Marching on in March - The NSD Challenge

suzie_wong

A spendy today as had to get petrol :mad:

I hate buying petrol- it seems such a waste of money!! Unfortunately I have no way of cutting down mileage- I drive about 300 miles a week doing the school runs and getting to and from work..... one of the perils of living in a village a bit out of town.

On a happier note- my mouth ulcers are finally going!! :j:j:j
Saw the doctor this morning who is convinced that they were connected to my infection and that I won't get them again

jintyb

Popped in to say I have had a very busy morning.
Took said poota to the man who knows, just waiting to find out whassup with it. Spent the last hour scrabbling about looking for the receipt as it is still under warranty, so if it needs anything big doins to itI will be ok. Having said that, I am using the "old "laptop which the sick one replaced and it seems to be working absolutely fine :wall:
Spendy morning as I got my curtain and a toaster, but no breadbin as yet!
Laters;)

katenut

NSD number 6 for me today xx

Hope you are all enjoying the lovely sunshine - finally feels like spring!! xx

beanielou

Sounding good Jinty

Eeek D3 to the car nightmare.

Having a very wobbly time at the mo so a bit down in the dumps.
Have fallen 4 times since Wednesday.Pah.

slowlyfading

Number 6 for me I'll update everyone's totals later!

elfen

NSD no 3 for me please!

Out of grocery budget, so spend is OK, but anything I spend not on the list counts as a spend now. Aslo have money for swimming tomorrow.

fedupandskint

NSD 4 for me today please

debtfreewannabe321

Hello all NSD #2 was on Sunday,

Today however i more than made up for that i bought a bed, mattress (both desperately needed but still BIG expense!) and also got weekly shop & spent some money in b&q on some compost & cheap border plants (all reduced to a £1 for 12 :j)

I also used quidco for my bed :money:(got back £20 odd quid) so at least that is something! and because i was doing this challenge i waited until today to pay for it lol instead of doing it yesterday -I know noone would know i was cheating if i had of done it yesterday but it makes me feel better that I do't spend EVERYDAY :rotfl:

Hope everyone is well and aiming for NSD #3 tomorrow!!

donna_dynamo

Hi all NSD 3 today. Been to work as boring as normal. Am trying to fit in exercise tonight as hoping this will stave off some of the aches and pains i have been having lately. DD's are being a pain at the moment so won't get five minutes peace till they both konk out.

IF

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!