The Solvent September NSD Challenge

IF

Afternoony all. Sorry BDINI and thinking of you matey xx :A

No NSD for me Little Miss went chocolate shopping!!!

Hmmm lovely!!

Hi NSD'ers Could I ask you please to highlight your number of NSDs in a colour and in bold so that BDINI can see them easily, thank you :A



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!

lynnette78

not going back out today so can successfully claim NSD number 4 :jand that makes 2in a row:)

Lily_The_Legend

Just been reading back. BDINI, that's awful, can't the council recompense you in some way if it was their tenant?!?! :mad: Sorry, I don't live near you, otherwise I would definitely help you out!

A belated Happy Birthday to Kerri! _party_ I'd love to be in Canada right now! Hope you could enjoy it a little at least and we'll have a virtual party when you're back. :beer:

Sparklysaver, I must try your jammie dodger recipe, my DH would love those! :T

LittleMissHappy, glad you had a good holiday! :j

jintyb, sorry to hear about your OH, at least he has admitted he's struggling. Try to keep him talking and if you suspect he's down or depressed try to get him to see the doctor. Difficult with men though, I know!

And If, just wanted to say thanks for doing the info post on each page and for your lovely pics!

RonniesMummy

Hey all
I would like to declare NSD no 1 for me :j at last!
Packed lunch taken into work - no cash on me just my card so I couldnt be tempted by those pesky vending machines!!!

x

The_Dragon

Sorry to say I am in East Anglia so can't help out NDINI

Oh and today was a spendy day - had a MSEr over for a pub lunch and natter

Lily_The_Legend

solventsoon wrote: »

:wave:Lily_The_Legend - signing you up for 15 now. Good luck, you can do it!!:T
Hope you enjoyed your day at the seaside?:)

Only just saw this Spoon sorry! Just been reading back!

Yes we did thanks, went to the funniest waxworks ever, been before and had to take DH as it has to be seen to be believed. :eek::rotfl:

Found some pics on the web, so if anyone needs a laugh... http://www.flickr.com/photos/ilike/sets/72157602885903414/

Lily_The_Legend

The_Dragon wrote: »

Sorry to say I am in East Anglia so can't help out NDINI

Oh and today was a spendy day - had a MSEr over for a pub lunch and natter

Ooo I'm an East Angular resident too!

jenjade

well was very good today and took my own lunch to uni so achieved no spend day 2! :-)

LittleMissHappy_2

Lily_The_Legend wrote: »

Ooo I'm an East Angular resident too!

I thought East Angular was a foreign country?!?!?!? :cool::p


I'm an East Angular resident, too!

IF

Lily_The_Legend wrote: »

And If, just wanted to say thanks for doing the info post on each page and for your lovely pics!

Thanks Lily and glad you like the pics too :beer:

LittleMissHappy wrote: »

I thought East Angular was a foreign country?!?!?!? :cool::p


I'm an East Angular resident, too!

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl: