A ginormous jump into 2012 with the January NSD challenge

Spendaholic_Chick

Hallelujah -bagged #10 today - target met! Yippeee!

IF

Februarys 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!

IF

Evening all :hello:

Spoony, BDINI and LMH got my 17th NSD thank you all xxx :A:A:A

Keiss_21

Lots of ((((hugs)))) jinty...I agree with all that has been said already re your twonk (love it!) of a supervisor. Hope things go OK at your meeting.

Lots of NSDs rolling in...a marvelloous month for saving money...lets hope we can continueas well the rest of the year...of course we can!! :T:T

Spendy today, not too bad though. Planning to get #20 tomorrow, fingers crossed.

Treated DH and DS to flumphs for tea tonight (chocolate puddings with the melted middles). I was good and had a lemon mousse (<90 cals!) In my defence, I was at M&S recycling my Xmas cards..some of them have been waiting for 4 years for this day! It would have been rude not to venture into the shop :rotfl:

Also did an A!di shop...used the little trolley, though it was almost too small. Serves me right getting 5x4pint bottles of blue milk and 3x1litres of red UHT milk!! Still pleased, may not need to buy much at all for the rest of the week...will draw up a two-week menu plan tomorrow.

Off to get some web-work done tonight....that will exercise the little grey cells!

Have a lovely evening everyone, and enjoy the last day of January tomorrow x

wannabee_in_credit

I'm here to report nsd #17 today. I've actually made a bit of money - my number came out in the draw at work (£1 a month fundraiser for a trip to Kenya),and I won £20. On top of my tenner in the lottery Saturday I've transferred £30 into my savings account today. YES!
Congratulations on the safe arrival of your little man iwanttogoonholiday

LittleMissHappy_2

Loads of NSD's coming in today and tonnes of targets tumbling

freebyfifty - well done for NSD 23 :j:j:j good luck getting todays NSD

jinty - well done for NSD 13 :j:j:j I can only echo what others have already said, however I am also getting my stomping shoes on

his missus - well done for NSD 15 :j:j:j and target met :beer:

fedupandskint - well done for NSD 16 :j:j:j must admit I would be happy to lose out on my target for a fresh cream meringue....there is always next month after all

JustDave - well done for NSD 7 :j:j:j only 1 more to get, you can do it!

blindtoast - well done for NSD 15 :j:j:j and second target met :beer:

oldtractor - well done for NSD 19 :j:j:j great going See you in the Feb thread x

Learning2Budget - well done for NSD 10 :j:j:j and target met :beer: great going!

Knitting Nora - well done for NSD 18 :j:j:j I’ll join you and if on the visit

rising - well done for NSD 17 :j:j:j it’s always the way isn’t it Next time you will get the bargain though

flying_fresian - well done for NSD 19 :j:j:j great going, can you get one more?!

Kittikins - well done for NSD 18 :j:j:j great going, fingers crossed you get one tomorrow

Phoebesmum2105 - well done for NSD 15 :j:j:j fingers crossed for good results from your interview Sending lots and lots of luck your way x

poohbear59 - well done for NSD 3 :j:j:j thats really great going

dumpy - well done for NSD 19 :j:j:j fingers crossed for you for tomorrow

mf0u1098 - well done for NSD 16 :j:j:j and target met :beer: Good luck getting your last NSD of the month tomorrow

WelshDreamer - well done for NSD 17 :j:j:j and target exceeded :beer:

donna dynamo - well done for NSD 20 :j:j:j and third target met :beer:

katy721 - well done for NSD 13 :j:j:j and target exceeded :beer:

Broomstick - well done for NSD 26 :j:j:j and target met :beer:

mumofjusttwo - well done for NSD 18 :j:j:j and target met :beer:

Igamogam - well done for NSD 16 :j:j:j and target exceeded :beer:

kersplatt - well done for NSD 13 :j:j:j good luck getting number 14 tomorrow and see you in the Feb thread

kerri gt - well done for NSD 13 :j:j:j rofl at your OH comment about Superscrimpers

silvasava - well done for NSD 12 :j:j:j and target met :beer:

LondonGirl252 - well done for NSD 14 :j:j:j and target exceeded :beer:

Spendaholic Chick - well done for NSD 10 :j:j:j and target met :beer:

if - well done for NSD 17 :j:j:j thanks for all the pictures this month, keep them coming in Feb x

wannabee_in_credit - well done for NSD 17 :j:j:j congrats on making some cash this month as well, nice to see some coming in instead of heading out

And :wave: hello to :

cw18 - sounds like you have everything sorted fingers crossed for your NSD tomorrow!


marmiterulesok - see you on the February thread

catslovelycats - thats the way I live it up these days too...:D

ModestyB - see you on the Feb thread

Frodo - sorry about your son Fingers crossed he is much better now x

Keiss 21 - fingers crossed for number 20 tomorrow

Well I am claiming NSD 12 today :j:j:j and target met :money: Wooooooo hooooooo See you all tomorrow x

beanielou

Frodo~Hope you son is on mend soon.

beanielou

Jinty~Can you go back down to 2 days?
This twonk defies belief in my opinion.

Another NSD today so no 24 today.

ModestyB

Frodobaggins wrote: »

Sorry I have been AWOL for the last couple of days, I promise I will catch up on everyones posts.

I had increased my target to 18 but unfortunately have not been able to catch anymore, as my son was admitted to hospital on Friday with appendicitis and it ruptured through the night, resulting in him having emergency surgery on Saturday. He is now on the mend and we are hoping he will be back home on Wednesday, but it has cost a small fortune in parking fees, use of bedside TV and taking him bits and bobs in. Not that I mind at all it just mounts up and means no more NSD's.

Hope everyone is well, Frodo x.

Hope your son will be well and at home soon.
Fancy having to pay for the tv, I'd forgotten about that. Dh didn't want it when he was in. As if the parking wasn't bad enough. :eek:
Big hugs to you and your son.

zafiro1984

Well I have not done as well as I expected this month - it's a bit dissappointing only managed 15/20 but I should manage another one tomorrow making a total of 16 for the month.
This used to be the time my will power gave up and I reverted to my old ways - hopefully not any more. I'll give Feb a go and see how it pans out.
As I said very dissappointing - not as easy as I thought.