The Marvellous May NSD Challenge

jaffacakegal

NSD 8 yesterday. Too busy to spend money even if I had it to spend! V!rgin M£dia have finally taken first direct debit today tho so already a spendy!

JCG x

ModestyB

Had NSD 6 yesterday. Thought today would be one but DH has gone to Mr M's and there's no way he won't spend! :rotfl:

donna_dynamo

Hi all NSD 8 today. Feeling a little down at the moment but talking to people at work i think everyone is feeling this way at the moment. Got plenty of housework to do so must get on.

rising_from_the_ashes

kerri_gt wrote: »

Rising - Maisie sounds adorable and very settled in her new home x

She is but she's very energetic so is taking a lot of walking :T - struggling to find time to post atm:o

freebyfifty wrote: »

Rising - I put you on the In-a-row page. :j

Shhhhhhhhhhhhh......don't tell anyone

Awwwwwww promise I won't!:D

Have another to add :j No 10 and 5 in a row for yesterday (but had to give in and buy some bread for lunches for the rest of the week today)

flying_fresian wrote: »

The ones I wanted were normally £85 but I found them for £35 with £1.05 cashback via Quidco and I have £18 coming from Paypal, so they were really a bargain

Wow! Great bargain Fresian!:D

OutofDebt-NOT-OutofDanger

#10 for me today:j

First target met:j:T:j:T:j:T

hedgesparrow

NSD 4 for me today. Finally!

slowlyfading

NSD 10 for me today please

Nargleblast

Evening all! 5 glorious NSDs now in the bag!

And with finances a bit tight at present I have checked the freezer contents and done meal plans to cover from now till payday, so it's just things like milk, fruit, veg etc to buy. That is, if I can keep the resident gannets in line.

IF

Evening all :hello:

freeby and LMH got my 10th NSD thank you both xx:A:A

IF

freebyfifty 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!