The Flippin' Fantastic February Safari NSD Challenge!

marmiterulesok

Yes,February will soon be here,but the NSD gang are resolutely turning their backs on the blinkin' cold,wet and 'orrible weather.Thanks to a highly democratic vote of one (that's you scotmumof3),we are heading off for an African safari!





So,we are ready to fire up The Tardis again,to whizz us off to the Masai Mara,all from the comfort of our armchairs and sofas.

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 dares speak the word which must not be spoken will find himself literally in hot water! :eek: :eek::eek:







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!

PS I'm usually a modest lass,but I just have to add that The NSD Challenge is the best of the bunch! :cool: :j

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

Of course we have a safari theme,so get out your binoculars for the following fab prizes:

1st target



2nd target



3rd target



4th target



Target exceeded



Consolation prize

marmiterulesok

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

marmiterulesok 18/19

Knit Witch 10/10 achieved!2nd target 15/15 achieved!
3rd target 20/20 achieved! Target exceeded 22/20 achieved!

cheexy 15/15 achieved! Target exceeded 18/15 achieved!

chesteroo 0/10

Nargleblast 14/18

Wooftastic 5/12

lindor 4/10

donna dynamo 15/15 achieved!2nd target 18/18 achieved!

Gem-gem 15/15 achieved! Target exceeded 18/15 achieved!

IrishRose12 15/15 achieved!

Penguins86 11/15

scotmumof3 15/15 achieved!Target exceeded15/16 achieved!

LionessInWinter 9/10

Candlewick 5/12

zenshi 17/17 achieved! Target exceeded 18/17 achieved!

Learning2Budget 10/12

Hoipolloi 13/13 achieved! Target exceeded 14/13 achieved!

Sirenne89 0/15

gothrockchic 10/15

phoenix_dragon 0/14

thrifty fifty 2/10

zafiro1984 17/17 achieved! Target exceeded 21/17 achieved!


kermit2601 12/12 achieved!

Sundaysgirl 13/15

Nix143 0/10

Puzzledbyadream 0/10

Munchin 4/12

cw18 14/15

Dansmam 0/12

candyapple 9/15

fedupandskint 20/20 achieved! Target exceeded 23/20 achieved!

lotti379 3/12

kathy40uk 12/16

Aphidgirl 12/12 achieved!

takingcontrolatlast 0/20

Byebyedebthellolife 3/20

t2rry 7/15

jodles16 20/20 achieved! 2nd target 22/22 achieved! Target exceeded 23/22 achieved!


redlaces 3/12

snowfox 10/10 achieved!

butterfly2507 15/15 achieved! Target exceeded 24/15 achieved!

slowlyfading 18/18 achieved!

the.new.me 10/10 achieved! 2nd target 15/20

kerri gt 8/12

Starting Again 12/12 achieved! 2nd target 13/20

Samiszel 12/15

muffin man 7 1/10

DFF 4/10

Ellieseleven 12/12 achieved! Target exceeded 14/12 achieved!

jaxsmar 20/20 achieved!

Aaleigha 0/15

marmiterulesok

The 'in a row' prize is:




Post your 'in a row' target and I'll add you to the list:

marmiterulesok 6 8

Knit Witch 5 8 10


cheexy 4 4


chesteroo 3

Wooftastic 4

Gem-gem 4 6

IrishRose12 3

Penguins86 4

scotmumof3 4 5

Candlewick 3 4

zenshi 3 5


Learning2Budget 3

gothrockchic 5

kermit2601 5

Munchin 3


cw18 4

Dansmam 3

candyapple 3

Aphidgirl 3

Byebyedebthellolife 5

redlaces 4

the.new.me 5

Starting Again 6

Samiszel 3

muffin man 7 5

Ellieseleven 4

Aaleigha 5

marmiterulesok

Just in case.

marmiterulesok

Click here for a link to the January thread.

Knit_Witch

Usual starter for 10 and 5 in a row please Marmite!!

cheexy

Hiya
Thanks for all your hard work so far. Please sign me up for a target of 15 NSDs and 4 in a row.

chesterroo

Thank you for starting the new thread :beer:

Can you put me down for 10 NSDs and 3 in a row please

Nargleblast

Jambo, memsahib marmite! Put the Nargle on your list for an adventurous 18 NSDs please!

February thread up and ready to go, safari so goody.....(I'll get me coat....)