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

IF

Bumping BigMamma’s and Spoon’s posts x


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!

elfen

No NSD for me as needed to get razors and toothpaste, but spent under a fiver...woohoo!

butdoineedit?

katenut wrote: »

Evening all! And thanks for the mention in the roundup Spoon - the non-smoking is going well, so well in fact that I felt I deserved a glass of wine tonight therefore spoiling my NSD! Oh well, I've been good lately and I think its the first time I've spent a non-essential penny this month! I've switched to red wine as this goes down a treat without making me want one of those nasty cigarettes . Need to find some healthy snacks to eat now - or maybe try a bit of sledgehammering like BDINI?

Well done Kate!!! You must let me know if you find a healthy snack that does the job though, if i eat any more chocolate peanuts i'm going to look like one!! (well to be fair i'm already getting close to the round shape :rotfl:)
There's plenty of sledgehammering to go round if you want to share...:D

honey

Hi everyone :wave:

Just popping in to declare today as NSD 7. Nearly there now!

Have a great weekend all,

honey x

cw18

no more NSDs to report for me

nipped down to work at Whoopsie time yesterday, and picked up a few bits and pieces (including some tubs of cranberries and coconut I'd been watching dropping in price- had gone from £4 to £2.50, but was watching for a further reduction. last night they said 75p, but went through the tills at 50p :T)

I've filled the car with liquid gold today (cost me almost as much for just over half a tank as it did for a full tank - from running on fumes - this time last year..... and we've another increase coming in April :mad: ). Need to nip down the shops before they close tonight, as I've lost the safety pins from my race kit - and I need them tomorrow

Probably won't be around a great deal from about an hours time until tomorrow evening / Monday morning - visitor on the way

The_Dragon

Not going out today OR spending on line so counting this as NSD # 15 I don't think I will up my target but will hopefully get more in next week

rising_from_the_ashes

cw18 wrote: »

Probably won't be around a great deal from about an hours time until tomorrow evening / Monday morning - visitor on the way

Ohhhhh errrrrrrrrr! Have a fabby time Cheryl!:D


Declaring NSD No 8!

Been out with dog & not going anywhere else today so think I'm pretty safe doing so.

Have a great weekend everyone!

boultdj

And a spend day for me

bella121984

Hi everyone! Manic few days, so ive not had time to catch up with everything, but today is most definitely not an NSD for us...hubby has just been dispatched to Ikea to get some new furniture for the lounge (using money ive saved in the grocery challenge!) but tomorrow hopefully will be which will be 9...ive already upped my target to 10 but id like to up it to 15 now please spoon!

hannah:-)_2

:T:T NSD #7 :T:T

Was meant to be going out today, but rain this morning quickly turned today into a mock Sunday (am working tomorrow, so a lazy day is just what I needed )

Am hoping that I can avoid spending before work tomorrow too - famous last words tho :rotfl: