The Spend Free September NSD Challenge

emslovesmickey

No NSD today cos i got the food i needed for work next week (decided to be healthyish and get houmous, celery and carrots) plus i went to pound shop to get some bits and pieces, including some nice stationary i'm going to give my friend for her birthday) and i also finally caved and got the Nars best of lips palette that i've been after for yonks. Hopefully no spending now till next Sunday, unless my dioramas arrive, cos i'm pretty sure there will be a large duty to be paid on those!

Fae

I got NSD 5 on Friday and NSD 6 today,

Did a very MSE BBQ for 8 yesterday so feeling very pleased with myself, dessert was home made flapjack and Jelly, what is it about Jelly that turns adults into children everyone got very excited.

Fa

poohbear59

I can't remember if I joined for this month. I would like to aim for 15NSDs please as we are going on holiday next week.

So far I have achieved 5NSDs

I stayed in today and stayed away from shopping websites. I just need to keep busy with other things.

marmiterulesok

Sunday night is here again.Why do days off go by so quickly?Hope you've all had a nice weekend.

Here's the update:

freeby well done on getting no.8 for yesterday plus 8 in a row!:j:j:jHope you enjoyed your day in the garden.

Victoria Ke well done on getting no.3 for yesterday!:j:j:j

The Dragon well done on getting no.2!:j:j:j

optimistic-mummy well done on getting no.6!:j:j:j

stripeyjumpergirl well done on getting no.6!:j:j:j

flubberyzing well done on getting no.6!:j:j:jSometimes doing 'naff all' makes for a perfect day.:D

beanie well done on getting no.7!:j:j:jHope you've had a better day today.

ChopinonaBudget well done on getting no.2!:j:j:jAnd well done on the fleabay sales!:j:j:j

red well done on getting no.5 and 6 for today and yesterday!:j:j:j What a busy day!Glad that lunch was excellent-why be modest if it was that good!

Fae well done on getting no. 5 and 6 for today and yesterday!:j:j:j BBQ sounds good.

poohbear59 well done on getting no.5!:j:j:jFreeby will add you to the front page if you're not there already.

kerri gt what a frustreating day.Some people have got such a cheek.:mad:

EverThe Optimist just a thought-if your nail and hair appts are already budgeted for,why count them as a spend?
Hope all is well with hubby.

InaPickle Hi and welcome!:wave:Freeby will add you to the front page shortly.Good luck with your lunches this week!

emslovesmickey you do sound organised.Good luck with your nsd week ahead!

Hope you all have a good week with lots of lovely nsds.

marmiterulesok

I forgot myself in the update...no.7 please today as no spends whatsoever.:j:j:j

beanielou

Ta muchly for the mamouth update marmite :j

beanielou

Wow marmite~just noticed your decluttering Go you

marmiterulesok

beanielou wrote: »

Wow marmite~just noticed your decluttering Go you

Thanks!It's been a good day.:D

PS I've only done so much cos I've got family coming on Tuesday.:o.Having visitors over always motivates me to do a big tidy up.Despite the dvd declutter I still have over 800 of them.:o

IF

Evening NSD'ers :hello:


Got my 6th NSD thank you :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!