Marching into March with the NSD Challenge

donna_dynamo

Hi all NSD 12 today. Had a spendy yesterday but limited the spend we had a lovely day out by the river as OH Auntie was moving me and the kids went off and did our own thing. Came home and had a massive headache and slept most of the evening. Don't get aid till friday so i imagine i will get to my target as i have very little in the bank.

Butti

No. 5 for me please

Butti x

chris81418

Good morning everyone! :wave:

freebyfifty wrote: »

Chris81418 – Woo Hoo, you reached your target of NSD #20. :j:j That’s brilliant. Watch the front page for your prize and BDINI will set your new target of 24 :T

Thanks freeby! And after a very spendy day on Saturday, I managed to catch NSD number 21 yesterday! :j

Hello Spoon - don't be a stranger! :wave:

Hope the good weather sticks around Have a good week everyone!

freebyfifty

Good Morning

Spendy day for me yesterday Had to buy a new lawnmower as I managed to burn out the motor on the old one trying to cut the field I laughingly refer to as my back garden

BDINI - Fingers crossed for the new dongle (IYSWIM :rotfl:)

If - Brilliant to see you back, we missed your pictures.

Kerri - Bloomin Heck :eek: I am impressed, that looks amazing :T


Have a great Monday x x

IF

Afternoon all :hello:

BDINI, LMH and freeby got up to my 14th NSD thank you all xxx
:A:A:A

rising_from_the_ashes wrote: »

Has anyone seen If anywhere / know if she's OK?

LittleMissHappy wrote: »

:wave: Hello all

rising - no idea where if is, she hasn't posted for over a week now Hope she is ok x

Awww thank you both :beer:

jaffacakegal

I agree with people, this thread is very quiet at the moment, maybe everyone suddenly has loads of money?! Certainly seems be a lot of new cars about, where do people get this money?! :rotfl:

Yesterday was NSD 12. At a charity do Friday, worked Saturday then picked up bits and bobs to make my new living room cosy

Was meant to be going for a long walk/to the gym yesterday but slept in until 1pm then lounged about not done that in ages must have really needed the sleep. Seems to have made me feel a bit less stressed anyway so the waste of a day was worth it obviously!

JCG x

purpleorchid

NSD 12

Luv Px

Piquant_2

Hurrah! I've done it! 15 out of 15 NSDs for me!

LittleMissHappy_2

Hello everyone

JCG - I think everyone is out enjoying the sunshine I have been out in the garden all day studying (honest, I did do some!)

Another NSD for me today, can't remember what I am up to now though! Back later for an update and hopefully will be able to post an accurate figure!!!

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!