Bridge the gap with the February NSD challenge

romylou_2

Hi guys, (subscribed to new link) Found you.

Well 2 days in and had no. 1 NSD for February. 19 more to go:A

Today was a spendy day, £5 for windowcleaner and £50 deposit for blinds for my livingroom. Its another step closer to getting my livingroom decorated, so I don't mind too much.;)

Oops - away to update signature.

Dee_cb

I had my first NSD of the month today. Had to resist tempetion today. The sweety man was at work today I did very well and didn't buy any sweets.

IF

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


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
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

Pie wrote: »

Hello everyone, and thanks to Spoon for doing this.

Please can you put me down for 5 NSDs? I tried for 10 in January but as I'm new to all this money-saving I failed miserably!

Here's to less spending in Feb!

cw18 wrote: »

There's that banned word again !!!

Spoon - I think it's time you came up with some kind of penance people have to do if they dare to use it in future

I think you may be right there, Cheryl, I'll try to think up something suitable:D

Welcome back Pie and sorry you had such a carp January. If you're having a bad time pop back and say hello, we'll give you loads of encouragement. In fact the best way to stay on the NSD rails is to post every (or most) days, that really seems to work.

Good luck for February, you can do it... but we don't use that word here.. none of us "fails" .... we just don't quite get there - keep that one in mind:D:D

solventsoon

slowlyfading wrote: »

I’ve got number 1 today. I’m off to bed now, had another strange day. Something that I thought I had gotten over, has come back in full force. Night x

((((((((((hugs))))))))) sf, hope you're OK and things look better for you tomorrow.
Take care
spoon xx

solventsoon

katenut wrote: »

Aw, you lot do make me smile!! Had a little giggle reading through the last few pages

Number 2 for me today. Tomorrow will almost definately be a spend day, taking my goddaughter to the seaside for the day with my two best mates so will splash out on fish and chips. First day off for ages so I'm looking forwards to a mini lie-in until 8am in the morning xx

Glad you had a giggle, kate, it does us all good:D

Hope you have a lovely day tomorrow, that sounds like fun:j:j:j and a well-deserved day off:T:T
spoon xx

IF

Forgot to say......got my 1st NSD today Spoony and SF :A:A

slowlyfading wrote: »

I’ve got number 1 today. I’m off to bed now, had another strange day. Something that I thought I had gotten over, has come back in full force. Night x [/center]

Hug from me too SF

niccatw

Sunnylooloo wrote: »

Hi Nicca xx

:hello: Hey stranger! Ships that pass in the night! Sorry things have been so wobbly for you. Big hugs. xxx (And just why do dogglets do that!)

BigMummaF wrote: »

Can I be on some toast; I quite fancy cheesy beans & it wouldn't be right on a roll Just read my first post again & meant to say all three wedding dresses together cost less than the £30.
I do like experimenting..yesterday I put sliced raw spuds in layers with sliced raw sprouts, dribble of water & covered with foil, gas mk3 for 3+hrs & it was lush with a beef & veggie casserole! Amazing what you can do with limited sized of cookware & a hankering for green veg :rotfl:

That's be some dress BuigMumma! At least when the photos were taking aaaaaaaaagggggggeeeeeeeessssssssss, you'd have something to nibble on! :rotfl:

Number 2 for me today. It was so close to being pulled out from under my feet as I got a bill for repairs in the close (a whole £2.04 between us!) but it wouldn't let me pay online as it was too small an amount. Which probably means I'll get a grumpy letter in two weeks time asking why I haven't paid it!

I don't have a cheque book and not sure what other options I have. Might have to invetisgate and also see what else I need so I can get all that spending done in one day!

solventsoon

Wee_Pilsbury wrote: »

. I'm on a roll now I think. Can you be on a roll with 1? :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

kdenty wrote: »

:rotfl:I think I'm on a roll too. :rotfl:

:rotfl::rotfl:Mini-rolls I think:D

BigMummaF wrote: »

Can I be on some toast; I quite fancy cheesy beans & it wouldn't be right on a roll

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

solventsoon

Quote:
Originally Posted by Nargleblast
But don't tell that CW person or she'll be rummaging around in her freezer for the one she rescued off the whoopsie shelf in 1985 but never got round to eating.

cw18 wrote: »

Nah! I got that shortly after getting my first house in 1987 - get your facts right my dear

But that one got binned (shock, gasp, horror) after I - and it - moved house in 1991, 2001 and 2002. But I replaced it shortly thereafter, so I still have one that's almost 9 years frozen :rotfl:

Cheryl, is there anything you don't have in your seemingly bottomless freezer?:D