Jolly June's NSD Challenge!

AlyBaly

Reporting in #1 . I knew this was going to be more difficult being off. Still determined to make target. Well done everyone off the mark x

IF

Afternoon all :hello:

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!

elfen

NSD no 3 for me please!

Also had a lovely afternoon with a very nice man

Nargleblast

Now, now, elfen, what have you been up to?

Spendy day today for me, but it was in Lidl, where I spent £36 on stuff that would have cost me a fair bit more in the Big 4, so I think I can be forgiven for that.

marmiterulesok

A spend day today,but I'm very pleased with my purchases:

-a very reasonably priced,'four-wheels-which-move in all-directions',large suitcase with 10% off as it had a few scratches.I've been wanting to get one of these for a while,but the prices were always about three times what I paid today!They're so much less hassle than the two-wheely ones...

-two bottles of my preferred sun protection cream with 20% off (coupon).

- some fruit and veg.

So still on #5.

Hope to get another NSD tomorrow.

miss_t_2

NSD 5 today for me. OH didn't want me to get him any medicine so I came straight home after work instead of popping into town.

Think he has passed on whatever he has as I am feeling sick today... or it could be that I am not enjoying work at the moment. Am not sure what it is so it's harder to deal with and solve.

LittleMissHappy_2

:wave:

I'm on NSD 4 today I'm doing much better than last month!


You have left us all hanging elfen.........;)

Rock_Cakes

Thanks beanielou, Kerri, Jinty and Spoon for your lovely comments. I have found it quite hard going but you guys have made it a little easier. Heading to your neck of the woods Jinty.

So I got some more good news today, I got an interview for the job I had the phone interview for. :J Its not for another 3 weeks, which is good as I need to prepare a presentation for it. So fingers-crossed that it goes well. Still have another job application to do. Oh, its all go here. Feeling great and I haven't even increased my tally. Hoping that my the rest of the week will be less spendy.

Hope everyone else is OK. I see the NSDs are rolling in, well done everyone. :T

xx

strawberriesandcream

NSD #3 for me!

Who would have thought I would be excited about not spending money!!

elfen

We watched a film or two and snuggled and maybe more