The “how many paydays ‘til Xmas” November NSD challenge

emiesq

Managed one more yesterday, which brings me up to 4/10!

Feel a bit stuck with this now... my partner has been really supportive, and knows I'm trying to save, but now he's just offering to pay for everything - which is not the point.

freshair_2

Hi everyone, hope you are all doing well. Still not doing fantastically well with the NSD, but 2 more to add from the friday and sunday, would have had one yesterday but got sidetracked into Christmas shopping online, still used quidco, but I think i really could try harder. So now up to 5/15 nsd, i think plodding would be a fair estimation!

Learning2Budget

Was aiming for nsd today but the car boot wouldn't open. Meaning i had to drive cos i couldn't get the buggy out so then had to get fuel!! Not a good start to the day!! Plus side i have now fixed the boot (with a bit of a bang, lol).x

IF

solventsoon wrote: »

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!

wannabehermit

<Peeks head around corner and waves>

I've not been on for ages, it's been a bad month all round really, but is looking on the up.

I've managed 1nsd in half the month:eek:. That's shocking, today should hopefully be one though, hoping I can get away without buying milk anyway.

We've had the sad guinea pig news, then last week I was ill suddenly on Weds, ds2 had a migraine, so I was up with him all night. DH has been feeling really rough the last few days too. It has the advantage that we haven't really eaten much dinner so food shopping this week is going to be very cheap, but unfortunately we've been buying comfort food daily. Goodness only knows where our money has gone this month. I've had to use the grocery and diesel money for rent as well as clearing out DHs overdraft.

On the plus side, we are finally getting someone to listen to us about ds2s behaviour and they are finally understanding that he is not normal and there is a pretty big problem plus I found out yesterday (finally) that I got the supermarket job that I went for last month. Short term it's going to make us worse off but I'm looking at the bigger picture and it will be better for us in the long term.

I'm going to try to keep up now for the rest of the month, although not holding out much hope for keeping up with nsds.

IF

Morning all :hello:

LittleMissHappy wrote: »

Rant alert - look away now
I'm feeling a bit grumpy today as my ear really hurts I went to the Dr as it's been giving me trouble for a few weeks and she said I had an ear infection but it was now clearing up so leave it and if it wasn't sorted in the next couple of weeks go back. Well, it's been a couple of weeks and I am still almost deaf in one ear and it is still painful! Grrrrrrrrrrrrr.
Rant over.

Anyway, no NSD for me as I bought a mop

You rant away, bless you its very painful ear ache!! Go back to said Doctor and say enoughs enough, I need help!!!

If...x

his_missus

:jYippee! Yesterday turned out to be a NSD despite going for a wander around town during my lunch hour. My NSDs target may actually be the one target I achieve this month:o

Frodobaggins

Little Miss Happy poor you. Tere is nothing worse than ear or tooth ache. Hope your feeling better soon, big virtual hugs.

Frodo x

blindtoast

The month started so well but I seem to not be able to get through a day at the moment without some sort of spending . Today it is Play's deal of the day that has got me - a cheap Christmas Present, which would be fine if I could have bought it yesterday when I'd already had to buy petrol but today it has ruined my NSD potential :mad:

Oh well - still half the month to go - just need to try harder and resist better :A

Well done to everyone that is finding more will power than me! :T

elfen

NSD no 7 for me....

Went to Gorgoroth and Vader last night