The No-nonsense,Nifty November NSD Challenge!

marmiterulesok

So,November is almost upon us.How on earth did that happen?! :eek:
It's a difficult time of year;there are many of us now (or shortly) going out to work in the dark,and leaving work in the dark.I would personally like to hibernate for the next few months.The sale of comfort food is set to sky-rocket... :eek:

What we need is good company (welcome to all nsders,old and new!),good food (did you hear that Igor.Hint,hint...),and few hot toddies to boot those nasty winter germs high into the stratosphere,although we might have to make do with some hot pilchard margharitas kept over from our last shindig.
Oh,and the odd nsd,just to keep our spirits up.

For those of you who are new to the challenge,we are a happy (and some might say mildly insane) bunch doing battle with those retailers - and there’s plenty of temptation out there at the moment. We are seriously committed to saving money, but nobody said it can't be done with a smile on your face - so we organise riotous nights out and gatecrash any function going - all without leaving the comfort of our own imaginations or armchairs!

On a slightly more serious note, we are here to help each other avoid spending for the number of days we feel we can manage to try to take back some control over our hard-earned money. What you class as a "spend'" is entirely your choice; some people will try to shop on the days DD/SO etc are paid, whilst others will not include essentials such as rent. Have a look for a post from our sponsor (and godmother of this challenge) BigMummaF, this contains some guidelines and ideas for starting you off on the challenge.

It’s amazing how inventive you get when you’re determined NOT to spend - from weird menu ingredients to surprising DIY solutions - but you know what? 99% of the time those wacky ideas work.

Just remember that mentioning the F word (f-a-i-l!) is not allowed,and anyone who does will have a swift visit from Shawn the Shark!



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We're hoping to see lots of new faces this month,so don't be shy!

marmiterulesok

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 [Weds mornings] in the cracked teapot & Ben's £1 coin for the gym locker [Friday lunch] 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 & nargle 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

Here are the super prizes lined up for all you intrepid nsd chasers!

1st target


2nd target


3rd target


4th target


Target exceeded


Consolation prize

As you can see,the fireworks theme is pretty strong,to celebrate Bonfire Night.Igor,hand over that box of matches immediately!!! :eek::eek::eek:

marmiterulesok

Post your target and I'll add you to the list!

marmiterulesok 10/10 achieved! 2nd target 15/15 achieved!


Aphidgirl 12/12 2nd target 15/15 achieved!


Nargleblast 16/16 achieved!

Learning2Budget 15/15 achieved!

butterfly2507 10/10 achieved! 2nd target 15/15 achieved! 3rd target 19/20

zenshi 15/15 achieved!Target exceeded18/15 achieved!

Knit Witch 10/10 achieved! 2nd target15/15 achieved! 3rd target 20/20 achieved! 4th target 25/25 achieved!Target exceeded 26/25achieved!

Pink_Giraffe 2/10

hotspur_pam 3/15

Sundaysgirl 11/15

black cat 15/15 achieved! 2nd target 18/18


October Starter 1/10

Munchin 10/10 achieved!

Suziebabe 6/12

buller89 1/15

Penguins86 10/10 achieved! Target exceeded 12/10

slowlyfading 16/18

gothrockchic1 12/12 achieved! Target exceeded 13/12

bizzybee 15/15 achieved! 2nd target20/20 achieved! Target exceeded 21/20 achieved!


t2rry 9/10

donna dynamo15/15 achieved! 2nd target 19/22

Candlewick 14/14

savingdad 4/15

Ratison 10/10 achieved! Target exceeded 12/10

IrishRose12 18/20

jaxsmar 17/12Target exceeded 17/12

kerri gt 9/12

Aloofdragon 0/17

fedupandskint 25/25Target exceeded 26/25

Nintud 4/10

Buffythedebtslayer 1/10

lindor 12/12 Target exceeded 13/12


kathy40uk 16/18

redlaces 10/10

tatabubbly3/12

DeafLeopard 3/10

iloveshopping93 10/10 achieved! 2nd target 11/12

Skinnylatte 8/15

samiszel 15/15

mobo1980 3/15

ott09 2/10

kermit2601 11/15

jodles16 6/6 achieved!2nd target 8/8 Target exceeded! 9/8

scotmumof3 8/8 achieved!
Target exceeded9/8

NewbieJosh 2/12

Saver-upper 7/10

grassgirl 2/11

BigMummaF 5/7

marmiterulesok

This post is for anyone who wants to do the 'in a row' nsd challenge.The prize is some lovely poppies.


marmiterulesok 4

Aphidgirl 4

Learning2Budget 5

Knit Witch 6 achieved!

Pink_Giraffe 4

black cat 4 achieved! 5 achieved!

October Starter 4

Munchin 4

Suziebabe 3 achieved!


Penguins86 4

gothrockchic1 4 achieved!

Candlewick 4 achieved!


saving dad 5

Ratison 3 achieved! 4 achieved!

DeafLeopard 3

redlaces4achieved!

Aphidgirl

Thanks for the new challenge marmite. After a spendy October I want to rein it in a bit in November so I'll go for a target of:

12 NSDs

and also 4 in a row please

Nargleblast

And we're off the starting blocks, ready to sign up for November's challenge! Put me down for a daring 16 (that's 16, if you haven't got your specs on) NSDs!

Learning2Budget

15 nsd please and 5 in a row. Getting bolder this month, na not really just less money. Lol. L2B.x

butterfly2507

I'm going for another 10 NSD in November

zenshi

I used to do these last year when I was first starting out, then I fell off the wagon

But I'm back with a vengeance and ready to roll....trying for an easy start of 15 please

Knit_Witch

My usual starter of 10 and 4 in a row please Marmite!