On a slightly more serious note, we are here to help each other avoid spending for the number of days we feel we can manage to try to take back some control over our hard-earned money. What you class as a "spend'" is entirely your choice; some people will try to shop on the days DD/SO etc are paid, whilst others will not include essentials such as rent. Have a look for a post from our sponsor (and godmother of this challenge) BigMummaF, this contains some guidelines and ideas for starting you off on the challenge.

It’s amazing how inventive you get when you’re determined NOT to spend - from weird menu ingredients to surprising DIY solutions - but you know what? 99% of the time those wacky ideas work.

Just remember that mentioning the F word (f-a-i-l!) is not allowed,and anyone who does will have a swift visit from Shawn the Shark! i3dzjk.jpg



If you're new to the forum,click here to read the Intro Guide.


If you haven’t already, join the forum to reply!


We're hoping to see lots of new faces this month,so don't be shy!
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Comments

  • marmiterulesok
    marmiterulesok Posts: 7,812
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    edited 29 December 2014 at 10:54PM
    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 wink2.gif
    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 sport-smiley-003.gif & have been l-o-n-g time NSDers so don't panic :p
    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 :D
    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 action-smiley-076.gif
    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 [Weds mornings] in the cracked teapot & Ben's £1 coin for the gym locker [Friday lunch] 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 :D

    We have virtual outings to wonderful places that never cost us a bean :rotfl:New York, Edinburgh & Brighton have been a couple & nargle 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 :D The only thing to be aware of is Hubert the donkey who is partial to anything remotely edible but is not yet house-trained :o

    And Remember;
    there are no silly questions, so don't be afraid to ask us anything!
  • marmiterulesok
    marmiterulesok Posts: 7,812
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    edited 28 December 2014 at 9:25PM
    Get ready for it.There are some smokin' prizes awaiting you...

    1st prize 34j8vpf.jpg



    2nd prize 2lxv30o.jpg



    3rd prize b8uvyc.jpg



    4th prize 2yn1feg.jpg



    Target exceeded 2s1repv.jpg



    Consolation prize
    2yxmaut.jpg
  • marmiterulesok
    marmiterulesok Posts: 7,812
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    edited 29 December 2014 at 8:44PM
    Post your target and I'll add you to the list.

    marmiterulesok 10/10 34j8vpf.jpg

    Samiszel 10/10 34j8vpf.jpg2nd target 13/13 2lxv30o.jpg
    Target exceeded 14/13 2s1repv.jpg



    Sundaysgirl 6/10

    Knit Witch 9/10 34j8vpf.jpg2nd target 15/15 2lxv30o.jpg
    3rd target 20/20 b8uvyc.jpg
    4th target 25/25
    2yn1feg.jpg



    kermit2601 4/10

    BigMummaF 0/10

    lindor 10/10 34j8vpf.jpg
    Target exceeded11/10 2s1repv.jpg


    Nargleblast 16/16 34j8vpf.jpg


    iloveshopping 93 0/10

    Ratison 4/10

    slowlyfading 17/18

    scotmumof3 15/15 34j8vpf.jpgTarget exceeded16/15 2s1repv.jpg



    gothrockchic1 11/15

    kaspadoc 0/10

    ETO 5/10

    sonicetomeetyou 3/6

    Saver-upper 1/11

    kerri gt 9/?

    kermit2601 4/10

    fedup 20/20 34j8vpf.jpg
    2nd target24/24 2lxv30o.jpg

    black cat 15/18

    Aphidgirl 12/12 34j8vpf.jpg2nd target 13/14
    redlaces 8/12

    Penguins86 7/7 34j8vpf.jpg
    2nd target 12/12 2lxv30o.jpg


    kathy40uk 17/18

    Munchin 11/12

    Candlewick 10/15

    butterfly2507 10/10 34j8vpf.jpg2nd target 15/15 2lxv30o.jpg
    3rd target 20/20 b8uvyc.jpg4th target 23/24


    hotspur_pam 1/5

    Aloofdragon 7/17

    jodles1618/18 34j8vpf.jpg2nd target 19/20


    Cherry Burton 7/10

    peedie 0/15

    grassgirl 0/10

    Learning2Bugdet 14/16

    donna dynamo 12/15

    October Starter 0/5

    Iolanthe2/10

    Happygreen 10/10 34j8vpf.jpgTarget exceeded 14/10 2s1repv.jpg



    jaxsmar 8/15

    DFF10/10 34j8vpf.jpg
  • marmiterulesok
    marmiterulesok Posts: 7,812
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    edited 28 December 2014 at 9:38PM
    Post your target and I'll add you to the list.


    I suppose we can't ignore Christmas altogether.....:D We have a super prize lined up for you all!


    23jlt7q.jpg




    marmiterulesok 4

    Samiszel 3

    Sundaysgirl 3

    Knit Witch 4 achieved!23jlt7q.jpg 5 achieved! 23jlt7q.jpg

    Ratison 3

    gothrockchic1 4

    kermit2601 5

    Aphidgirl 3 achieved!23jlt7q.jpg4

    Munchin 3 achieved! 23jlt7q.jpg4 achieved! 23jlt7q.jpg



    Candlewick 3 achieved!23jlt7q.jpg4 achieved! 23jlt7q.jpg

    grassgirl 3

    L2B 4

    Happygreen 3 achieved! 23jlt7q.jpg
  • marmiterulesok
    marmiterulesok Posts: 7,812
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    edited 24 November 2014 at 9:27AM
    Can anyone find me a sunnier palm trees animation please? I got the 1st prize one on https://www.heathersanimations.com and couldn't find any others.
    We need lots of sun!
    Thanks. :)
  • Click here for a link to November's thread. :)
  • What do you all do if you have joint bank accounts - get your partners on-board or just consider yourself and no spending as a no spend day? Thanks!
    • [STRIKE]Credit Card: £2,989 / £2,989[/STRIKE]
    • Bank Loan: £12,000 / £14,000
  • Pepperoni wrote: »
    What do you all do if you have joint bank accounts - get your partners on-board or just consider yourself and no spending as a no spend day? Thanks!

    Hi there pepperoni! :wave:

    Have you read the second post on this thread?There are lots of suggestions as to what rules to have.
    The bottom line is that it's you who decides the rules.Joint bank accounts do make it a bit tricky.You can't control your OH's spending.I live on my own,so don't have this problem,but if I didn't then I'd be tempted not to count the OH's spends at all.
    Do you have a grocery budget or other budgets for different things?

    That's just my take on it.Does that make it any clearer? :)
  • Samiszel
    Samiszel Posts: 610
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    Thanks, marmite. I'll go for 10 NSD in December and try for 3 in a row.

    Loooooving the theme! :cool2:
    Letting Go NST #17
    NSD 1/15; LTW 0/9; budget £0/£250; food £5.20/£120; steps 0/31
    Make £10 per day in Oct: £30/£310

    Mortgage: £214,702.15
  • Sundaysgirl
    Sundaysgirl Posts: 1,096
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    Thanks for starting us off again marmite - please count me in. I'm going to start with a target of 10 and 3 in a row please - not expecting a very spendy December as presents are all bought, however I have lots of visiting etc to do over the course of the month so think I'll end up with many low-spend days for incidentals. If I start off low I hopefully won't feel as defeated as I currently do!
    MFW 2017 #123 2018: £1,852.64/£39,200 (4.7%)
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