Bridge the gap with the February NSD challenge

IF

Morning all :hello:




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!

IF

kerri_gt wrote: »

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 :(

Big hug from me too Kerry x

Sunnylooloo

Happy Valentines one and all!!

No 7 for me please

Had to buy cakes today pah!

Let me know if anyone needs directions to Tower Bridge tomorrow?? :rotfl::rotfl:

I am off for 3 days as from tomorrow - so hopefully will have a chance to catch up properly with all the posts. Won't be around much tomorrow as i will be on the way to ahem Tower Bridge.

I'm looking forward to spending a bit of quaility time with Mr Looloo - it seems our lives get so busy it will be nice to be just the two of us and I am looking forward to holding his hand round the London Dungeons!!

I hope everone is ok and big hugs to those who are not!

and well done to everyone with their NSD's

xxx

LittleMissHappy_2

Spoon - It was 'Nothing else matters' by Metallica I have been playing it lots and will play it for the valentines dinner I am doing for Dh tonight, so definitely worth it!

Another spend day today, but was expecting it as wanted to get the offer for the dog and cat food etc from Mr T. Thursday I am going out for lunch with a friend, but have put money to one side for this and that is the only day I have plans to spend this week, so hopefully the next few days should be NSDs.......



We'll see.....:p:p:p

cw18

Yesterday was NSD #7

However today isn't number 8
Just checked my bank account while on my lunch break, and my phone/broadband D/Debit has gone out.......
But that means I can Whoopsie hunt tonight

SuziQ1962

Hi all whizzing in to say NSD 7 for me,nearly halfway and 14 days left to do it!
Have a good day!

jaffacakegal

NSD #6 on Friday.

Didn't get petrol as I had intended to get it on Saturday, planned spendy, with Mr T voucher. Unfortunately car never made it (no, not lack of petrol, overheating and going mad for no reason!). Dad towed me back home Saturday night, and "fixed" it Sunday and picked me up (I nabbed lift off friend somewhere). I HAD to put petrol in otherwise wouldn't have made it back. Glad I only put £10 in as it overheated twice in the 5 mile journey home

Now waiting to see if fixable, and using public transport so gone from a planned NSD today to spending £8.30 on two buses to work!!! The car is only worth about £250, if I could afford a new one I would scrap it, but I can't see a way to replace it without a loan from Bank of Dad again

Oh well!

wouldbeqaulitymoneysaver

2 NSD's done so far. Only 8 to go. Boy I was making my life difficult by subtracting 2 3rds of spending from the second half of the month. Am I on the List?

wouldbeqaulitymoneysaver

Monday is Organic Box day. I prefer Waitrose for shopping as one needs mathematics degree to master Tesco pricing. I fear Waitrose may go same way. I have looked at my account online and found out I have enough in account to get double bed quilts done urgently overdue and feet ditto, where my toes have become more curly and inward growing whereas when my Ma lived in home town, she helped me get a few good habits off the ground. Flat also needs to be brought up to scratch.

wouldbeqaulitymoneysaver

I have been very depressed over a long distance friend with drugs and alcohol abuse problems 300-500 miles and not been able to google in my normal fashion so i have been hiding out in my bed and in my less satisfactory flat ie if my friend turned up. Drugs and Alcohol abuse seems to be world of sadness and horror which I find overwhelming. I have been doing less jobs than I should not even done what I should. I also live in supported housing where 50% of neighbours suffer with such delights as alcoholism, mental illness, scitzophrenia and other nascent delights hence liking a materialistic lifestyle as much as possible to counter the horrible poverty round here. Anyways folks Hi from me xx