The Spend Free September NSD Challenge

rising_from_the_ashes

Nargleblast wrote: »

Well the positive vibes and good wishes did their magic - I passed. It won't quite be a top notch gold plated degree but it's a degree all the same, and I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it. And I did. And I am going to have a whale of a time now getting rid of tons of dead tree that I won't ever read again. Oohhh! I love a bit of decluttering!

:j:j Congrats Nargle - well done!
Enjoy the decluttering!:D

solventsoon wrote: »

rising - I’m donning my search gear over the weekend and will see how many handbags I turn up;)

Have fun - and remember, no "ohhhh I'd forgotten I had that one, isn't it nice";) which is my usual trick when I'm having a clear out

bottleofred wrote: »

bought some tins of confectionery that were reduced to £5 for xmas (oops, sorry to those who don't want to hear the word yet:D!!).

:eek: Feeling faint now Red ....... ohhhhhh don't want to even think about that yet!

Which sm were you in? :rotfl: I do need to get DF a tin of sweets now so that would be handy!


Freeby yup, still on ww - 13lbs down in 7 weeks :j so quite pleased with that! (a long way to go tho!). I must admit I'm finding the online site pretty carp tbh (I didn't expect to get all the booklets etc but I did think you 'd get links to them to be able to print them off) and I now only use it to do my weigh in each week. Luckily there's a couple of girls from the office doing it (and going to class) so they keep me on track (great having each other to egg us on) - unfortunately I can't get to the class as only an hour after work & not enough time to get home feed & walk Maisie & get back again..... There's a class on a Sat morning (unfortunately too far to go each week) but I'm heading in that direction this morning anyway so think I'll pop in and have a look at the treats / books they have and hopefully buy 1 or 2 things for a wee change (so will be a spendy day).

Have a great Saturday everyone:D

marmiterulesok

Nargleblast wrote: »

Well the positive vibes and good wishes did their magic - I passed. It won't quite be a top notch gold plated degree but it's a degree all the same, and I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it. And I did. And I am going to have a whale of a time now getting rid of tons of dead tree that I won't ever read again. Oohhh! I love a bit of decluttering!

Congratulations!:j:j:j

kerri_gt wrote: »

Oh, Igor's drinky poos hasn't arrived yet, but I did notice an ambulance, a DHL van and some men wandering around in biohazard suits when I got home....:eek::eek::eek:

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Loads planned for today,mostly housework and some baking-visitors next week.Hoping for an nsd,of course!:D

OutofDebt-NOT-OutofDanger

NSD #6 for yesterday and 6 in a row.:j:j

Won't be one today as the keyboard on the laptop has finally become too bad to use properly :mad::mad::mad:.

Ah well onwards and upwards!

optimistic-mummy

wont be a no spend day for us. got a wedding to go to. i actually am at the point where i get stressed when i spend money because i want to clear the debt ASAP. was going to say we couldn't go .... we haven't seen them in about 3 years. but its my uncle so kinda felt guilty about making out we couldnt go .. oh well hopefully will be a nice day . hugs to everyone that needs/wants one x

bottleofred

Rising, the tins of sweets were in Mr T and there was a good selection:D

ModestyB

Congratulations Nargle, very pleased for you.

kerri_gt

Morning all! Bit of a late start for me but never mind - did I mention I am now officially on holiday? Hoping I might be able to manage a NSD today, not planning to go near a supermarket as I can do that on Mon when it's not crazy busy. Planning to do a car boot tomorrow as the weather should be nice so need to get some stuff down from the loft and get everything sorted. tbh I could do without doing it tomorrow as I'm not really prepared, but we're not likely to get many more weekends like this one so would be silly not to make the most of it.

Just got a lovely b'day gift through the post from my friend in Oz - £40 of theatre tokens so me and OH can take a trip to the big smoke later in the year - really want to see Sweeny Todd, although will see what else is on too - haven't seen Phantom for years and that would be good, though I feel I should go for something i've not seen before.

Have a lovely day everyone x

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!

IF

Afternoon all :hello:

Got my 5th NSD thank you :A

IF

Nargleblast wrote: »

Well the positive vibes and good wishes did their magic - I passed. It won't quite be a top notch gold plated degree but it's a degree all the same, and I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it. And I did. And I am going to have a whale of a time now getting rid of tons of dead tree that I won't ever read again. Oohhh! I love a bit of decluttering!

Well done Nargle :beer: