The "Cripes, Christmas is almost here" December NSD thread

Keiss_21

Another Scot who doesn't like the excessive drinking @ NY. Sooo glad to hear of other folk who think the same way.

DS1 is off with his GF to visit some friends having a NY party. The rest of us are staying @ home, DS2 is muttering about not even staying up, who knows, we may not either!!! Much easier to do this in England, at least you know you won't get any unwanted first-footers!!

Hogmanay was the only night of the year the house was locked up when I was a kid. It was Mum's one night out a year on her own, she had a grand time, singing and dancing all night, with a bit of booze drunk, she never made it back before 9am, usually having made breakfast in someone eles's house! It was dad's one night off in the year for drinking heavily (hence my dislike of drunks). He would stay at hope and look after us kids. He got fed up being wakened at 4 am by some folk after more booze...everyone knew dad always got loads of alcohol @ Xmas One year he woke up to find someone at the foot of his bed asking if he had any more whisky!!!

So I am happy for the peace and quiet here at home, rather than staying up and going out in Scotland. Have a lovely night everyone, whatever you do!!

slowlyfading

I'm up to NSD 19 now

Keiss_21

Oh, I almost forgot, managed to nab NSDs 16 and 17, Thursday and yesterday, and was hoping to get to my target of 18 today.

Unfortunately the kitchen tap has "died" and won't let any water out come out, so we have to get a new one. As it is an Ikea tap, we have to head off to Ikea for a new tap...they don't do replacement bits, just full taps. DH has investigated getting a different, non-Ikea taps, but we would have to get different gubbins under the tap as well as a new tap, which may or may not fit the hole in the sink...not very good really.

The problem is that our nearest Ikea is nearly an hour away...either up to Birmingham (M5 and M6 :eek::eek:) or down to Bristol (M5 and M32 :eek:). The latter is the better bet, though parking is less and it is a smaller shop. So looks like we are heading south this afternoon!! As we are going to Ikea anyway..it would seem silly not to pick up a few other things while we are there!!! :D

So I am declaring a total of 17 NSDs for December, one short of my target, but still pretty good!!

Thanks again to all who have been helping to make this thread run so well every month you are all stars!!! :beer::T:starmod::staradmin:staradmin:starmod::T:beer:

IF

January's NSD thread - Click here




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!

Frodobaggins

Hi guys, hope you are all well. NSD#16 for me today. Good to end the year on and hope it paves the way for many more in the New Year.

Frodobaggins

Just like to say a really big Thank You to BDINI and LMH for all your hard work this month.:T:T:T This challange really does help me to stay on track and seriously reduces how much I would otherwise spend in a month!:o

butdoineedit?

Sorry this is a bit late, i had it all neatly done last night, then the internet died & i lost it all!! :mad::mad:

Anyway, happy new year all & well done for an NSDtastic year!!

Targets met today:

chris81418 – well done for number 24 & meeting target number 2!!!!! :j:j
What a fantastic total!! :j:j

freebyfifty - well done for number 16 & meeting target number 2!!!!! :j:j
What a fantastic month you’ve had!! :j:j

kezlou – well done for 18 & meeting & exceeding your target! :j:j

ifwisheswerehorses... – Woo hoo well done for 17 & target met!!!! :j:j
& massive thanks for all the pictures & wiggles you have given us this month!! :j:j

bottleofred - well done for number 21 & meeting target number 2!!!!! :j:j
What a fantastic month you’ve had!! :j:j

Igamogam – number 10 & target met, well done you!! :j:j

Butti – well done for number 8 & target met!!!! & yay to the job interview too, good luck!! :j:j

miss_t - well done for 12 & meeting & exceeding your target! :j:j

Lots of NSDs rolling in today, so well done to:

his missus – well done for 13, you should be rightly pleased, it’s a great total! :j:j

mf0u1098 – well done for 14, you’re doing great!! :j:j

jaffacakegal – well done for number 13!!!! :j:j
Ooh a bacon sausage & egg roll, you’re making me hungry!!

ModestyB – well done for number 14, you’ve had a great month!! :j:j

fedupandskint – well done for number 14, you can do it!! :j:j

skaps - well done for 17, you’re doing great!! :j:j

beanielou – well done for number 20!! :j:j
Ooh I do love a good book!!

donna dynamo - well done for 14, you’re doing great!! :j:j

Nargleblast – 8 is not pathetic, well done for catching those 8 in a difficult month!! :j:j

Hiddenidenity - well done for number 28, you’ve had a great month!! :j:j

toottifrootti - well done for number 20, you’ve had a great month!! :j:j

slowlyfading - well done for number 19, you’ve had a great month!! :j:j

Keiss 21 – well done for number 17, & how annoying about the tap… fingers crossed you can get the one you need! :j:j

Frodobaggins – Well done for number 16, hope you enjoyed your day off!!! :j:j
Aww thanks for the Thank You, it has been a pleasure to keep you all in line!!

And hello to:

cw18 – love the sound of your new gadgets (& please share the info if you find out what Mr M reduces it’s meat – is it the same in all stores?)
Wow – loads of bargains again too!!!!

kerri gt – you might not have got a lot of NSD’s but you’ve had some brilliant bargains, & isn’t that what being MSE is all about????

rising from the ashes – glad you had a good day yesterday, but sorry to hear you didn’t get a table, fingers crossed the argos one come down in price soon!!

marmiterulesok – yay to getting your cashmere jumpers!!

wannabee_in_credit – make sure you include some treats for you in that grocery shop wannabe, you deserve it!!

jintyb – well done Jinty, sounds like you had a great day in the shops!!

Oh & 16 for me yesterday, so just made my target by the skin of my teeth!!

Nargleblast

Well, I had another count up and my total for December is finally 10 out of a target of 15.

Ok, stick me in the stocks and throw rotten tomatoes and soggy paintbrushes at me if you like, but at least I hit double figures!

And there is always January - New Year, new start.

Fully agree with the overratedness of New Years Eve - I have had some very depressing Dec 31sts in the past, till I realised how stupid it was going out to places where entrance fees are jacked up (because it's NYE) and drinks are overpriced (because it's NYE) and waiters in restaurants are rushed off their feet and take ages to serve you pretty mediocre food at lukewarm temperatures (because it's NYE) and you have to fork out a king's ransom for babysitters and taxis (because it's NYE) only to be crushed to near death by crowds of vomiting drunks (because it's NYE). That's why I put myself down to work over New Year - I prefer to have more time off at Christmas. So, me and OH and DS will have a telly night, probably watching Jools Holland's Hootenanny, and maybe a teensy weensy snifter to the sound of Big Ben chiming midnight (that always sets the tears flowing, me being a soft mare) then off to beddy byes for a six a.m. wakeup call for work.

And that will be a perfect New Year to end what has been a really good Christmas season for me and my family.

May all of you out there have all you wish for a content 2012.

(Might catch you all later on here, Igor is threatening to crack open the vintage reindeer punch this evening - he loves a party!)

cw18

Went down to Mr M yesterday in the hope of getting a White Choc Snowbombe to share, but they only had two and both were on yesterdays date. So I went back down after 5:30 (couldn't really get back any later), and they'd only been reduced from £3.50 to £2.75 - so I decided I'd rather risk seeing if they got fresh ones in today than save that little (what is he doing to me!!!) and put the pennies to one side so I could claim today as an NSD.

Got down around 1pm today to find just 1 sat in the fridge, so I nabbed it quick - and took a LOT of stick from the bakery staff for buying full price cream cakes :rotfl: Just as well I went down when I did - and I was told they'd had 4 come in this morning, so they're clearly a lot more popular for NYE than over Christmas (at our store anyway).

But I can't declare an NSD as I also picked up some Best Scones (also at full price!!! he's apparently never tried clotted cream, so I got these to use up some I have in while making him try it), some reduced (yes I did still check the Whoopsies ) tiger rolls, and a reduced (there's that word again ) Christmas Pudding Cheesecake. The latter wasn't as reduced as I'd have liked, but I'm pretty sure it'll be the last chance to get one to try this winter and I've wanted to since they first turned up about 6 weeks ago (£4.99 instead of £7, but they're huuuuuuge). The lady they took on when I left informed me they're nice but very, very sickly - so I'm looking forward to trying that

fedupandskint

Target reached 15/15 NSD

Woo hoo - staying away from the shops worked over the last week and only one spend day in 8 days too! So happy I made the target as I didn't think I would but I did! So I'm thinking about extending the target for Jan to 18 as I need to be very frugal indeed next month.

I'm not going out either for NY - in fact I'll be watching a DVD, having a nice tea with a glass of wine or 2 then off to bed at the usual time

Then I'll wake up as normal and if the weather's ok, I'll go for a run!

I'll pop back on later to wish everyone Happy New Year :T