Marching on in March - The NSD Challenge

jintyb

d3mon4ngel wrote: »

Hey everyone!

Was supposed to be away this weekend, visiting OH's family, so wasn't expecting any NSD's again. However, life sends things to try us and it didn't quite turn out as planned!

We got just over 100 miles from home, when part of the car engine decided it was no longer happy doing it's job and made a break for freedom, punching a hole through the bottom of the engine in the process! "Never fear" I thought, "I'm covered by the AA through my bank account!" So I called them up and after a chilly hour of standing up on the embankment, wrapped in blankets and wishing we'd broken down *after* we'd pulled into the service station that was less than 200 yards away, rather than just on the turnoff for it, the very nice AA man turned up. We got to sit in his absolute godsend of a toasty warm cab, while he went and had a look at the car and attached it for towing. He came back with some bad news, and then some more bad news

First, he told me about the damage: a new engine will be required, which could cost into the thousands! :eek:
Then he told me that the cover I have through the bank is only roadside, so he can't tow me anywhere without me upgrading my membership :mad: I ended up having to pay out £225 to the AA to upgrade and cover the mileage to get us home! :eek:

Oh No! What a nightmare!:eek: Hope you can get it sorted, fingers crossed for you.

jintyb

Good morning everyone!
Made it to #3 yesterday - spent the day decluttering our spare room. I started just by tidying one drawer and ended up going the whole hog - under the bed, all the drawers etc! I now have six bags for charity shop and I listed some gear on e&ay so we shall see what happens!
Have a day off today, I'm having a spend though! Im off to buy a nice voile curtain for my hall window and a breadbin( all glamour in the Jinty house;)) Also I need onions and garlic to make a chilli ( OH used them all and didnt put them on the list:mad:)
I have a little gremlin in my poota -( nasty, I think you can get ointment for it tho:rotfl:)so I am debating taking laptop to the man to fixes such things as I am a numpty when it comes to these things:o
Have a lovely day everyone:)

chris81418

Good morning everyone! :wave:

Checking in to report another NSD yesterday, bringing my total up to 6 NSDs which means I've also reached my mini-challenge target of 6 NSDs in-a-row! Woo hoo!

Today, however, will be a very big spendy day, and hope to get back onto the NSD band wagon tomorrow after forking out today for:
- Food shop.
- Mini-treat in the summer.
- Bathroom shower and taps upgrade (needed and long overdue!).
- Insurance for motorbike.
- Petrol.
In all, I expect today's spends to be in the region of £500 :eek: They all need to be paid for this week, but at least I've grouped them into one day, to maximise my number of NSDs, and I hope to not spend a penny more for the rest of the week!

d3mon4ngel - sorry to hear about the car, what a nightmare! At least it's off the motorway and with your dad now.

LittleMissHappy - hope Iggy makes it home today.

I'm off now to spend the morning on comparison websites to see how low I can get my insurance!

Have a good week everyone, and I hope the sun is shining where you are!

Tropicalmoments

Just quickly popping in to say I got my #1:jNSD yesterday. 1 down - 14 to go!!!

Sadly today is another spendy but more hopeful for the rest of the week.

Sunnylooloo

5 NSD so far - just spent on Friday and will spend today.

Sorry just a quick pop in and update

Hope everyone is ok????

Must try and find some time to catch up.........


Love to all

xxxx

IF

Morning all, got my 5th NSD yesterday, thank you :A:A:A

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!

Brown_suga

Right guys - I'm going to have to pull my finger out this month. I've only managed 1 additional NSD since the 1st oooooh!

tues and wed were good, thurs and fri went out the window I bought lots of holiday bits, sat was a friends birthday and sunday I bought groceries and petrol.... and tonight I'm having more groceries delivered. I had to buy some yesterday as I was soooo disorganised we had nothing for dinner.

I need to get back on traaaaaaaaaaack!

kathy40uk

:hello:

Hi all NSDers xx

Oh gosh D3, sorry to hear about your nightmare :eek:really hope you manage to sort something out.

Hope Iggy gets home today Littlemiss x

Well has been a spendy day as I knew ot would but the car cost me less than I thought (was 'breather pipes' or something that they had seen when I had to have the alternator replaced in December), I was sort of expecting about £100 which I had budgetted for but it was only £63 so I was happy with that. I also went in to the parking place to contest a ticket I had been given when I was out with my friend on Friday (I had paid in the meter but the ticket had fallen off the windscreen ). The lady was very helpful and helped me fill out the appeal form (I hadn't taken my glasses and couldn't read anything ) so I am hoping that will be okay. Have just come home to get changed for work and wash my hair then I will get leccy on my way in so I don't have to get any later in the week.

Hope everyone has a good day

<<must remember to take excess money ouy of purse so I can't spend it when I get the leccy

:hello:

jaffacakegal

Hey all!

Just to report Saturday was another NSD - total 2 NSDs.

Not doing very well but will try harder this week!

Sunday was spendy but was a very lovely day - farmers market, lunch at a nice pub, and a mooch round a garden centre. Made a lovely vat of venison stew which I have frozen as well

Hopefully shouldn't have any reason to spend today. I need milk but going to keep my fingers crossed I can pick some up tomorrow for my pancakes.

d3mon4ngel - thats rubbish about the car. Similar thing happened to my bro, he was about 3 hours from home and the car fell apart on the motorway. He thought he better pick the bits of engine up off the road - but they were hot, so he took his t-shirt off to pick them up with. Next minute police were there - reports of a crazy man half naked in the road :rotfl:he ended up staying 24 hours in a service station before my mum went to pick him up, and obviously had to scrap the car!

Ain't cars wonderful?!

JCG x

lauzellen

Sunday turned into a NSD after all after a very spendy Saturday which has turned out to be in vain as split with OH - his friends really are grade A A-holes! Straw that broke the camels back and all that lark.

Onwards and upwards... today is also a NSD so my total is now sitting at 5 NSD :j