The "Just Keep Swimming" July NSD Thread

beanielou

NSD NO 7 today.

Jelly_Biactol

NSD 8 today:j

and

5-in-a-row

lovefullshelves

NSD #8 and #9 yesterday and today:D

IF

Hiya all and welcome to July's NSD thread :hello:
Could we please 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!

freebyfifty

There are

52

of us taking part in the July Nsd Challenge

and so far we have collected

247 NSDs

:T:T:T:T:T

freebyfifty

Evening Everyone

The front page has been updated again. Well done everyone.

Sazzie23 wrote: »

Freeby – Run BEFORE work ‘- Wow you must be feeling better, Haveyou adjusted your target to 31 for July or trialling It for the end of themonth?,

Yeah well That didn't exactly go to plan I ended up sleeping in (still not back to 100% I suppose) and today I bought shoes reduced from £17.99 to £4.99 but still an unneccessary spend.
I shall go to the corner of shame and hang my head (well I would if Igor hadn't left the aardvark shells there :eek:)

Marmite - the good ole Scottish weather isn't being true to form it is actually warm and sunny here :rotfl: Still cooler than what you've got though Hope you get a break soon

MissE - great to see you back Hope you had a fantastic holiday


Have a great day tomorrow everyone

beanielou

freeby~I bargain shoes.

mismatch

Spendy day today needed yogurt and hayfever eyedrops. Damn you nature making me spend money!!!!:mad:

Candlewick

Not posted for a while because I am having an appalling month. I have only managed 3 (that was on Saturday). I have had something to pay out for everyday from birthday card, present, parking, milk, lunch (because I was lazy and running late for work the next morning), breakfast because I had a hangover. Yesterday was toilet rolls and today bread.

In between, I have also raised over £250 for my favourite charity, Age Corncern and was a tenner short of my target so sponsored myself. :eek:

I must do better and plan my spending which is still slightly less (according to my spending diary) than this time last month.

Well done to those that have already reached their goals.

CW

Sazzie23

Evening all

Apologies for lack of round up but computer says no tonight.:eek::eek:. This is very annoying as I also have some work to submit...

Well done to all who have achieved NSD large & small :T:T