Jolly June's NSD Challenge!

Learning2Budget

whoop, whoop, NSD 7!!! feeling very proud of myself. Tomorrow won't be though, cos still need to get my dad a card (eeek talk about lastminute.com) but didn't wanna spoil my nsd today, lol.x

niccatw

No NSD for me today. Ordered a new battery for my laptop. Yikes, they are costly! Though about £70 cheaper than advertised on the Dell website!

Took the chance to pick up some toieltries and I need to fill up the car, so should probably go back out into the monsoon!

donna_dynamo

Evening everyone NSD # 8 today. Had a fantastic night last night at Peter Kay who was brilliant. Been doing the garden today still got 1/2 ton of dirt to move tomorrow and probably the same again in wood chippings:eek: so we can lay the rest of the turf tomorrow garden already looks 100% better so it has been worth every penny.

Nargleblast

Chucking it down all day today, mooched around town with DS and treated us all to M & S food for dinner for a change. I will be working tomorrow so will have another NSD to add to my little collection then. OH & DS lucky beggars will be having M & S steak for dinner as a treat for Fathers Day.

Have you put fuel in the Tardis, Spoon, for tomorrow's trip to Jinty's birthday bash? Hate to say this but Igor is currently staggering in with a sack of flour and twenty two chickens. He says he's doing Jinty's birthday cake tonight and needs the chickens to produce the eggs for it. Thank goodness he clarified that, I was starting to imagine terrible things.

kerri_gt

Evening all!

Well done to you DD LittleMiss, she did really well at sticking at the football at that age when she was finding it difficult - that attitude will put her in good stead She's obviously a real little star :T

Love the bunny pic Nicca - sums up today's weather here - one min it's sunny and the next it's like someone showering the garden with a hosepipe.

I was a little worried about hearing Igor has live chickens too Nargle....I'm still a little concerned that they are ONLY to lay the eggs...I'd keep a regular count of them if I were you else we'll be finding feathers in the sponge tomorrow I'm sure :eek:

Been a busy day in the GT household, involved hoovering, polishing (even introduced OH to the polish and cloth today - no, I didn't polish him, I mean he did the dusting in the lounge ), did two loads of washing, big pile of ironing, changed the bedding and put away some bits n bobs that had been lurking around. Phew!!!

Sadly that didn't transpire to be a NSD as OH sent me out to get some wine (so I got 2 bottles), as well as fruit, kitty litter, some snackettes (to go with the wine), and a couple of other bits from Mr S. However, it did all come in under £20 so not too bad. And I did get 4 bits of oxtail for 97p. I've never cooked it before and it's in the freezer atm but I'm thinking something with onions, mushrooms and perhaps red wine nice and slowly cooked....any suggestions are welcome (oh and when I checked the receipt the original price was £3.98 :eek:)

cw18

kerri_gt wrote: »

And I did get 4 bits of oxtail for 97p. I've never cooked it before and it's in the freezer atm but I'm thinking something with onions, mushrooms and perhaps red wine nice and slowly cooked....any suggestions are welcome (oh and when I checked the receipt the original price was £3.98 :eek:)

Before the ban on beef on the bone, I bought some from a butchers to make an oxtail soup - and it was pretty darned good if I do say so myself

kerri_gt

cw18 wrote: »

Before the ban on beef on the bone, I bought some from a butchers to make an oxtail soup - and it was pretty darned good if I do say so myself

I did think about that too I also have the urge to get hold of a ham hock and cook that...think I'm going all cavewoman like :rotfl:

Nargleblast

Ham joints are a good idea - have some of the meat hot as a main meal, let the rest cool and be used for ham salads and sandwiches, (much cheaper and better quality than packs of processed sliced "ham") and use the stock for soups. Root veg soup is especially nice made with ham stock - onions, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, carrots, a little curry powder and sweet chilli sauce for seasoning, cooked till veg soft, liquidised, knob of butter stirred in - nice with home made bread and butter.

postingalwaysposting

NSD number 8 today :j Tomorrow we were supposed to be going strawberry picking but not in this weather But I do need some more thread so it will be a spends day either way.

Have a great Sunday all

IF

Good evening 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!