Jolly June's NSD Challenge!

IF

Morning all :hello:

Hope you all have this sunshine :dance:

SF got my 15th NSD thank you :A

slowlyfading wrote: »

Please can you to highlight your number of NSDs in a colour and in bold and preferrably LARGE so that I can see them easily when I whizz through the posts - any colour will do, though I am personally partial to PURPLE

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!

bottleofred

NSD11 for me today please:beer:
I know it's early, but I'm not going out today so won't spend anything;)

The_Dragon

and I am claiming NSD # 18 please!! only 2 more to hit my third target!!!!!

BigMummaF

Woo-hoo :j Managed another two nsds on Weds & Friday, so I've reached my goal of 15! My last post said I had previously got to 9 & I had another four to go on that, then Derr-Brain here declared her new running total as 12 :doh:

Seems to be a fair few birthday Peeps this month; you certainly kept your secret BoR--wonder why? Surely an unfortunate over-sight, but what a time we could have had helping you celebrate Grats to you all & :beer:--maybe next year we can escape all the dross that is olympic & have a HUGE party for everyone :T
[Apologies, but I am sick of hearing about the bluddin games already :mad: All that money...:(]

kerri_gt

wouldbeqaulitymoneysaver wrote: »

I am afraid of being misunderstood for who what I am when it comes down to the SOA.
A Spending Diary might be a more sensible idea and more gentle approach for me.
( Those on Benefits have a hard time on these Boards and lifestyle needs misunderstood 'you don't need an Iphone' or other judgements I am afraid of I will not visit the Benefits boards here though MSE should be a place where you are safe to legally screw the system after all WE are being mightily and mostly illegally screwed and we should return like with like)
Just writing that bracketed paragraph is a scary thing.
Better leave it at that.
I want to get into fully BE MYSELF AS I AM into MSE which has got so much to give to all sorts of people and people with Iphones which won't go down with lots of people but I can prove its benefits and justify its costs.

At 50+ people of my age can search for all the work they like they are least likley to be employed (Academic papers!! actual!! on HDD) Disabled people are not treated as eqauls in Society.
Life is about getting SOMETHING WONDERFUL out of absolutely NOTHING
I hope I am being understood as my financial ways help me save money though I need MSE Therapy.

sorry, meant to reply to this yesterday. I can understand your fear, but most people on the DFW boards are actaully very helpful, and no one on this thread would judge, any suggestions would be helpful advise. I think that some people are worried that if they do show themselves as spending on things that others can't afford this will build resentment - but MSE isn't all about living on a shoe-string if you have the funds not to - its about spending in the right places for you, and not putting your lifestyle before your bank balance. We're all in different boats with different thoughts and situations.

I understand you thinking about people saying 'you don't need an iPhone'. On a different scale I didn't actaully need the top I bought in the week, but I made an informed decision that I could afford it without significant detrement to other necessary expenses/savings -and it's that thought process that I think a large portion of what MSE is about, and deff what the NSD has taught me.

I deff encourage you with the spending diary, and Georgies suggestion about taking time out before you buy the app is a great one. I saw something similar on a TV programme once. A compulsive spender was given a book to write down items she saw that she thought she really wanted when out shopping. She had to give it a mark out of 10. Then the next day, or a few days later, re-read the entry and decide if she really did feel the same way about the item - they specifically focused on a pair of shoes that she thought she loved...but tured out a few days later she wasn't that fussed about.

Sorry...didn't mean for that to turn into such a long post. Hope everyone is enjoying the sun - it's roasting here, I was going to tackle the back garden but i think I'd give myself heat stroke so perhaps not

cw18

kerri_gt wrote: »

....... and Georgies suggestion about taking time out before you buy the app is a great one. I saw something similar on a TV programme once. A compulsive spender was given a book to write down items she saw that she thought she really wanted when out shopping. She had to give it a mark out of 10. Then the next day, or a few days later, re-read the entry and decide if she really did feel the same way about the item - they specifically focused on a pair of shoes that she thought she loved...but tured out a few days later she wasn't that fussed about.

Taking a day or three to think about things I see has probably been my biggest change in shopping habits since my income dropped - in the past I'd have just used a debit (or credit) card to get whatever, and then probably not worn/used it more than once

pinkfluffybabe

Quiet day in today, so NSD No18.

I'm sure I'll get to 20 by Thursday :j

Vicky496

I massively overestimated myself! Today is my 9th NSD... not going to be possible to do 16 so I'll just get as close as possible!

I'll try to get to 16 next month!

slowlyfading

I'll do a big update in a bit - sorry for not being around this weekend!

muffin_man_7

no spends update i had to check calender my head been bad again since my last updateon 17th june
I've been reading but not postiing much either cos of my head or cos i am sharing the puter with kids atm so i am taking the chance now and will hope to catch up again later

i've just been making mini banana muffins with my 7yrold granddaughter boo we used a pe pack one as she finds it easier atm just hope she doesnt eat them all before she goes home


she had sleepover last night didn;t fall asleep till after one am she came down at 1 and said her auntie had pinched the quilt and she was cold so gave her a fleecy blanket and she went back up no problem and didn't wake til just after nine thankfully her mum and dad had a bbq last night to celebrate their 1st wedding anniversary which is today

house wasn't too bad til my son asked for one of the coffee tables from the lr now it needs a bit of a tidy and it will give me a bit more room to decide how to have lr for winter i would like to try and be sorted before it starts getting cold i'm not so good when i'm cold so trying to get organised now but not easy when things i bought to make the living room nice keep getting taken by my kids for the summerhouse :mad: however i have decided to deduct everything from their xmas pressie fund see who has the last laugh then lol
i'm hoping to get back on track soon doc has upped my tabs again and my support worker is arranging domestic abuse counselling she said it will help so i can but try it
its really hot here too hot for me so i'm in house with a weird head ache i think its the heat