Out with the old, in with the new: the January NSD challenge

IF

Good evening all x

Bumping BigMamma’s and Spoon’s posts x

solventsoon wrote: »

Hi lovely NSD gang:A
As you can see there is lots of activity on this thread at the moment and it's difficult sometimes to see how many NSDs you're all declaring on posts.

Could I ask you to highlight your number of NSDs in a colour and in bold so that I can see them easily when I whizz through the posts - red would be best but I don't really mind as long as I can see the numbers easily.

Thanks everyone:A
spoon xx

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 Solvent's (aka Spoon:rotfl:) first 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!

SarahNeedle1872

Number 10 today

Sx

solventsoon

ilovetea wrote: »

Thanks for the prize Spoon. Can I up my target to 15 please?

ilovetea xx

It's a pleasure, ilovetea, you've earned it with all those NSDs:D

Of course I'll increase your target to 15, good luck with getting there
xx

butdoineedit? wrote: »

Good luck Spoon, i can still remember my first tax return :eek:
You'd best get working on that list, i'll do pretty much anything for a cup of builders tea!

Well, hammer is at the ready, am just waiting for it to be a "reasonable" time to start making noise!

Thanks BDINI.. going OK, got all the stuff together now so going to attack the internet tomorrow:eek::eek::eek:

No need to get working on the list, it's all prepared but OH is choosing to ignore it:(. Supplies of tea and biccies all ready and waiting:D

Hope you had fun with the hammer today
xx

solventsoon

jintyb wrote: »

:think:


Gosh, well done CATS, stay strong m'dear!:T
I was sidetracked on the way to Water%ones. I had to go through Deben£ams to get there and I took a rush of blood to the head and decided to have my eyebrows threaded. Never had it done before, but doing my own has become a challenge due to eyesight not being what it was.
Well, what a difference, they look fantastic and I feel great! :T I am having a bit of an " I feel my age" day today, so I decided to treat myself to a good moisturiser ( one I used to use in my CC days;)) so I had a good trawl online and got a good price for it IMO!

SO:

I'm wrestling with myself re NSD - is it or isnt it?
this is the scenario:
Credit:

Waterstones £12, Amazon sales £11, Mystery Shop Money £23
Total £46

Debit:
Eyebrow threading £14, purchase of posh moisturiser on €bay £26 ( RRP £49.50:eek:)
Total : £40

Net £6 cr

My issue is that the Amazon and Mystery Shop money is not physically in my account yet, but will be in the next few days.:think:

All opinions welcome as always:)

Well done for the moisturiser bargain, jinty. I reckon that, like me, in the bad old CC days you probably would have bought the moisturiser plus a few other bits and bobs and spent at least £100:eek:.. so in view of all that money saved I think you can award yourself an NSD - providing, of course, that you don't do the same when your Amazon and Mystery Shop money actually hit your account (not that you would, it goes without saying:D).
x

catslovelycats wrote: »

Thanks Cheryl for helping me avoid temptation. They have none in stock!

Can I hold out against doritos until midnight (when they shut) . . .?

So annoyed about the card. Think I'll email them and tell them to put it on website. At the mo the item links to a normal SD card which is no good!

cw18 wrote: »

But of course you can

I've been willing you on, cats, so keeping my fingers crossed I'm going to see some good news later on:D
x

And, yes, Cheryl is very wise, she's been giving us all inspiration for a while on here
x

solventsoon

slowlyfading wrote: »

I've had the best day and no, it's not been a nsd

Good for you sf :j:j:j:j

solventsoon

beanielou wrote: »

Glad you had a good day SF.

Ive had a good day too :j :j :j ~The snow has finally gone away & I have been out for coffee & cake to celebrate
So still on no 14.

jinty~It would count as a NSD in mt book.
The cheek of Waterstones though :eek:
Hope it came out.

Spoon~Hope tax return is progressing.

Yay.. beanie:j:j:j:j:j:j really pleased you've managed to get out today :j:j:j:j

Well.. it's progressing, thanks.. another go at it tomorrow and it should be done... then I only have the bill to pay:(:(:(
x

solventsoon

Hi lovely NSD gang :A
Another quick roundup for tonight, loads of NSDs rolling in again and lots of chat. Well done everyone:j:j


Lots more NSDs rolling in today, well done to:

:j:j:jchris81418 - for no 10, double figures indeed, over halfway as well, keep going!

:j:j:jkdenty - for no 9 and fingers crossed for no 10 today. Oh dear to the self-inflicted headache, hope it cleared eventually

:j:j:jAmethyst68 - for no 11, nearly there now, keep going

:j:j:jmoneypenny2k - for no 9, hope you had a relaxing day today and enjoy tomorrow

:j:j:jsazzledazzle - for no 6, yay to being halfway. Well done for deleting all those tempting emails, really pleased you love the challenge, that’s good to hear

:j:j:jwit40iwtwan - for no 9, you’re doing brilliantly, one more and you can start counting down. Keep going!

:j:j:jkerri gt - for no 7 and yay to being halfway. Glad you had a good evening yesterday. Sorry your mum isn’t feeling too well, hope she’s on the mend soon.

:j:j:jsofababe - for no 7, nearly there now, keep going!

:j:j:jWelshWoofer - for no 6, over halfway now, you can do it!

:j:j:jemiliah - for no 6 and fingers crossed for tomorrow as well. You might have started off slowly but you’re catching the rest of us up now - keep going!

:j:j:jelfen - for no 10, I think that’s the right decision, the book was an essential, definitely

:j:j:jdollybeads - for no 6, don’t beat yourself up about the chips, sometimes they are just necessary. Fingers crossed for no 7 today and, yes, it’s definitely better to stop spending in the long run, you’re on the right track!

:j:j:jNym Mcfroglet - for no 7, nearly there now! Hope you have a lovely and thrifty Sunday

:j:j:jmumofjusttwo - for no 9, you’re doing brilliantly, never mind “quite well”. Fingers crossed for lots more NSDs next week.

:j:j:jkatenut - for no 11, and getting all your studying done today (despite a green light shining most of the day!)

:j:j:jcatslovelycats - for no 3 and well done for resisting those doritos today

:j:j:jmartafdz - for no 2, keep going, you can do it!

:j:j:jcuddlymarm - for no 11, nearly there now, keep going! Sorry you’ve all been poorly and hope you’re on the mend very soon.

:j:j:jromylou - for no 11, nearly there now, keep going. Sorry you’ve had a long day at work, you’re right about the weather, horrible today

:j:j:jKeiss 21 - for no 9, over halfway now, you can do it! I had to smile at the mouse in your nachos, sorry:o, hope the pizzas were a good substitute.

:j:j:jNargle - for no 6, loving the Narglenonsense.. those poor bunnies!!!

:j:j:jLittleMissHappy - for no 9, good luck on your whoopsie hunt tomorrow!

:j:j:jmonks - for no 11, nearly there now, you can do it! Hope tomorrow’s spendy day isn’t too serious

:j:j:jTropicalmoments - for no 8, over halfway now, keep going!

:j:j:jDee_cb - for no 4, nearly halfway now, keep going!

:j:j:jBDINI - for no 9, hope you’ve managed to demolish lots of things today

:j:j:jSarahNeedle1872 - for no 10, over halfway now, you can do it!


Well I’ve been a good spoony today and managed to get no 12:j... tomorrow is definitely going to be a spendy day though:o:o....

I’ll update the front page tomorrow as I’m not sure my poor beleaguered brain is capable of adding up numbers now:(, so please don’t be confused if your front page total doesn’t tie up with the numbers on this post.. spoony’s brain is tired:(

See you all tomorrow:A

‘night everyone
spoon x

InaPickle

solventsoon wrote: »

:j:j:jkatenut - for no 11, and getting all your studying done today (despite a green light shining most of the day!)

BUSTED! :rotfl:

And well done on all your hard work here, spoony, :T

Hope you are catching some zzzzzs in bed right now. :A

chris81418

Good morning everyone!

I feel asleep on the sofa yesterday evening, and have just woken up still on the sofa - oops! Must get myself to bed.

Anyway, just clocking in to report that yesterday was NSD number 11 - yay! Today is a spend day though, as I've just paid for an e8ay purchase, and later on (when the shops are open!) a weekly food shop will be taking place.

kerri_gt wrote: »

I have actually resorted to cat milk when we ran out before

hannah:-) wrote: »

:rotfl::rotfl:Prob worth mentioning it's milk for cats, not milk from cats tho :rotfl::rotfl:

Thanks for clearing that up Hannah ... I did wonder! :rotfl:

slowlyfading wrote: »

I've had the best day and no, it's not been a nsd

moneypenny2k wrote: »

OOO I get to use my favourite saying

If you can't be good.... ENJOY IT

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

I'm loving that too! I might just have to borrow it - thanks moneypenny!

Have a good rest of the weekend everyone! I'm off to bed now!

elf06

Wel yesterday was a huge spendy day . All was needed/panned for but I still grudge paying that much money in one day!!! Ordered DS prescription sunglasses, got a pressie for a party he was going to yesterday afternoon and got in some food from Mr T. There were a couple of bits that werent on my list but were woopsies and therefore justifiable (sp??) . Still in all a whole lot of money spent Oh and just as it was already a spendy day I put the window cleaner money aside for his next visit................in 4 weeks :rotfl:

Today should be a NSD but as per usual I wont declare until the end of the day as I will be out and about .............might leave the purse at home though