The Remember Remember NSD November Challenge

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!

marmiterulesok

beanielou wrote: »

Marmite~YS is yellow stickered.

rising_from_the_ashes wrote: »

Marmite Ahhhh Beanielou beat me too it!

Sorry - YS is reduced / whoopsied ..... frequently used abbreviation from the Old Style board (oh and the Co*op ones are usually orange just to confuse things!)

Seems so obvious now,thanks!:o

#17 in the bag as no spends at all today.

marmiterulesok

marmiterulesok wrote: »

#17 in the bag as no spends at all today.

No,in fact I mean #18!:o

Well done rising with stopping smoking.Have you read Allen Carr's book?It helped me a lot.I stopped just over 12 years ago and am thankful every day that I did.:)

slowlyfading

NSD 14 for me today, as I managed to resist the coffee shop! :j

rising_from_the_ashes

marmiterulesok wrote: »

Well done rising with stopping smoking.Have you read Allen Carr's book?It helped me a lot.I stopped just over 12 years ago and am thankful every day that I did.:)

No ... I've seen it mentioned on a few websites tho' so may just see if I can get it out the library - really hope I'm still stopped in 12 years time ... well done for kicking it totally in the "butt";):T

beanielou

NSD No 9.
What a slog this month.

flubberyzing

NSD11 in the bag.

Got a days work today. Lovely tiny village school teaching mixed reception/year 1. It might be nice if their teacher with tonsillitus decides to stay off for another day...

Then a dash across town for a quick coffee/mince pie round a friends house.

Then home to fill in a job application that they insisted be hand-written and all in capital letters! I HATE THAT. Took me over an hour. !!!!!!.

Finally feel like I can now relax, so thought I'd come and say hey to you guys!

Might not be a NSD tomorrow... I need some large letter stamps to post off this application form, so I thought I'd get my regular stamps for Xmas as well, before they start to sell out! That might save a NSD later down the line.

Nargleblast

Here we go, here we go, so much to do so little time to do it in.....barely enough time to get undressed and into the shower...where's that good-for-nothing Igor?

Right, Igor, make yourself useful...take off my shoes and socks. Thank you. Now my jeans....then the jumper.....ahhh, that's better!

Now don't let me catch you wearing them again.....

Nargleblast

Ooh, and before I forget.....a fabulous 11 NSDs in the Narglekitty......

marmiterulesok

rising_from_the_ashes wrote: »

No ... I've seen it mentioned on a few websites tho' so may just see if I can get it out the library - really hope I'm still stopped in 12 years time ... well done for kicking it totally in the "butt";):T

Thanks!It really is a book that turns around your way of thinking about smoking.I literally couldn't have stopped without it I don't think.

I was one of those people who couldn't imagine not smoking,smoked when I had a cold,smoked first thing etc.My reason for stopping was that I was about to start work in a ward where a large majority of the patients have smoking related cancers.A sobering thought indeed.It amazing how many of my colleagues smoke though.

And as you have also said,just think of the money you'll save!:)

So keep up the good work.One day at a time.You're doing great!:j