The Autumnal October NSD Challenge

citizenkitten

BDINI - best of luck and stay strong, we are all here fighting for you *puts up her mitts*

wannabe- manage to think of something to take in?

rising - I hope you get better soon and sorry to hear you are sad, if posting here helps please do so.

freeby- too ill to turn on the TV? bed for you followed by all meals accompanied by gravy and butter and most importantly sleep.

l2b - dont worry about reaching targets everything you do to get to those NSDs is progress, it took me time to get into the swing of realising where i spent my money and how to best manage it. I count getting petrol as a spend but most people dont, but that is because at petrol stations i am not tempted to buy other things. i dont count getting food as a spend but most people do, that is because i am liable to be swayed by promotions and so if i buy these and not on my list, this counts as a spend which helps me really think about it first.

NSD 9 YESTERDAY!

been one lazy kitten on my days off, today i plan another equally lazy one of going through my wardrobe and altering a dress for a christening this sunday.

but not before i make banana pancakes for breakfast with toasted nuts and watch daily politics. BLISS!

Victoria2322

Hello, Can I join Please? I am going to Say 6 NSD's until the end of the month!

Thank you! Today is my first attempt!

IF

Morning all :hello:

This made me smile

HeadAboveWater

Decided that as well as keeping a track on the number of NSDs in October, I'm gonna mark down which days are NSDs.

My NSDs are when I spend absolutely nothing. No dd/so. No milk. No bread. No fuel. No 'essentials'. Nothing. Nadda.
My weekly budget is obviously there for a purpose (we do need to eat after all!!) but I still count it as spending.

I know myself there are certain days that things happen, eg. OH generally picks me up from work on a Friday and we go to Tesco's. Saturday and Sundays are usually spend days too coz we go out to a cafe (or 2!! )

So far this month I've had 2 Mondays (was almost 3!!), one Tuesday, one Wednesday and (unusually!) one Saturday.

So in theory, I should be able to plan better for November.

Does that make sense or am I talking a load of warble?!?!?!?!?!? :rotfl:

Igamogam

Target met 10 but bit of a cheat cos I am still feeling _pale_ so no going out only to doctors and prescriptions are free here:)

southernbelle

No 8 for me today!

:money:

flubberyzing

NSD9 in the bag!

A very nothingy day around here! I stayed in to avoid the intermittent wind and rain.
Tomorrow though, I'm having coffee with a friend, which'll be nice. Plus I've been saving up a few little errands that need running, so that I'll be able to condense a few little spends into one day. Sneaky!

Victoria2322

Headoverwater- You made complete sense! I am the same as you, I know what days I go out and I will be sticking to the planned NSD's

IF

Evening :hello:

Got my 11th NSD thank you :A

IF…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 thefirst 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!