A fantastic February with the NSD challenge

butdoineedit?

Well despite the snow & ice the NSD's are motoring along at a fine pace!!

So a big welcome to:

jencolescott – welcome to the challenge!! Spoon will sign you up for 10 when she updates the front page, & well done for your first 2!! :j:j

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

Kittikins – ouch to your back, I do hope the painkillers are helping, but well done for number 5!! :j:j

SuziQ1962 – well done for numbers 1, 2 & 3, you’re off to a great start!! :j:j

bubble32 – well done for number 3!! :j:j
The way i avoid a mega spend when out is to alternate between alcohol & soft drinks, purely so I don’t think “stuff it” & buy ridiculous rounds when drunk. I also drink pints instead of shorts as they last so much longer.
Also is there anyone to be your “moderation buddy”, so you can keep reminding each other not to go over the top, & encourage each other to go for the last bus etc..?

iwanttogoonholiday – well done for number 4, you’re doing great!! :j:j

Keiss 21 - well done for number 5, you’re doing great!! :j:j

ModestyB – well done for number 4 & yay to not having to pay the vets!! :j:j

mytimetoshine2012 – well done for number 3!! Great that you are managing to avoid temptations such as the coffee shop, & managing on £30 till the end of the month is just fab!! :j:j

katy721 – well done for number 3!! :j:j
Good luck with the buffet snaffling!!

rising from the ashes – well done for number 3!! :j:j
Good luck with your scan tomorrow

silvasava – well done for number 4!! Glad the challenge is helping you to focus on the bits you need to. :j:j

fedupandskint – well done for number 5 & for avoiding the yummy treats!! :j:j

Broomstick – well done for number 6, you’re doing great!! :j:j

flying_fresian – Well done for number 4!!:j:j
((((((((((((((((big hugs))))))))))))))) I hope you feel better soon

Nargleblast – well done for number 4!! :j:j
Now next time you are adding up, please use your own fingers & not Igor’s, after all the culinary accidents he’s not a reliable abacus!! :rotfl:

Poppy_Golightly – well done for number 3!! :j:j
Glad you enjoyed your sketching, it always amazes me how many fun things there are to do for free!!

wannabee_in_credit – well done for number 4!! :j:j
I’m sorry to hear things are bad at work, but I’m keeping everything crossed for your job application.

deeleybopper – well done for number 4, you’re doing great!! :j:j

kerri gt – well done for number 5!! My soggy paintbrush is going to be well & truly redundant this month :rotfl:

donna dynamo – well done for number 6!! :j:j
So sorry your house is cold, it must be so frustrating that your landlord doesn’t care!

And hello to:

jaffacakegal – yay to the phone savings!! Keep going with the NSD’s you can do it!!

lashley82 – good luck with your darts match!! Don’t worry about those NSD’s, you’re doing great & they will come!!

Knitting Nora – Ooh Nora, how kind to give up your NSD for Missus Freeby, such community spirit here…. (& a car full of petrol too – bonus!!) :rotfl:

Learning2Budget – oh your poor babies, hope they are feeling a bit better now? & TBH I might be tempted to count the milk as a medical emergency for the poorly girls & therefore an NSD…..

marmiterulesok – don’t beat yourself up about the jumpers, with the temperatures you have had recently I’d say they were pretty essential!!


Not one for me today, one of those days at work, so I decided that the only way to make things better was to win the 44 million on the lottery & that necessitated buying a ticket!! Bit if a rubbish thing to lose an NSD for, but sometimes it just has to be done!!

kerri_gt

butdoineedit? wrote: »

Not one for me today, one of those days at work, so I decided that the only way to make things better was to win the 44 million on the lottery & that necessitated buying a ticket!! Bit if a rubbish thing to lose an NSD for, but sometimes it just has to be done!!

You won't be saying it was a rubbish way to lose a NSD if you win though

Donna - sorry to hear you're feeling down, there's nothing worse than feeling cold in your home, perhaps OH is feeling like you are and 'planning' something like a move is his way of feeling more positive? Perhaps a hot water bottle and a cuddle might help :grouphug: x

deeleybopper

Donna...I'm really close by to you I think! Judging by the temp and your signature...
I'm wv5...
Hope u can get warm overnite, fills ur bones sometimes.
I've been cold all day at work even though I had jumper on.

Spendaholic_Chick

Just realised I bagged #2 today :j

Was supposed to take nanna out for tea, but she insisted on paying so a surprise one

Delilahh

Been away for the first 5 days of Feb, so there was no chance at all of a NSD. Yesterday was spent doing the weekly shopping, but today I managed my first for Feb.

1/11 NSD for me today!

Knitting_Nora

rising_from_the_ashes wrote: »

Thank you both ..... tbh I'm dreading it - most things don't phase me too much but I'm claustrophobic :eek:. Having to lie still in a teeennnnny loo roll which sounds like it's had a bad curry the night before isn't my first choice on how to spend a morning!:o

I have had one before but it was the open ended machine (and they did have to pull me out when I 1st went in when I had a bit of a panic) but at least once I was in, I could see out the end and managed to get through it .... this ones at a diff hosp and just dreading that it's one of the sealed unit scanners ..... really not sure I could handle that.:(

Rising - I had one fairly recently - brain scan, so not fun right from the start, plus sealed unit. But to be fair, I mentioned that I was terrified and prone to panic attacks in small spaces (minor understatement) - they gave me headphones with the local radio station playing, and it was suggested that I close my eyes asap after my head hit the 'pillow'. Nurse held my hand until I was 'sorted' into the right position.

I was expecting to freak massively, but with the help of the staff (in a hospital not known for it) I sailed through it just fine. So mention your fear to them - they'll have seen it all before, and may have all sorts of tricks up their collective sleeve to help (or a mallet to bop you over the head with...;)).

Fingers and toes crossed for you.

Nora.x

PS. Yes, they did find evidence of a brain...thankyouverymuch!

purpleorchid

(((((((((((((((((((((hugs))))))))))))))) to all that need them.

good luck for tomorrow rising.xx

i had a spendy day today, i needed tobacco and papers so that was 9.50 and had no intentions of spending anymore, but in my friends 2nd hand shop she had a lovely pink teddy bear sitting on a heart, with pink balloon, saying best mum in the world, i love you, plus it was in cellophane. looks like new, paid £2. so happy with this as i needed something for my little girl to give to my mum for mothers day. ( kaycee lives with my mum and sleeps two nights a wk with me, so i think its only right mum gets something off kaycee as well). i have ordered a dvd for mum on amazon which i paid for with money earned from surveys, so its just the cards to make now and im sure that we have more than enough things here in my craft box to use for those. so mothers day will only cost me £2 in total. happy days.

Luv P
xx

deeleybopper

When I had one I sang a song in my head that I loved, slowly, carefully, gave me something to focus on and slowed my breathing down good luck x

LittleMissHappy_2

Did I mention I got an NSD today Won't be tomorrow as Mr T delivery coming (can't bloomin walk / drive to get to Ald!/whoopsies :mad:)

So NSD 5 for me please

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!