The jubilant July NSD challenge

positivelypurple

Hello everyone, really struggling with these two 'bonus' NSDs. I seem to be spending a fortune at the moment. Big birthday celebrations over the weekend for my Dad and my birthday on Tuesday so more spendy days coming up. Ah well, I am on holiday

Anyhoo, must dash. Courier has just been with more lovely online shopping :eek::eek:

IF

Afternoon all :hello:







Written by solventsoon aka Spoon our inspirational mentor:-

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!

boultdj

Yesterday made #13 today has been spend.

beanielou

No 18 today.

cw18

solventsoon wrote: »

Good morning everyone
Hope you're all well today. It's Friday so let's all have a wiggle!!:D:D:D:D






Come on, join in, you know you want to really!!:D:D

After my session with the Personal Trainer this morning, I barely made it through my shift at work - so I'm really not sure I can wiggle

Seriously, walking down the stairs to get out of the gym was hard work... and Mr Masochist promptly informed me that had I not had that problem it would mean he'd not done his job properly :eek:

So can someone please explain what on earth prompted me to book in for another session at the same time next week

I did learn one interesting fact though. Apparently he could tell by my attempt on the leg press machine that I'm right handed - purely 'cos I struggled when using just my left leg but found it a breeze with my right leg. He said it's normal for the leg that you are 'handed' to be stronger, and this will mean that I'm pushing off more with my right leg than my left when running - which can cause a less than optimum gait. So anything like the leg press that 'we' do in the future will always be done left leg first (as it was today without any thought/discussion) so that I can push that one to the limit and then just match the numer of repeats with my right - which should strengthen the left while just keeping the right one toned etc instead of continuing to keep it as a stronger leg. And any of the weights type work that uses both legs at the same time will take some serious concentration to make sure I'm not letting the right leg do most of the work.


Anyway, that made it a spend day. So I nipped into Mr T (got the new quilt and pillows I'm in desperate need of, plus enough hot oat cereal to last me the best part of the next 3 months, a couple of magazines and a couple of other minor bits) and then nipped over to the filling station to put liquid gold into the car......

The last was actually the most frightening, as I almost always use the 'pay at pump' option which announces a limit you're allowed to spend - and today the pump turned itself off when it hit that limit :eek: :eek: (I'd not have got any more in even if I'd been paying in the kiosk, but the thought I can now hit that limit in one fill-up is terrifying )

beanielou

Roll on the next car as it is very very small.
It now takes £50 fill my wee car & when I first got it 3 years ago it was only £30
So yes Cheryl I can understand why hitting limit in one fill up is terrifying.

Wee_Pilsbury

Hi gang

Haven't been on for a bit - been very busy at work :eek:

However, I have managed to pile on a few more NSDs (cos I've been too tired after work to even think about spending) and now have reached NSD 11 :j

Have a good evening all

bottleofred

NSD15 for me please:beer:

kerri_gt

Stick with the personal trainer Cheryl, my friend has been using one for a few months (wanted to basically get fitter and lose a couple of inches) and it's really motivated her.

I know what you mean about the petrol too. I used to have £40 in my monthly budget, now its £70 and I reckon I still go over that. The petrol station nearest me is 138.9p tonight :eek: (one I went past at Mr M last night was 131.9p what a diff!)

i finally got a new storage box at Mr Wilko today (though nearly didn't bother, the queues were really long and they just seem to have zero sense of urgency in there which can be really :mad: at times) It came to £3.50 in the end, so 50p less than the Mr M one. seems to be a tad shallower than the BnQ one as the lid doesn't quite close with my handwashes stood up - but I'll get over it! Thinking of popping in for another tomorrow as it will be a spend day anyway and they are on offer.

So, little conundrum now - is today a spend or not...I have ordered my replacement jeans today (did I tell you about a pair I bought in the US that have lost all shape, weren't cheap either but the company have been fab and offered to replace them by way of me putting in an online order and them refunding).

Well I ended up ordering the size I orignally bought, and the smaller size just to see what they are like today - figured after all that it would be worth just checking (though chances are I won't be able to get them over my thigh :rotfl:). However, they stated if I did that, they'd only refund 50% of the shipping. This means I've just effectively paid out £5 shipping tonight.... but I'm trying to decide if this is a 'proper' spendage or not?? Answers on a postcard please

beanielou

But you paid the fiver from your change pot kerri:whistle: