The Autumnal October NSD Challenge

Nargleblast

Number 10!!!! You are a day early! What happened? Oh, unexpected cancelled dentist appointment. Ok, then, go and join your nine mates in that pile over there......and don't touch that cauldron, it's got Igor's pumpkin brandy festering away in it.....

Big Mumma -- luuuurrvvve the costume, sweetie, but do leave the deckchair at home this time, will you? We want to keep the Ennessdee Towers ballroom floor clear for lots and lots of Halloween dancing, although I have still to organise the band..... No, Igor, you can't have The Good Ole Boys back, remember the harvest hoedown fiasco? When they thought they had been booked to do their drag queen cabaret act, their false eyelashes ended up in the gravy and Hubert ended up nearly crippling himself wearing their stilettos.....

On a serious note - all please join minds and send good thoughts and wishes to Bdini who is having that all-important meeting today.

IF

Morning all :hello:

fedupandskint

It's a no spend day for me today - making it number 9/12

Tomorrow will be a spendy day as I'll need to get some more packaging for those ebays sales about to finish shortly - money on route to cc repaymet challenges

p0lly

Hello all hope hope you are having a good monday. I had a very spendy weekend as I knew I would but it was lots of fun:D:D I have only just got home so tomorrow I will be back on the NSD wagon. I have enough of everything to last me til Saturday I think love P0lly x

silvasava

Not been doing too well on the NSD front lately - hope today might be one - fingers crossed. Got an MS to do on Wednesday so trying to save everything 'till then. Oh *!*! just realised I've blown today 'cos I ordered some supplements on 'tinternet.
Must try harder - must try harder

flubberyzing

Had a busy afternoon (saw 'Taken 2' at the cinema - very silly, full of plot holes, but good fun).
Got my passport photos taken (need them for work), but my gosh, they were £5! I haven't needed any for years, but I'd assumed they were around the £3.50 mark.
Small Tesco spend on essentials.
Posted a small package to America. £3something postage, so not bad.
Will try and make tomorrow a NSD! But will need petrol at some point this week, as off to Shropshire on Saturday, and there and back uses a good half a tank.

LittleMissHappy_2

No NSD today but both Saturday and Sunday were both so I have at least 2 this month

HeadAboveWater

HeadAboveWater wrote: »

Hoping today for a NSD so will be back later to update!!

It's now later!!!

*sigh*

Was doing soooo well!!! OH needs me to bring home carrots and peas.... There goes my NSD

Think next month I'm gonna have to change my 'rules' ever so slightly as I'll never hit my target!!!!

marmiterulesok

freebyfifty wrote: »

Marmite - you are an absolute :A. Thank you for the update. I shall do tonight's one unless anyone else wants to have a go.

This thread would be nothing (literally) without all the lovely updaters taking some time to keep it running. You don't get the credit you deserve. You are all brilliant. :A

How nice of you to say that!

I can do tonight's one no problem btw.I think I'd said it in my big update post,maybe you didn't see it.

I could even do Tuesday's TBH.Let me know if tomorrow's ok.I'll go ahead to do tonight's a bit later.

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!