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

Hiddenidenity

Today was an unplanned NSD so number 12 for me :j
Which means tomorrow wont be one as I need to get baby milk :rotfl:

rising_from_the_ashes

jintyb wrote: »

Hi Rising - have you checked out freecycle? You might get lucky with a freebie which would tide you over for now ( until Jan sales);)

Thanks Jinty - have been looking but no joy... (everyone seems to put stuff on during the day & it's gone by the time I get in from work) - have put a wanted ad ..... there's also the problem of getting it here but will find a way if I can find one!


Anyway, No 6 today.

Stay safe and warm everyone, horrible out there again!:eek:

slowlyfading

Number 8 for me today.

It's my last day of work tomorrow which is very :eek: goodness knows what's going to happen then

wannabee_in_credit

As suspected I did spend today - have paid for dd's gym class and my sister's chocolate for new baby.
And tomorrow won't be nsd either, I have to pay for a book I ordered and I still haven't sorted out secret santa.
Gad...

ModestyB

Not an NSD for me today, went to town to look at the xmas market. What a waste of time! About half a dozen sheds and stalls. I felt sorry for the poor souls standing there in this weather.
We went to BHS to use £30's worth of vouchers I had. Wanted to treat DH to something but there was nothing he really wanted. Apart from a nice pair of jeans which were too low in the waist. He has a C-bag and has to be careful what he wears. So I ended up with a nice new dress and pair of skinny jeans.
Also managed to get 2 hats for a pound each in a new shop, just what I needed when I take the dogs out. No, I haven't got 2 heads! :rotfl:
Finally managed to get DH a few small xmas pressies too. (And a few chocs.)
Tomorrow will be a spend day too but I'm hoping for at least one NSD this week.

Hugs to all who are ill or in need of one.




:xmassign::xmastree::xmassign:

kerri_gt

Evening all. Well I am falling waaaaayyyy behind with the NSD this month I just don't seem to have time to do everyone on my list in one go atm.

Today was a prime example, had to get DM xmas card at lunch so spent ages choosing that, I also gained a niece overnight (:j) so had to get new baby card and paper. That meant I didn't have time to get to Mr S to look for another item I may need. Oh well, always knew this month would be a struggle so not going to beat myself up too much about it (BDINI will do that with her paintbrush )

Rising - sorry to hear about the fridge. Have you checked the local paper also, or Gumtree and Preloved? Also worth a quick squizz on fleabay as there might be one nearby you? Know what you mean about all the different options - I literally had a spreadsheet set up when I was buying our sofas (not that many of you would be surprised to know that I expect :rotfl:)

Jinty - thanks for the thought about the guarantee. I had a look online and it looks like the bin should have a 10yr one, it was 5-6yrs old so well within time, AND I have found the receipt (very faded but it's still readable) so I'll give them a ring tomorrow.

Incidentally yesterday was also a spend day. Had the day off work and went out to finish my Xmas shopping. Mission (nearly) complete - just one more item to get for OH but did get a few bits for him and the rest of my mum's gifts. Had I just stuck to xmas shopping I'd have been able to declare a NSD but I might have purchased a t-shirt for myself and treated myself to a tea and scone in the dept store ...:o:o:o

bottleofred

Good evening from a very wet and windy NI:eek:

Checking in to declare NSD10 for today please:beer:

zafiro1984

NSD no 8, I think, for last Sunday.
Unfortunately I had a sainsbury delivery yesterday and today spent some money on a pig. My Oh helped towards it but it came to more than he gave me so I had to cough up the difference - still it should last for quite a while. The rest of the week should be fine, I've no intention of spending - we'll see if I can keep the purse shut???

butdoineedit?

LittleMissHappy wrote: »

I went away on Friday and Friday was an NSD However I think I spent on Saturday and Monday so I now have 2 more NSD’s to add to my total making a grand total of 5:j:j:j I had a lovely time, we were in Sherwood Forest (Cent*e P*rcs) and had such a giggle......:D

Ooh that brings back memories, as a kid we were always visiting Sherwood Forest with the home made bows & arrows that my dad made!!
Glad you had a good time hun.

ifwisheswerehorses... wrote: »

Morning all :hello:

Loved it :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

IF

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!