Have an adventure in August with the NSD challenge

kerri_gt

Evening all! well our guests left earlier this evening so I've finally managed to have a read of this month's posts in a bit more detail.

cuddlymarm - just seen you're based in my neck of the woods :hello:

Nargleblast wrote: »

Wow! This thread just gets bigger and bigger with all the newbies that keep joining up - Spoony will have to get a double-decker Tardis to accommodate us all on our outings!
Hello, good evening and welcome to all new NSD gang members from me (and of course from Igor.....you will soon find out about him....then when you have taken that on board we might just introduce you to Hubert, but not on an empty stomach...)

Ohhh...a double decker tardis, what an exciting thought - and just think of all these new people Igor can cater for on our next outing ...:eek:

butdoineedit? wrote: »

So currently have a face like a hamster & feel slightly off my head due to the extra strength painkillers the Dr prescribed..... Ah well, at least the fact i am too contagious to leave the house will help the NSD quest!!

Hope you're feeling a little better BDINI - mumps is a somewhat extreme way of collecting NSD x

fakeplastictwee wrote: »

Yesterday was Alton Towers day, had a brilliant day, never been before and I'm quite proud of myself for conquering all the big rides.. Rita was shocking, 0-100kph in 2.5 seconds :eek:

I know the feeling - did Stealth at Thorpe Park on Wed - I think it was over before my brain had grasped the fact it had begun

Well yesterday (against the odds) was NEARLY a NSD despite being in London and going on the London Eye. OH had treated us all to the tickets and bought lunch for us after but I did spend £1 on a souvenier map thingy of the sights from the eye.

Today however I do have my NSD mojo back so can declare NSD #2 :j Had a lovely time with our friends down and their kids are really well behaved and polite on the whole - house seems very quiet with just me and OH now.

Need to total up the damages from my spends this week tomorrow - most went on cc for cashback so some transferring of funds to get sorted, plus updating of spending diaries - not looking forward to that :eek: Also need to make a note of some bits we've run out of like laundry liquid and generally get organised on the domestic front again - totally lost track of my couponing this week. Spreadsheets ahoy tomorrow.

IF

Evening My no Spendy Bud's :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!

kerri_gt

suzitiger wrote: »

NSD #2 for me yesterday, hoping to get another one today. I sometimes make tips at the bar which I usually sub my staff taxi with (costs a few pence extra). Does this count as a spend? I've been counting it up until now but maybe I shouldn't as its a neccessary spend for me to get home from work safely. And if I always use my tips for it then it isn't money from my bank account I suppose, so money I don't have to account for if that makes sense? If i make lots of tips and spend it on silly things then that still counts cuz i could be saving that money for paying off debts like a good girl. :A

meant to say, if the only thing you spend money on is a taxi home after a shift, I wouldn't count this as a spend as it's an essential to make sure you get home safely. I don't count milk or petrol purchases as these are essentials (milk being very essential in our house).

Fakeplasticwee - also meant to say I hope puss is ok - animals are such a worry when they're unwell. xx

solventsoon

Lily_The_Legend wrote: »

Fakeplastictwee - hope your cat is ok, we had a siamese when I was growing up and he sounded like a baby when he howled too. We used to take him to the vets in a rucksack as he wouldn't get in a box and used to get some funny looks on the walk round there! :eek::D

That's just reminded me of my first cat who only managed to stay with me for around 18 months before disappearing one night.

He was a real character and refused point blank to go into any sort of carrier, box, rucksack or anything similar where he was enclosed. A friend who had lots of cats suggested a harness (yes, I know, a cat in a harness:o) so in desperation I bought one. He took to it like duck to water and used to sit quite happily on my lap at the vets.. now that definitely got some funny looks:rotfl::rotfl:

spoon x

cw18

I've seen a couple of pedigree cats being taken for walks on harnesses and leads - they're not allowed out of the house unless they're on those due to the risk of them being stolen !!

Funniest I ever saw being walked on a collar and lead was a sheep..... when I was at primary school a friend had one as a temporary 'pet' while it recovered from an operation, and it got it's exercise being walked around our estate

solventsoon

cw18 wrote: »

I've seen a couple of pedigree cats being taken for walks on harnesses and leads - they're not allowed out of the house unless they're on those due to the risk of them being stolen !!

I've seen that recently as well, Cheryl, mine was a ginger mog... hence the funny looks:D

cw18 wrote: »

Funniest I ever saw being walked on a collar and lead was a sheep..... when I was at primary school a friend had one as a temporary 'pet' while it recovered from an operation, and it got it's exercise being walked around our estate

Now that is brilliant:T

solventsoon

Hi lovely gang:A
Hope you’ve all had a good Saturday and managed to get some R&R time:D


Another newbie joining up today, a very warm welcome to you, it's good to have you on board:


:hello:mrsdwhite - hi and welcome to the NSD challenge, it’s never to late to join us, as I said earlier. All signed up for 10 now, good luck with your first NSD challenge - keep posting, that’s the secret to success here.:D


Lots more NSDs rolling in today, well done everyone:

:j:j:jmarmite - for no 4, woohoooo... look at you steaming ahead with your NSDs!!! Keep going
Hope you have a lovely weekend too

:j:j:jdonna dynamo - and another one steaming ahead with your NSDs, no 4 in the bag, woohoooo!!!!
Happy packaging today

:j:j:jCheryl - no 3 in the bag for you now, yay!!
Well done for resisting the final clearance on Thursday, whatever method you chose, it worked so well done!
Oh dear, sorry the bedding isn’t sorted yet, hope you’ve managed to sort it today and hope you have a lovely day at DDs tomorrow

:j:j:jsuzitiger - for no 2, that’s a fantastic start to your first NSD challenge, keep going!!
I wouldn’t count the spend for the taxi personally because it’s a necessary spend. As you say, if you were frittering away the tips money then it should be classed as a spend - hope that helps?

:j:j:jpinkfluffybabe - for nos 3 and 4, another one steaming ahead now, well done you!!

:j:j:jIf - no 4 in the bag for you as well, woohoooooo, steaming ahead in the race as well, that’s fab!
I love today’s picture, that is just soooooo cute

:j:j:jbeanie - for no 6, you’re doing fantastically well as usual, way out in front now as usual.
Hope you’re feeling a bit brighter today x

:j:j:jdannie - for no 4, another one steaming ahead now, well done you!!

:j:j:jDee5565 - for no 5, you’re storming ahead now, that’s fantastic!
You’re sounding very organised, that’s the way to get NSDs, keep going

:j:j:jLula - for no 2, you’re doing great, keep going!
Fingers crossed for no 3 tomorrow

:j:j:jkerri - for no 2, yay!!! to getting your NSD mojo back again - maybe I can put the kippers away again now?


And hello to:

Red - well done for the whoopsies - you’ll be rivalling Cheryl as our “Whoopsie Champion” before long. :T Fingers crossed for an NSD tomorrow

jinty - pleased you had a lovely day Friday, definitely a bit Hyacinth but still fun! Hope you managed to get the fleece jackets today

sf - hope you have a lovely and well-deserved holiday:)

Lily_The_Legend - hope you’re pleased with your purchases today and your hair cut, nothing wrong with treating yourself occasionally.:)
Hope you managed to get the house tidied up before MIL arrived:eek:

Pips Mum - the bed was definitely too much of a bargain to pass on, it was well worth losing an NSD for that:T

suzitiger - good bargains for you today as well, by the sounds of it - the ketchup was definitely a bargain!!:T

ms_night_ryder - fingers crossed for no 2 for you today:)

LittleMissHappy - hope you enjoyed the champagne cocktails tonight:T

rising from the ashes - eeek to the milk spend, that is ridiculous!!!!:eek: I hope you find a cheaper solution to it:)

iwanttogoonholiday - re the bus fare, why not put the money aside once a week (I think BDINI’s suggested that already). You need to look after yourself while pregnant and shouldn’t be walking home from work if you’re tired so it’s definitely not “cheating”:A

SpendSpendSpend - oh dear, sorry you didn’t get your 5 in a row today:(, but you’ve had some very organised spending today and are thinking ahead now, that’s the way to get lots of NSDs in the bag. It won’t be long before you nab your 5 in a row now!!:T

babysteps24 - half the battle is thinking about where you spend your money, you seem to be doing that now so it won’t be long before you move onto the next stage, getting organised with your spendy days. Don’t lose heart, there are lots of potential NSDs left in August, you can do it!!:T

BDINI - take care, hope you’re feeling better soon xx:A



And no 5 in the bag for me today so I’m a very happy Spoony:D

Off to update the front page now, see all you lovely people tomorrow

‘night everyone

spoon xx

solventsoon

Hope you have a lovely day tomorrow

solventsoon

Hi everyone:wave:

Me again - I'm going to log off in a minute or two and stop bothering you all:D

Just to let you know that LittleMissHappy will be doing the update tomorrow, she's offered to help.

Please could you all make sure you put your NSDs in bold and in a colour to make it easier to see them - thanks everyone :A

And a huge THANK YOU to LittleMiss H xx:A

'night everyone

spoon xx

TwoOfShdi

Yesterday was NSD 2 for me!

Today I know I'll have to spend as my fridge currently only contains quiche and beer... Need some greens, and perhaps supplies to make another big quiche to last me through some NSDs next week. Its good to have a reason to plan out the next weeks food to try and limit my spending days.

iwanttogoonholiday Happy Birthday! I hope you have a good one.