Challange 5 No Spend Days In July

piglet6

Hi

Just logging in to report that I have today finally managed my second NSD this month! :j Only 3 more to go before the end of the month...:p

Piglet

P.S. Am also £10 up today as we got 3 numbers on the lottery this evening! :T (I know, I know... Please, no lectures about how pointless playing the lottery is...!! :rolleyes:)

lisa_martin_2

Whoops I have had 13 no spend days but haven't updated. I have to mention that I don't count any direct debits or household bills into my NSD because they are essential, I don't coun't the fortnightly shop either because we have to eat. But if I pick up anything through the week i class as a naughty spend day.

Is this right? What about the rest of you, do you work like this too?

Lisa xx

beanielou

Wow, thats great Lisa.
Im much the same as you.
Dont count budgeted spends & money from account for DD/SO's.

Cleosmum

Wahey, will be much easier if I dont count budgeted spends and DD and SO. Going by that I am over my 5 days, will remember for august!

wanttobeasaver

GReat Cleos mun you've managed your target............

Spent £3.31 in shop today on sandwich & packet of sweets had lunch , coffee drinks & all with me but was working a 12 hour day so ate my lunch for breekie so needed sandwich for lunch:mad: do you get my drift?

UH im cross as thought i would get away with spending today as after i posted here last nite i got all organised not to spend

Oh well theres always tomorrow:beer:

nzseries1

I think that the household shop should be counted as spending. For me, part of the challenge is planning what food (and other spending) I will need for the week in advance, and ensuring I buy it all on the one day so that I don't keep buying extra little things during the week.

I think any day where you hand over cash or write a cheque is a spend day, except in the case where you have to travel to work by public transport where there's no weekly pass available. (So that means direct debits for bills are excluded).

But of course that's just my way of doing the challenge, really whatever works for anyone else is just fine!

rb6ac

:hello: I too have been counting my weekly food shop as a spends day.

lisa_martin_2

Hmmm seems we all have different ways. But hey thats cool. With the Food shopping I buget £70 a fortnight. If I go over (I don't normally but somtimes when theres a certain thing on offer you just cant help yourself.) I class that as a naughty spend day. If i'm under I put the remaing amount into the savings.

I'n my mind you do have to buy food so with a budget its like a DD or a SO. go over and risk a £38 bank charge HEHEHEHEHE

Aussieonabudget

Just to be transparent I thought I would post how I work out a NSD too.

As I live in a shared house (for the moment but that's another story) I budget for bills at the beginning of the month but the bills for the whole house come out of my account throughout the month so these are not counted for NSDs. I do however count the grocery shop as a spending day (on the day it gets delivered regardless of when the money comes out of my account) and also the weekly fruit/veg box as a spending day. If my OH or I spend money out of our own budget I don't count this, but anything that goes on the joint spreadsheet as spent counts as a spending day. Haven't quite decided about the mobile phone bills as they are technically not essentials!!!!

Hope that helps someone trying to work out their own rules - or do we need to work out how everyone will do it for next month so we are on a level playing board (I personally am challenging myself so am happy with individual or group rules).

The main thing is that the challenge is helping everyone to think about their spending and I know it has made a fantastic impact on our planning and budgetting so thanks to wanttobeasaver for starting the thread - you rock!!!!!

Good luck to everyone else thats still going for their target this month - we can do it!
Aussie

nzseries1

Aussieonabudget wrote: »

Hope that helps someone trying to work out their own rules - or do we need to work out how everyone will do it for next month so we are on a level playing board (I personally am challenging myself so am happy with individual or group rules).

Thanks for the detail Aussie!
I think forcing rules upon people would not be in the MoneySaving spirit. I'm usually a stickler for the rules but in this case I think people should be able to make their own rules.