May the NSD Force Be With You - May NSD Challenge

HeadAboveWater

Hello :wave:

Put me down (again!) for 12 NSDs! I will attempt (again!) to hit target

:rotfl:

Good luck everyone

wildcherry

I'm going to persevere with 15 NSD TARGET please. I haven't met it in two months and with a holiday at the end of the month, a hen do and a couple of nights out this month, it may well be tough but if I don't put something down I won't continue with it and that would be a shame. Everything seems to be much harder work at the moment and I don't want to start spending money unnecessarily as well.

julie2710

Can I please join? I am useless at not spending on little things so this might help me say no!

I'll try for 10 NSDs in May for starters please.

Trajal

13 NSD's for me please - I have a trip to Cornwall at the back end of the month so need to front load this before then!

SpyderBryte_2

I'd like to join please... Can i set my target of 19 days please? I figure thats about 61% of the month. Hopefully, its an obtainable target!

Candlewick

Freeby, thanks for starting us off again.

In line with my stricter NSD regime, I am going to go for a target of 23 NSDs for May. 1, 2, 3, 7 and 10 are d / d days and one day each week for 3 weeks for grocery shopping only, capped at £50 a week, that includes cat food, toiletries and anything else I might need, not want (wants are out for the foreseeable future).

Good luck to everyone with reaching their targets.

CW

busybumblebee

Oooow, I'm looking forward to getting stuck into this challenge. I had a couple of things to buy for the month, so I got them today so I didn't have to use a day in May (is that cheating :-))

I totally forgot I've got a hairdressers appointment tomorrow, so I'm going to have to spend tomorrow, but might use it as a good reason to go and buy the copious amounts of birthday cards I need this month, so it's all done in one day. Good luck all!

purple.sarah

I didn't quite meet my target in April so I'm trying again in May for 15 NSDs, 5 in a row.

IF

Bumping May's NSD thread up the board :beer:

IF

Hiya my No Spendy chums :hello:
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!