A fantastic February with the NSD challenge

wannabee_in_credit

Evening all
As predicted, a spendy day today. £26 on meat for the month at the butchers, £4 in c00p on whoopsies, £3.50 on cakes to take to a friends house (she made lunch), and I also succumbed to a cup of tea and a bacon buttie at the kids party this morning (to ease my hangover). Tomorrow is grocery day but still hoping I might bag an nsd by taking OH with me - then he'll pay. hahahaha

Frodobaggins

Freeby your update was great, well done you.:T

NSD#2 for me today, mostly because I didn't want to go out in the cold.:p

kerri_gt

Well done on yesterday's update Freeby :T

Jinty - forgot to say yesterday, don't you go blaming me for your ventures into TKM

Well it started snowing here a few hours ago, really light but icy stuff - have a cannister of that snow clear stuff from the £1 shop so put some of that down on the path and might have to clear the rest with the snow shovel tomorrow. Had a day at home, hoovering, cleaning, washed the floor and cleaned the bathroom and downstairs toilet (love having them clean but hate doing it) and now watching Narnia.

Declaring NSD #3 as well :jand 3 in a row :eek: I did buy a Groupon deal to have the oven cleaned, £20 down from £50 (it was something I was planning to get done anyway and cheapest quote I got locally was £45) but I will take that from the house account....as it it rather a household cost.

I need to head out tomorrow to get some lunch stuff for the week (hope the roads are ok) wombling will be rubbish with this snow in a way I'm thinking I should have gone today but too late now.

Pud curled up next to me snoozing, considering getting her a radiator bed - does anyone else have one and are they any good?

Wellyboots6

Katy721 – Woo hoo to number 2. :j Did you stay strong and stay in????


Thanks for the update

I did manage to stay in so caught a NSD yesterday. However, today has been a spendy one as I had to fill up the car, and OH said he was cooking tonight but somehow that turned in to me treating us to chip shop tea. Not quite sure how that happened!!

I'm sure this is where my money goes, impulse-ninja-spends that creep up on me!!

mandz1

NSD number 1.
Hoping tomorrow will be aswell as i aint going out as it started snowing here today, i will stay warm in the house allday

pinkfluffybabe

NSD No3 for today :j

Allie_Ballie_Bee

I think I can now safely declare today as NSD #2 as I have no intention of getting out of my bed with the hot water bottle, duvet, furry blanket and pj's in order to go to any shop. I just have to make sure I don't have any online splurges

Loved the skiing kitten :rotfl:
No snow here...yet! My cats love the snow. They chase their own mini snow balls.

bottleofred

Hi folks,

Declaring NSD3 for today please.:beer:

ModestyB

Hi all, a spendy day as predicted. Had to get SIL a card and present. Then I lucked out in getting a breadmaker in a CS for £10. I've 'baked' the first loaf but haven't tried it yet. Think we'll be having it for toast in the morning.
Keep warm everybody.
The pups love the snow, the first they've ever seen.
Hugs to all.

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!