The All-time Outstanding October NSD Challenge

stripeyjumpergirl

NSD1 for me :j

amber03

No 2&3 NSD bagged for me, think the trick is not to take my purse out with me.x

mrs_motivated

2 NSD's for me please... I'm afraid I have spent today though, ran out of bread and bought some ham (on offer of course)...so still not managed 3 in a row:(

charleybear

Nsd 3 bagged today.
Spending another in night with my partner.

donna_dynamo

First NSD of the month today 1 NSD:j. Yesterday was an unexpected spendy day we had chips for tea and i paid. I must save money as i am due to have an operation and i know we cannot survive on sickpay for how ever many weeks i am bad for.

Nargleblast

charleybear wrote: »

NSD 2
I'm on the right track.
I get paid Friday but half of my wages are gone already.
Luckily I owe money to my mum for my laptop (£50) but she said because I went over my phone allowance by £35 :eek: she said I can pay back the laptop next month. Also I have to pay £31 in dental fees for 2 appointments for a root canal op and a filling.

Somewhere between all that I have to buy my cousin a birthday present, my partner's mum & brother a birthday present and start christmas shopping.

Ohhh It's going to be a very spendy and busy month

Charleybear - I feel your pain. As soon as I get paid I deduct all the bills for the month, plus the mega online shopping delivery that I book for payday, plus £70-odd quid to fill up the car, plus set aside money for our haircuts (friend comes to the house and does 3 of us for £20 - bargain!) and my monthly reflexology treatment (my one indulgence) - and the few crumbs left in the bank account have to last 4 weeks or so till next payday. That is why I meal plan, and a visit to a wholesale butchers gets all the meat needed for the month and a few vegetarian meals slotted in here and there means all our meals are planned till next payday.

Prezzy-wise, have a look around discount shops/pound shops/charity shops for odds and ends. If you do this throughout the year, you will have a stash of things that can make up a personalised gift basket or stocking filler. There's also t'internet - sign up to Quidco or Topcashback and shop through there for presents - a couple of months later you'll get cashback which you can use to treat yourself or put into a savings account.
Remember, a present doesn't have to cost a fortune but should give the impression that it was carefully chosen. And anyone who turns their noses up at simple, inexpensive gifts doesn't deserve to get presents. It is really the thought that counts.

Nargleblast

Saverupper - welcome to the asylum! There is a chair with your name on by the fire in Ennessdee Towers, and you'll find a spare mug in the kitchen cupboard. (Mine's a coffee while you're at it......)

Well done on getting 2 NSDs so far, that's more than I've managed! When you report your next NSD, can you do it in a bigger size and a funky colour so Freeby and the gang can see it when counting up......just select the go advanced reply button and on the top of the box you will see where you can change the font size and next to that the colour. I usually do a size 5 and this month I will mostly be doing purple!!!!

I am sure you will get the official welcome later....something involving a soggy paintbrush and a bucket of turnip whisky, I think......:D

Nargleblast

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!

Forgot about this - you will see this appearing every now and then.....

slowlyfading

NSD 2 for me today

iammumtoone

Evening all

Had another NSD today that makes 2 in total

Not sure how to want me to record them, do I put down my total number or just the ones that I haven't reported yet?

Thanks