Bridge the gap with the February NSD challenge

IF

Good evening all x


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!

beanielou

Jinty~yah to no new specs.

No 11 for me & 9 in a row I think.
Dident buy my mum something else in the end for her bday & dident pay for carry out tonight either.

emiliah

Another 3 for me - making it # 9:j Half way there

Would have been another one today, but needed dog food - must start bulk buying it.

moneypenny2k

jintyb wrote: »

Thought I saw you :wave:! Hope you had a good day:):)



OMG - that is just so annoying and rather presumptious to expect you to pay that kind of money for share of a gift AND a meal.:eek: Even for a 40th, its a bit OTT!:eek:



That teapot sounds absolutely lovely - you're cuppa wil taste even better out of that!:T

Well, I'm delighted to report that my eyesight has not deteriorated at all. The optician said there is no change in my sight, so no need for new specs:j I did get my self a spare cheapo pair, as I lost my spare pair and I wanted the comfort of knowing I have a back up.
OH only needed new readers , but as he is in construction, he had to get special lenses. Anyhoo, the total was £164, which although is a bit :eek: its a lot less than the £400 I'd set aside.;)
Got my bits of groceries and that is my final shop for Feb - I'm £25 UNDER budget for the month.
Although my NSD total could be better, at least I'm not blowing the bank!
That's us in for the rest of the day. OH is making a nice stew which we'll have with tatties, carrots and mangetout. Good old comfort food for a wet Sunday;)

Thought I'd just flag up in case you, or others, didn't know. If you need specs to do your work and it's computer based, then your employer should pay for the test at least. I got the following from my employer

The Regulations cover all display screen equipment used by employees but the majority of requirements apply only to those employees who can be defined as “users”.

Likely “users” are secretaries, word-processing workers, accountants and accounts staff. The definition of a user depends on the nature and the extent of use and applies to full and part-time staff. Typically, continuous or near continuous spells of DSE work for an hour or more at a time most working days classifies an employee as a user.

Where any employee “user” requests one, the employer must pay for an eyesight test by a registered ophthalmic optician and this should be repeated at a frequency recommended by the optician.

Where separate spectacles are recommended for use with DSE, the cost of a basic pair of glasses must also be met by the employer. The regulations also state that we will pay the full cost of an eye test.


My employer has just paid up on £50 for my test, needed retinal photography as I had eye surgery 2 years ago, plus he's paying for my glasses.

DansMum_2

Hey all reporting Saturday and Sunday as NSD taking my total to 7 :j half way through now

Dee_cb

NSD # 5 for me today, 2 in a row as well. Not sure if tomorrow is going to be a spend day for me tomorrow. Going for a meal but I think the OH is going to be paying

Trinny

Hi Spoon

NSD 7 today

Thanks

Trin

kerri_gt

Well the shops are closed and I can't even be bothered to look at any online shopping sites...the mood here is deff glum still

However, I can declare NSD #6. Can't quite muster a happy smiley I'm afraid sorry guys :(

beanielou

Kerri~Really hope you feel more like yourself really soon.
Take care xx

butdoineedit?

Hope you're ok Kerri?

Number 7 today (thanks for putting me right on that Spoon )

Am going to have to start my run of 4 again, as i blew it yesterday, however it was well worth it, as i had a fab impromptu night out with some friends i have not seen since before xmas, saw a singer called Imelda May who was awesome & definitely had one too many :beer: but at least that helped the NSD today, as i had zero desire to even get dressed!!

Tomorrow will be spendy as i put the grocery shopping off till pub night, but then i'm wondering if i can go all the way to next Monday without spending (will put milk money to one side)..... scared at the thought!!