Making mayhem in May with the NSD challenge

IF

Hope everyone has this lovely weather and enjoying the B/H :beer:

solventsoon 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!

Susi_Wa

Hi all!

Been out and about but Saturday was NSD 1 for us thanks to being invited to my parents for a BBQ.

:j

AlyBaly

Reporting # 1 NSD really was a surprise because I was taking my mum out for the day and expected to have a couple of spends but mum treated me today so alls good. Was going to go to Mr T but that can wait til tomorrow now.

:rotfl:

BigMummaF

Nargleblast wrote: »

....
Well the MayDay fling went quite well, I think, some of us with sore heads this morning but lots of happy memories (Spoon tying herself and others up in knots with the ribbons, BigMumma frantically trying to play Smoke on the Water on bass washboard accompanied by Jinty on that strange squealy thing, loads of food left over, though, about half a roasted sheep for sandwiches for the next few weeks plus the odd bucket of gutrot still waiting to be drunk.) Last thing I remember is Igor frantically trying to untie all the yellow ribbons from that oak tree, tripping over Lula who had passed out (as usual) under it. So, Mistress Spoon, when is the next outing and what will we be celebrating? As well as all the luvverly NSDs everyone seems to be collecting, of course.

*Sitting hunched, green colouring pencil clenched twix teeth* I'M BACK FROIM A *CURSES! CAN'T USE SHIFT KEY & TYPE At same time :wall:* er; fing erS WILLL BE OK IN ABOUT 3 WEEEEKS. BA NDagess mAY COME OFFFF IN 2. SHOULD Ha ve known bettttter thAN TRUST THE GROG SORRRRRY KIESSSSSSSSS, THE HOspitAL K3PT YOUR THI M BLES BUT THEY HAD TO BE CUT OFFFF a nyway,/.

CAR PARK WAS FREREE at the ER SO GOT TO MIDNIGHT WITHMY FIRST `1 NSD INTact :j:j

CompBunny

No NSD for me yet - we took our dog to a trainer today for help with seperation anxiety which was £30. Yesterday spent out on parking, and chocolate for cousins and us. Fail so far, but lots of May left!

Does it count if your partner spends?

EDIT: I mean if you are out seperately, not trying to cheat by using his account instead of mine!

Lula-Hula

Apologies for passing out ( again) am such a lightweight these days .

Perfect laundry weather here too so I've been a-partaking & also had a quick trip to hobbycraft which unfortunately kiboshed NSD2.

Ah well, back to work tomorrow which should mean I get 3 in a row, unless the school come up with another cunning way to relieve me of some coinage.

:eek: DD has just decided to get her recorder out, I'm off to the garden for abit.

Bye for now
xx

kerri_gt

Lula-Hula wrote: »

:eek: DD has just decided to get her recorder out, I'm off to the garden for abit.

Bye for now
xx

You have my sympathies...as an adult I now fully understand why I was not allowed to learn the violin :rotfl::rotfl:

Keiss_21

My DS1 played the violin, then guitar, then bass, now saxophone (not for a while though_...now that can cut through converations three houses away!!! We had to put the on the TV subtitles when he played upstairs in the evenings!! :rotfl:

Plan on tackling the mountain of ironing while watching the snooker this evening...that young lad Judd is pretty amazing!

Hope you're feeling better now BMF!!! I will retrieve my thimbles later .

katenut

I am sneaking in very ashamed for going awol for a few weeks, and in desperate need of a kick up the backside for falling off the NSD wagon last month!! Nice to have you back in charge again Spoon, and thanks to BDINI for all your hard work over the last few months xx

Can you put me down for 18 this month please? I'm on number 2 already xx

angelflower_2

Going for 15 please this month and today is day 1