Have an adventure in August with the NSD challenge

LittleMissHappy_2

Well, yesterday was an NSD and I'm hoping today will be too - I have to catch up with ironing and housework so no chance of retail therapy Anyway up to NSD 2.

spoon - glad you are feeling better, if you want me to do some round ups or anything for you just let me know xxx (I'll be away from 19th, though :cool:)

Dorsetgirl - I've been away and didn't realise it was your birthday so Happy Birthday :j

BDINI - for your double mumps. As cw18 said, sending hugs from way over here :eek: xxx Hope you are feeling better soon x

IF

Good morning all :hello:

Love your pics too Jinty :A



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!

IF

Just to let you know BDINI I'm thinking of you

jintyb

Well I'm a happy Jinty - lost 2.5lb at WW so 4 in total!

It's going in the right direction!

Sadly the contents of my purse are going the same way -
have been to A4da for the shop, paid the vet bill for puss - wait for it - £94:eek: and went to Ho$$ycraft and bought a bit of stuff for my card making.
On the upside, the per insurance is covering the vet costs so I'll get it back in due course. Still, it's a LOT!!

Lily_The_Legend

Just as well I decided it wouldn't be a NSD day today - four collections have been round at work already this morning! :eek:

slowlyfading

BDINI - hope you're feeling better soon xx
jinty - well done on the loss :j :j
Lily - gosh, that's a lot in one day!

beanielou

Great loss Jinty :j
I lost 1 1/2 lbs last night.
Hope you feel better soon BNIDI.

solventsoon

DorsetGirl wrote: »

And a big thank you for all the birthday wishes, it was a fab day but was a big spend day

Well, if you can't spoil yourself on your birthday, DorsetGirl, when can you, eh?

Glad you had a lovely day, wishing you a very belated HAPPY BIRTHDAY, I thought I had put a post on here wishing you a happy birthday but I must have had a senior moment.. better late than never I guess:o

solventsoon

jintyb wrote: »

Well I'm a happy Jinty - lost 2.5lb at WW so 4 in total!

It's going in the right direction!

Sadly the contents of my purse are going the same way -
have been to A4da for the shop, paid the vet bill for puss - wait for it - £94:eek: and went to Ho$$ycraft and bought a bit of stuff for my card making.
On the upside, the per insurance is covering the vet costs so I'll get it back in due course. Still, it's a LOT!!

beanielou wrote: »

Great loss Jinty :j
I lost 1 1/2 lbs last night.
Hope you feel better soon BNIDI.

Well done you two:j:j:j:j, you'll be disappearing before our eyes:D

It is a lot jinty, I remember being shocked when I got my bill:eek:

Card-making sounds good, have fun with that:D

I love the picture, it's making me smile looking at it now:j

Lily_The_Legend

slowlyfading wrote: »

Lily - gosh, that's a lot in one day!

I know, must be a new record! :eek: One wedding one leaving :wave: and two birthdays! _party_

Got to be generous as it's my birthday coming up! :rotfl:

Well done jinty and beanie on your weight losses! :T

Glad you had a good birthday Dorsetgirl! _party_

BDINI, hope you feel better soon!

Thanks Spoon for your get well wishes.