Marching on in March - The NSD Challenge

beanielou

Good going Pap

bottleofred

Hi folks,

No NSD for me today, but at least I've done the shopping!

Red

IF

Good evening all x

BDINI got my 15th NSD today. thank you :A

Bumping for any Newbies joining us xx

butdoineedit? wrote: »

Hi lovely NSD gang:A
As you can see there is lots of activity on this challenge 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.

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!

butdoineedit?

jintyb wrote: »

Good morning everyone!

BDINI - I'm not surprised all that carry-on at work got to you! Sounds like a real guddle. The important thing is for you to keep focussed on what YOU want and stay as positive as you can. ( Easy for me to say, I know) BE KIND TO YOURSELF, and remember we're all here when you want a rant!;)

Thanks Jinty! Union paperwork in now, so nothing i can do but wait! Took your advice & had friends round for tea, loved cooking & indulged in a home made toffee yoghurt cake, so definitely been kind to myself
Tried focusing on what i really want, but not sure a couple of million on the lottery is really achievable :rotfl::rotfl:(in fact i might need more so i could help pay everyone else's debts off too!!)

butdoineedit?

Another lovely sunny day today, hope it was enjoyed by all!!

Targets being hit today:

:j:j slowlyfading – well done for 18 & hitting target, you’ve done brilliantly!!

:j:j beanielou – well done for 15 & hitting your second target!! Increased to 18 now

Lots of NSDs rolling in today, so well done to:

:j:j bottleofred – well done for 12, you‘re doing great!

:j:j fillyfop – well done for 14, you can do it!!

:j:j suzie wong – well done for number 10, glad you finally know what you’re dealing with in regards to OH’s redundancy, hope things work out well for you. Oh &. just seen your other news, how flattering to be wanted. It’s a big decision, but hope you manage to work out what will be best for you

:j:j Keiss 21 – Well done for number 14. The fact you are troubled about the cost of the TV sounds like it means you will be on top of the payments you need to make. Try not to worry too much & enjoy your treat!

:j:j kerri gt – well done for number 12, hope you enjoyed your tea today?

:j:j chris81418 – well done for 20, you really are doing fab!!

:j:j Rock_Cakes – well done for number 12 & fingers crossed for your uni course!

:j:j BigMummaF – well done for 16, happy salad munching, at least that doesn’t require the cooker!!

:j:j elfen – well done for 12, you’re doing great!!

:j:j The Dragon – well done for 13, you’re definitely on track to hit your second target

:j:j jaffacakegal – well done for number 11, hope you enjoy your weekend away!!

:j:j pinkfluffybabe – well done for 18, you’re doing great!!

:j:j ebsaver – well done for 16, you’re doing great!!

:j:j Bexterragga – well done for 12, you’re doing great!!

:j:j Nargleblast – well done for 7, just avoided the paintbrush again!! I reckon you’re right, fate doesn’t always seem kind, but it knows what it’s doing! Oooh & pass another doughnut, we’re so healthy!! :rotfl:

:j:j postingalwaysposting – well done for 16 & 17, you can do it!!

:j:j ifwisheswerehorses... – well done for 15, you‘re doing great!!

And hello to:

boultdj – hope you had a good day with your dad?

bexs.ua – keep at it bex, you can do it!! & veggies are a good spend, healthy & necessary!!

lotti379 – yum to pizza & chocolate, a little treat does us good now & then! Do hope you managed to move that catalogue in time!

sibles - course you can exceed your target, you go for it!!

jintyb – sounds you’ve had a lovely day…. & raspberry jam is absolutely one of your five a day!!

3Dogs

Sorry, no time to catch up these days but thought I should pop in and report that I am up to NSD NUMBER 12 :j

kerri_gt

Hey guys, hope you are all well and big hugs to anyone who is having a rough time atm. Still no real time to catch up but I'll try to a bit over the weekend when I'm home (in between unpacking, washing, food shopping, a routine workshop, oh yes..and perhaps a bit of sleep too :rotfl:)

Visit to the tea shop yesterday was ummm....interesting. It was a lovely experience being able to try the different teas we were given to taste, learn a little about where some of their tastes come from (climate, where they are grown etc) and the diff types of tea ..however....I can firmly say I will be sticking to good old english supermarket tea still and can't wait for a decent cuppa when I get home.

So, here's one of my little thinkers for you.... I did spend yesterday when we went to the night market. Got some lovely little hand made glass dragons for 100NTD each...about £2.43...you actually got to see the guy sat with the blow torch making the glass figures and they are amazing. I got a tiger when I went to the market last year and honestly, you would pay a fortune for something hand made like that in the UK. I can't really say it's something I would normally buy - but seeing how they are made and having a story to the piece means it's a little different.

Anyway, here's the thing - I did spend, but I already had the NTD from a previous visit, so technically I had already spent the money when I paid for the currency exchange at that time. So, do I count yesterday as a SD or a NSD? (oh, and I really can't remember if I counted the exchange day as a SD or NSD btw :rotfl:)

kerri_gt

butdoineedit? wrote: »

You guys are amazing, had my first tears this morning, not at the situation, but at the amount of support i've had.
When i first joined in with the challenge i knew it would sort out my spending, but i never realised i would meet the most amazing supportive bunch of people that i am proud to think of as friends now! :A

See you all later!!

Awwww shucks BDINI look, you've made me blush now

Sometimes a good ole cry is 100% necessary to release everything we tend to bottle up every day (either that or howling like I warewolf but I tend to find that the neghbours complain about that one!)

You're right though, I joined the challenge for exactly the same reason as you last Aug and now I find myself chatting to my OH about what my friends on here have been up to/said (I think he thinks I'm a little bit bonkers :rotfl:)

I love this thread as everyone is so supportive and non-judgemental. There are some other threads on MSE like Lucy's 'How much do you live on' thread and the Crazy Clothes Challenge that I find great too - although perhaps that's cos ther are a lot of familiar names that pop up from here I guess it just goes to show the power of the internet and written word x

thrifty_fifty

Morning everyone

Loving the sunshine of the past few days. Also managed to catch number 7.

Have a great day.

xx

jintyb

Nargleblast wrote: »

Jinty - talking of jam doughnuts (I assume that is what you call a wee jammie? If not, shut up Nargle and get back to the washing up)
I have to correct you on a minor point. Most jam doughnuts nowadays seem to be filled with a cheap blended fruits jam made mostly of plums with the odd raspberry chucked in. Therefore they count as TWO of your five-a-day........

Nargle - that's just the best news - I knew they had to be good for you!:rotfl::rotfl:

Beanie - jammie flying over the Firth of Forth shortly, catch it before it gets wet!

Kerri - yes, I would say def a NSD. Have a safe trip home.

Talking of friends on here - anyone seen Cheryl? Where are you?


Good morning folks,

Wiggling cos it's Friday! Small spends today, need some salad veg as were having SF chicken tonight with pittas and salad.
Not much required in terms of grocery shopping though. Im trying to have a frugal week this week as I feel I've been frittering money lately!
On the plus side, my work have introduced a discounted voucher saving scheme via payroll.You can choose from different retaliers and you save a set amount a month less the discount. In return, you get vouchers for the full value from your chosen retailer(s). You get taxed on it but dont pay any NI,so its a reasonable saving. I worked out how much I spend on Christmas/Birthday gifts for GC etc plus food shopping for Christmas and spread the cost over the tax year. With the discount and saving of NI, £60 per month actually only costs me @£49.
It's a little saving, but better than nothing, and it means I've got all these events covered!
I'm being very MSE:money: I'm sure Martin would be proud of me!

Have a lovely day everyone:)