A ginormous jump into 2012 with the January NSD challenge

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!

beanielou

Thank you BDNDI for the mega update

greenanne

evening.
2 more nsd for me please.one for sunday one today.
thats 10nsd for me so far.
thankyou.

TwelveStopsThenHome

Put me down for 5 extra days please

Butti

donna_dynamo wrote: »

Hi all NSD 13 today. WE have had bad news OH Dad is very poorly he has been diagnosied with cancer. OH has gone into his shell and won't talk about it. Worried about OH and the children.

Sorry to hear this Donna.
It's really shocking news, like being hit by a brick, and sometimes people just need time and space to even acknowledge it. I couldn't breathe and couldn't talk about it for days when my mum was diagnosed. Just let him know you are there and try not to worry (easier said, I know)

B x

Frodobaggins

Donna so sorry to hear your news. Sending you hugs.

Frodobaggins

NDS#10 for me today.

cw18

((hugs)) for Donna (and OH and children)




and now to business



given how slipshod I got with achieving (and keeping track of) NSDs towards the end of last year, I'm amazed to say I've hit my target of 10 today :T

Legs felt OK this morning (a miracle after doing a 12 mile run yesterday morning), so I had a lazy day to keep them that way - and that enabled me to head out on (and complete) a 5.2 mile run with club tonight. As such, apart from the run, I've not been any further than my driveway and I haven't spent a penny on-line (unlike last night when I spent £66.85 on entry fees for 4 races later this year :eek: )


Time to figure out a new target me thinks..... Hmmmmm......

14 days left of the month but 4 more direct debits to go out which are all likely to be on different days - so that reduces possible extras to 10

trying to keep planned shopping day to a Friday when I'm near a large Mr T (or Saturday if I only need a couple of bits that I can get locally) - and there's 2 more Fridays, so that further reduces possibles to 8

plus the chances of needing to pay hospital parking (when GD3 arrives) on the same day as one of the above is pretty remote - so that takes it down again to 7

and I'd like to be able to treat myself to something next Monday if I fancy something ('cos it's my birthday ) - so I'm now down to 6

so I think I'll play it safe and set my second target to 14 please

mfmaybe

Very pleased to say NSD 8, and amazingly 4 in a row!

It also looks like my O/D will be about £200 less than expected. The 4k I put in my sig was really my prediction for payday tomorrow ( there is little point measuring it mid-month as timing of payments change) so I'm ahead of where I want to be - undoubtably due to MSE:T

jaffacakegal

Phew just caught up from last time I posted on Friday - everyone been busy!

Donna (((big hugs))) to you and I hope OH starts to open up soon xxx

Kindle - I got 1 for Xmas, still got books to read also but I keep changing whether I read book or kindle. Was very useful at the gym yesterday when I finished one book and could go straight on to the next whilst on the bike I also read mine in the bath the other day!!!

Been off work two days (hols to use up). Saturday NSD. Sunday spendy, cheap tickets to see Sarah Millican, paid for food tho on the night, was a cracking night! Monday also spendy - Sainos big shop healthy food (too flipping expensive tho!). Today painting and cleaning so NSD.

Total now 9 NSD.

JCG x