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

butdoineedit?

Wow the thread is so busy now! Welcome to all the newbies!!
Trust me when i say that you will soon get the hang of this NSD lark, it wasn't that long ago i was a newbie too!!! My top tip is definitely to visit the thread regularly & shout when you need help, there really is the most amazingly friendly, helpful (& slightly nutty :rotfl:) bunch of people here.

No NSD for me today, but i had already decided today & tomorrow won't be as i needed to grab some lettuce & milk & want to try to find some taps for the new bath i ordered earlier in the week & a new lamp for the front room before the VAT goes up, didn't get very far in the city centre today so tomorrow is a trawl round the DIY shops, but after that no plans to spend till Saturday... fingers crossed!!!

solventsoon

katenut wrote: »

Number 2 for me today please Spoon!

Welcome to all the newbies (though does that mean I'm an 'oldie' now?!) - I've been doing this since last January and it has totally transformed the way I think about money. Read the first four posts on page one for lots of good advice from Spoon and BigMummaF.

This thread is huge now - the list on the first page is massive!! Hope you're OK keeping track of so many people Spoon, and good luck to everyone xxx

Yep, you're definitely an "oldie" now, kate:D

Not sure, tbh, I'm OK at the moment as I'm off work, but I might struggle later in the week, so you may all get an SOS for some help.

spoon x

PS: thanks for asking:)

ln1981

NSD no.2 for me today. :j

we go to the football, and it was our local derby today. am impressed, i spent no money! tickets were already paid for by my grandparents as part of our christmas, and my aunty always does the food run for the kids!!

am thinking tomorrow may be a spend day though, as we have finally run out of bread and milk, but i may combine the weekly big shop with it tomorrow and get it all out of the way.

solventsoon

butdoineedit? wrote: »

No NSD for me today, but i had already decided today & tomorrow won't be as i needed to grab some lettuce & milk & want to try to find some taps for the new bath i ordered earlier in the week & a new lamp for the front room before the VAT goes up, didn't get very far in the city centre today so tomorrow is a trawl round the DIY shops, but after that no plans to spend till Saturday... fingers crossed!!!

Good luck with the shopping, BDINI, hope you get what you want tomorrow
spoon x

IF

Just bumping BigMumma's post

BigMummaF wrote: »

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!

solventsoon

Hi lovely NSD gang :A:A
Well I’ve been through all the new posts since yesterday (and there are a few of them) and have added everyone now and updated all the totals. Good start to the month from everyone, well done:j

A warm welcome to all our newbies joining up this month - and there are lots of you. It’s great to have you on board, if you’re not sure about anything please ask, we’re very friendly and there’s usually someone around to help. BigMumma has put some draft guidlines on one of the pages and I’ve copied this onto the front page. Have a look at it and if something’s unclear put it on a post and we’ll have a look at it. Good luck with your first NSD challenge.:D

Newbies joining up are:

:hello:lotti379 - of course you may join, you’re very welcome
:hello:Tropicalmoments - consider yourself added - good luck
:hello:belfast_girl - consider yourself added - good luck
:hello:sazzledazzle - consider yourself added - like the determined attitude, go you!!
:hello:Nym Mcfroglet - consider yourself added - liking the positive thinking and I love your name
:hello:Monks - of course you may join, you’re very welcome. Plenty of motivation available here
:hello:save-a-holic - of course you may join, you’re very welcome. If you need any advice, just ask away
:hello:Nikkiev27 - you can do it, just have a think about how to organise your spends, plenty of advice available here
:hello:Kellyjelly27 - hi and welcome, you can do it, if you need any advice just ask
:hello:DansMum - of course you may join, you’re very welcome. Good idea to start slowly, you’re very organised
:hello:lily288 - hi and welcome, good luck you can do it

A big welcome back to more of our regulars and those rejoining after a time away - great to see you all:

:hello:Sunnylooloo - good to have your company again
:hello:meersy22 - welcome back
:hello:emiliah - good to have your company again
:hello:mumofjusttwo - welcome back, hope it helps
:hello:Snowy Owl - welcome back, good luck with the reins tightening!
:hello:steerpiker - welcome back, great start
:hello:loveGSDs - liking the positive attitude, you can do it!
:hello:emylou - of course you may join again, you’re very welcome. We’ll keep you on track, just keep posting. Happy Birthday for Wednesday
:hello:BlimusOreilly - good to have your company again

solventsoon

Well done to the following for NSD no 1:

:jehallett
:jelf06
:jchris81418 - and good luck with your 6 in a row
:jjintyb
:jLemon Tree
:jdetermined new ms - hope you feel better soon
:jPalema - hope you enjoyed the Chinese
:jbelfast_girl - like the positive thinking
:jifwishes - keep going!
:jBigMumma - thanks for the guidelines, brilliant!
:jloveGSDs
:jhoney - hope your S.Dad is on the mend
:jNym Mcfroglet
:jEmylou
:jKalojac
:jKellyjelly27 - great start, keep going
:jBlimusOreilly
:jDansMum
:jlily288


Well done to the following for 2 NSDs, great start, keep going:

:jTeenyweenyspender
:jSunnylooloo
:jWee Pilsbury - glad the challenge helps, good luck for this year!
:jmummyroysof3
:jilovetea
:jChangingme - you’re sounding very organised
:jsteerpiker - off like a rocket!
:jNargle - great start!
:jslowlyfading - and a great start for you
:jJES_F1 - well done for resisting the online spending
:jboultdj - great start, keep going!
:jAmethyst68 - hope you find a freezer, good luck!
:jFedupandskint - yes, you can do 3 in a row
:jbeanielou
:jsofababe - you’ve been busy today
:jmonks
:jjedi82 - well done for not popping out to buy bread
:jwit40iwtwan
:jtwistedhazel - oh dear, sorry about the tumble drier
got-it-spend-it
:jKayleighpea
:jbelfast_girl - not leaving the house is a great tactic provided you stay away from internet shopping
:jniccatw
:jhannah:-) - it will get addictive, believe me
:jDecluttering
:jkatenut
:jBrummiebabe
:jThe Dragon
:jskaps

Phew.... just off to update the numbers on the front page now.. boy you lovely people are keeping me busy:D

Nearly forgot, I got no 2 today as well :j

See you all tomorrow

spoon xx

solventsoon

ln1981 wrote: »

NSD no.2 for me today. :j

we go to the football, and it was our local derby today. am impressed, i spent no money! tickets were already paid for by my grandparents as part of our christmas, and my aunty always does the food run for the kids!!

am thinking tomorrow may be a spend day though, as we have finally run out of bread and milk, but i may combine the weekly big shop with it tomorrow and get it all out of the way.

Well done, In1981, you're doing brilliantly:j:j

Liking the thinking ahead, that's the way to go:T:T

spoon x

buddiebabe

Well i had NSD no 2 yesterday mostly due to the fact i spent all day in the house missing out on free dinner at OHs parents but i really wasn't feeling too well and i have managed to sort out my kitchen cupboards but feel that a shopping trip will need to happen today to get the rest of the supplies for the week before the VAT increase on the 4th... i know it will probably just be pennies but why should the supermarket get them.

So doubt it will be a NSD today but 2 out of 7 aint bad so far

Buddiebabe x

lotti379

Still haven't managed one yet! BUT have my best mate visiting and I won't see her for ages so we went to the pub - only spent £3.30 though! (I'm not drinking which made rounds cheaper! can you say rounds for just two people?)

Excuses over. Will try harder tomorrow!