The 'May The Force Be With You' Magical Eurovision NSD Challenge!

marmiterulesok

Hello eager fellow penny pinchers.Alas,the month of May is almost here.Where does the time go?

After a very highbrow and cultured Shakespearian tribute month,we are going to change gear and celebrate the glorious month of May with a fab Eurovision theme.The dates are:

SEMI-FINALS
19 & 21 MAY 2015

GRAND FINAL
23 MAY 2015



So,get your maracas,tin whistles and recorders out,start practising your favourite songs in the shower,have a twirl in front of the mirror,start pouting and let your hairbrush be your microphone.Yes,we are looking for the next British winner! :j:j

Oh,and by the by,we are hoping to nab as many nsds as is possible. :money:

Personally,I play a mean triangle,and am considered a virtuoso by [STRIKE]some[STRIKE][/STRIKE][/STRIKE] many.

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Some slightly strange superstitions for May:
The month of May was considered an unlucky month particularly for getting married
Never buy a broom in May or wash blankets
Cats born this month will not be good rodent catchers and, even worse, will bring snakes into the home

And some interesting dates:
1 May - May Day (and an excuse to dance around a maypole causing mayhem )
6 May - Roger Bannister ran a mile in less than four minutes (this one’s for Cheryl)
9 May - Captain Blood attempted to steal the crown jewels
12 May - jodles16 and Florence Nightingale's birthday
18 May - the first Wimpy Bar opened in London
29 May - Oak Apple Day (there are some very strange customs associated with this day )
and, ending on a happy note
30 May - Joan of Arc was burned at the stake (sorry, I couldn’t find anything more cheerful for this day, the other alternative was the death of King Arthur).

The fascinating facts and dates of May were posted by own very own spoon from a post in 2011.Thanks spoon!

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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 in a spot of bother with our toothy bouncer Shawnie boy.



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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

So,here are the fabulous prizes:

First target

Second target

Third target

Fourth target

Target exceeded

Consolation prize

marmiterulesok

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

marmiterulesok 21/21 achieved! 2nd target 25/25 achieved!
Target exceeded 26/25 achieved!

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

4th target 25/25 achieved! Target exceeded 29/25 achieved!


Samiszel 15/15 achieved! 2nd target 18/18 achieved!

Target exceeded19/18 achieved!

Nargleblast 18/18 achieved!

Azzzaa 0/18

Doris17 2/10

Gem-gem 15/15 achieved! 2nd target 16/18

cheexy 15/15 achieved! 2nd target 18/18 achieved! 3rd target 20/20 achieved! Target exceeded 21/20 achieved!


Frugal_life 6/10

Maybe_its_because 7/9

Hoipolloi 18/18 achieved! Target exceeded 22/18 achieved!

stripeyjumpergirl 10/10 achieved!

scotmumof3 15/15 achieved! 2nd target 20/20 achieved!

gothrockchic1 12/12 achieved! Target exceeded 13/12 achieved!

zenshi 15/15 achieved! Target exceeded 18/15 achieved!

jodles16 16/16 achieved! 2nd target 19/20

cw16 13/15

Aphidgirl 10/10 achieved!

butterfly2507 10/10 achieved! Target exceeded 27/10 achieved!

donna dynamo 11/15

Elliesmum 10/10 achieved! 2nd target 13/13 achieved!

DFF 5/10

slowlyfading 16/23

fedupandskint 20/20 achieved! 2nd target 23/23

Pollygarter 5/5 achieved! 2nd target 9/9 achieved!

Seaotter 8/10

muffin man 7 8/10

havecourageandbekind 0/15

IrishRose12 15/20

aliama 2/15

DeafLeopard 5/15

Munchin 4/5

marmiterulesok

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

The prize is a Maypole dance,of course!



marmiterulesok 4 7 10


Knit Witch 56 14

Samiszel 3 4 5


Gem-gem 5

cheexy 5 5 5


Maybe_its_because 3

scotmumof3 3


gothrockchic1 3

cw18 5

aliama 3

DeafLeopard 3

muffin man 7 5

marmiterulesok

Link to April thread.

Knit_Witch

My usual starter of 10 and 5 in a row please!

Samiszel

Put me down for 15 NSD and 3 in-a-row please

Nargleblast

Hooray, hooray, it's the merry merry month of May - we are all busy practising our maypole dancing for the Mayday celebrations, and then rehearsals will start for Eurovision. I hear Cheffie is writing the Swedish entry ( full of borks and chickies, no doubt) - I don't have the heart to tell him he's too late, the songs have already been chosen. And Igor says he is doing backing vocals on his country's song. Don't know whether that is a good thing or not.

Anyway, put me down for a glorious 18 NSDs if you please!

Azzzaa

Morning all, could you please put me down for 18 NSD too!! As it's a long 5 week month for me before i get paid again this will really test my patience and skills!

Doris17

Hello
Could you put me down for 10 NSD please as this will be my first month.
Doris.x