The Mad March NSD Challenge

new_leaf_88

NSD #8 for me today :j:j:j

wildcherry

NSD#6 for me today! Really pleased with that as its been a spendy few days.

Candlewick

Evening :wave:

It was snowing on my way home :eek:

My cupboards are looking more like Mrs Hubbard's every day but I have resisted food shopping for another evening. Will struggle tomorrow night but am determined to wait until Friday and do a big shop.

NSD 7 for me today please.

Spoon & Freeby, thanks for updating.

Hope everyone is well. Stay warm.

CW

flubberyzing

#9 in the bag!

Got a water bill through the post today... Only to find that, after having my water meter read, I've been significantly over-paying compared to the amount I've been using! So much so that I was £160 in credit! As a result, they will take no payments from me until this time next year, because I've essentially "paid in advance".

Kerry - Thanks for asking about the staffroom. Yeah, it's improving all the time. There are usually the same little group of us in there at the same sort of time and I'm slowing putting faces to names and jobs.
Funny though, a woman who seemed a bit stand-offish and grrr the first day or two, has actually been one of the nicest since then! I guess don't judge by first impressions!

Need petrol and money for Friday pub lunch tomorrow, so not a NSD for me then.

kerri_gt

flubberyzing wrote: »

Got a water bill through the post today... Only to find that, after having my water meter read, I've been significantly over-paying compared to the amount I've been using! So much so that I was £160 in credit! As a result, they will take no payments from me until this time next year, because I've essentially "paid in advance".

Kerry - Thanks for asking about the staffroom. Yeah, it's improving all the time. There are usually the same little group of us in there at the same sort of time and I'm slowing putting faces to names and jobs.
Funny though, a woman who seemed a bit stand-offish and grrr the first day or two, has actually been one of the nicest since then! I guess don't judge by first impressions!

Need petrol and money for Friday pub lunch tomorrow, so not a NSD for me then.

Yikes to the water flubberyzing, though good news that you're now not going to be billed again until next year We seem to be quite consistent on our water use, so much so our most recent bill was less than £2 diff from the prev one. I was a bit worried as we've indulged in more baths than usual this winter, but I guess that balances out in the summer with me watering the plants every now and again.

Great news about the staff room, sometimes shyness or not being so outgoing can be easily mistaken for being offhand or even slightly grrrrr. Sounds like all in all its working out really well x

Well NSD # 8 in the bag today. Popped into town to get out at lunch but didn't spend :A

Prob a little spendy one tomorrow as I'm going past L1dl, and I kinda need my eyebrows attending to so will look to roll that into one day. Our fridge is taking on that very tidy mid-month look, aka a bit empty :rotfl: but lots in the freezer. Bit annoyed because I didn't take the spuds I bought a couple of weeks ago out of the bag and didn't have room in the fridge for them at the time. Moved them this morning and they've started sprouting - although nothing that can't be resolved with a peeler :rotfl:

Must dash, rhubarb and ginger crumble in the oven - move over Nigella (and Igor!)

IF

Hiya my No Spendy chums :hello:
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 we ask you to highlight your number of NSDs in a colour and in bold so that Freeby, Spoon, Marmite, Cheryl and Sazzie can see them easily when they whizz through the posts - red would be best but they don't really mind as long as they 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!

bt1

NSD#5 for me yesterday. Need to get back into it!

Going for NSDs tomorrow and Friday.

cw18

First time of doing this for me, so please forgive any clangers I may drop

Baileys – Congratulations on numbers 6 and 7 :T
Bt1 – number 5 in the bag for you. well done :T
Candlewick – congrats on number 7 :T fingers crossed you manage to find a healthy enough concoction for tea tomorrow !!
Charleybear – Number 6 gets you more than half way to your target :T
Fedup – number 8 takes you to almost half way :T If you manage to nab another tomorrow then you'll be on the home stretch
Flowerofscotland – Wow! 6, 7 and 8. Way to go :T
Flubbery – well done on number 9 :T and great news on your water bill too whilst banks aren't paying much interest I guess it doesn't hurt to let them hang on to the money, but don't forget you should also be entitled to it back if you wanted....
Headabove – for number 3 :T
Karenccs – Well done on grabbing number 5 :T
Kerri – seem to have quite a few people hitting 8 today, and you're one of them :T
Marmite – and into double figures with number 10 :T
Mrs Cautious – number 8 added to the pot :T only a couple more for you to hit your first target now
New leaf – another hitting number 8 and with only a couple to go to target :T
Pennysaving – Well done for number 6 :T I'm sure you'll soon be back on track after all the dipping into your purse for Comic Relief
Slowlyfading – number 9 takes you to the midway point - all downhill from here :T
The Boss – So did it continue to go well after 1pm?
Wildcherry – number 6 all present and correct :T


As for me, well I checked my bank early-doors and there wasn't a D/Debit showing - so I decided to sit on my hands and claim another NSD.... but then then window cleaner showed up !!!! As such I'm just bobbing over to Amaz0n to complete an order for a couple of bits, and then I'm away to bed - don't think my body clock's realised I don't have 4:30am alarms any more just yet

MissE001

freebyfifty wrote: »

I already have you down for NSD #4 MissE. :think:
Did you mean 5 or have I got it wrong???

Wow, thanks freeby - just checked back and it was indeed number 5 - woo-hoo :j

Spendy day today.....kind of fell off the wagon and bought 3 (yes, 3) pairs of shoes and a handbag. I did need new shoes for work and the others will be used to their full potential......:rotfl:

Sazzie23

Evening All

Thanks Cheryl for the update, very nice it looks too:j

Managed to make today another NSD, and it wasn't an easy one with lots of temptations avoided.

So that is 7/15 please and tomorrow is anothe day