The Jumbo-normous January NSD Challenge!

marmiterulesok

Yes,another year is behind us.We are all ready to dive into 2015 (really?!),but we all need a teensy little escape from the rough hardship of winter.

So,what better than to head off for a winter's cruise.The NSD gang are hoping to forget the cold,the dark nights,the rotten weather and we need something to help us get over the 'Annual Post-Brussel Sprouts Festival Blues'....so,when Igor suggested a cruise,we all jumped right in.

So,we are ready to fire up The Tardis again,to whizz us off to a lovely cruise ship,all from the comfort of our armchairs.

Feel free to join us.We have lots of fun activities planned.More of that later...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 organize 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 and his bruvers Vinnie and Arnie!



If you're new to the forum,click here to read the Intro Guide.


If you haven’t already, join the forum to reply!


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


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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

Bearing in mind that I didn't find it easy to get some 'good' animated gifs,here are the prizes;all that you need on a winter cruise:

1st target A bit of sun




2nd target A few nice drinks




3rd target A good book




4th target The odd swim in the pool




Target exceeded Some whale watching




The Consolation Prize Dolphins always make us smile!

marmiterulesok

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

marmiterulesok 10/102nd target 15/15 Target exceeded 20/15

Roundthebend 1/20

Knit Witch 10/10 2nd target 15/153rd target 20/20 4th target 25/25

Target exceeded 28/25


scotmumof3 15/152nd target 17/18


BritAbroad 6/8

fedupandskint 20/202nd target23/233rd target 25/25 4th target 27/27


candyapple 10/10 2nd target 15/15

Candlewick 20/20

lindsaygalaxy 0/15

kermit2601 10/102nd target 12/12Target exceeded 14/12


donna dynamo 15/15 2nd target 18/20


sonicetomeetyou 2/7

Aloofdragon 0/18

shezam 4/5

jodles16 20/20Target exceeded 22/20

butterfly2507 10/10 2nd target 20/20Target exceeded 26/20

HelgatheHairy 0/12

MummyRivett 20/20Target exceeded 22/20

black cat 11/15

pathtofreedom 15/15 Target exceeded 20/15

Philea 6/20

Penguins86 10/10 2nd target 15/15

helpme_115 4/10

Pepperoni 1/15

slowlyfading 20/20


zenshi 15/152nd target18/18 Target exceeded 19/18

Nargleblast 17/17Target exceeded 19/17

gothrockchic113/15

Munchin 15/15

MRSR68 5/15

thrifty fifty 5/52nd target 10/10 3rd target 14/15

nannygladys 0/15

GaLa15 0/20

cheexy 10/10 2nd target 15/15Target exceeded 20/15

lindor 12/12


cw18 15/15 Target exceeded 19/15

IrishRose12 10/10Target exceeded 19/10

LionessInWinter 10/10Target exceeded 12/10

redlaces 12/12 2nd target 15/153rd target 16/17

LINKYPIE2009 7/10

Gem-gem 15/15 Target exceeded 17/15


IvyandEleanor 7/12

willkeepontrying 11/20

chesterroo 10/10


svb53 0/20

the.new.me 15/152nd target 19/19

Wooftastic 12/12Target exceeded 13/12

jaxsmar 18/18Target exceeded 23/18

StressedSteph 0/20

Pippin12 0/12

grassgirl 0/10

kerri gt 12/16

Butti 2/10

Samiszel14/15

Aphidgirl 10/10


lustyrusty 15/15


Time to sort this out 0/12

muffinman7 10/10 Target exceeded 10/26

Starting Again 15/15 Target exceeded 20/15

Hoipolloi 12/12 Target exceeded 18/12

GJNA 0/15

dlizi 2/20

Tiffany Aching 3/15

zafiro1984 15/15

JoJoC 2/8

Sundaysgirl 20/20

mothershipton 8/10

Learning2Budget 16/162nd target 19/20

pennypinchingpenguin 2/10

kathy40uk 16/16 2nd target 18/18 Target exceeded 19/18


Missu 2/10

Cwtchie 5/17

lotti379 10/10 2nd target 15/15 Target exceeded 16/15

Lattelover 2/10

librahope4/10

hotspur_pam 2/10

busybubblebee 3/15

DFF 10/10


greensalad 3/?

ktalwayskint 14/20

Sirenne89 0/4

Ellieseleven 10/10 Target exceeded12/10

marmiterulesok

The In A Row Challenge prize is:




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

marmiterulesok 5

Roundthebend 5

Knit Witch 12 :j:j:j

scotmumof3 34



Candlewick 4
4

lindsaygalaxy 3

kermit2601 5

HelgatheHairy 4

MummyRivett 5 5



black cat 4

pathtofreedom5

Philae 5


helpme_115 3

zenshi 2 4
22 2


gothrockchic1 5

Munchin 3

cheexy 3 3 3 3

Gem-gem 4

Wooftastic 4

Pippin12 3

Samiszel 5


lustyrusty 5 5 5 :money:

muffin man 7 8


Starting Again 5

dlizi 5

Learning2Budget 7


Cwtchie 5

marmiterulesok

Here is a link to December's thread.

Roundthebend_2

Please may I join? It's batten down the hatches time, so could I please go for a butt-kicking 20 please? Starting Jan 1st (my birthday!)

And if like to try and get 5 in a row as an extra challenge please!

RTB xx

Edited to add:
I won't be counting direct debits, nor the cheques I give school for trips/meals etc as I don't have control over the exact days these leave my account.

marmiterulesok

Roundthebend wrote: »

Please may I join? It's batten down the hatches time, so could I please go for a butt-kicking 20 please? Starting Jan 1st (my birthday!)

And if like to try and get 5 in a row as an extra challenge please!

RTB xx

Edited to add:
I won't be counting direct debits, nor the cheques I give school for trips/meals etc as I don't have control over the exact days these leave my account.

Hi and welcome Roundthebend :hello:

The great thing about this challenge (apart from the fact that we're all a great bunch of very friendly wallet-watchers) is that you make your own rules.If it works for you,then that's all that matters.

Roundthebend_2

Thank you!
And here's to January!

Knit_Witch

Excellent! Can I go for 10 and 5 in a row please Marmite!

scotmumof3

Thank you marmite for the nice new shiny thread in the nice new shiny year. Can you put me down for 15 NSD and I am going to try for3 in a row.
Looking forward to the cruise got my seasick pills and my life jacket "just in case". Hopefully see you all there