'The 'Anyone For Tennis' July NSD Gang Go Camping on Wimbledon Common Challenge'

marmiterulesok

July will soon be upon us,and our thoughts turn to holidays in exotic locations,lots of sun,a good book or two,how to ward off the midgies,Wimbledon,Igor's delicious ice creams and sorbets (ferret's breath ice cream with chocolate sprinkles anyone?) and,the biggest 'Z' list celebrity wedding of the year: Ennessdee Tower's sous chef,general dogsbody,eager first aider and chef's knives' fetishist will marry his beloved,the fragrant,delicate flower that is Tattywotsit... :heartpuls

Talking of holidays,we eager non spendy folk are heading to the very exotic and upmarket destination of Wimbledon Common!
Remember where you heard it first.
We are going camping/glamping,whatever it's called... :T
Good for the soul,good for the purse.Whilst there,we shall be attending some of the tennis matches at Wimbledon,thanks to the generosity of a certain Mr Scroggins.
Our participation in the smooth running of Wimbledon is paramount.They couldn't do it without us!That's the truth BTW.

Hubert will be one of the eager ball girls(and will be wearing the traditional pink outfit with strappy sandals and a voluminous pair of frilly knickers) and Igor is helping out in the kitchen.Cheffie will be hob nobbing with all his 'A' list pals and Mrs Doyle is in charge of tea and sandwiches for the masses and wearing her best pinny.marmite will be in The Royal Box. :cool:
What's not to like?Why not join us for a holiday you'll never forget?!

Back to the challenge!
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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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

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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

I've found a nice selection that I hope will meet with your approval!

1st target we are camping after all ....


2nd target Igor's cooking/barbecues .. :eek:


3rd target Strawberries and cream.


4th target A wedding invitation (Igor and Tattywotsit)


Target exceeded Tennis lessons from a pro...Cheffie!


Consolation prize Sleeping under the stars.

marmiterulesok

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

marmiterulesok 19/20

Munchin 10/10 achieved! 2nd target 14/15


zenshi 15/15 achieved! 2nd target 19/20

Ratison 10/10 achieved!

Nargleblast 18/18 achieved!

Aphidgirl 10/10 achieved! 2nd target 12/12 achieved!

Elliesmum 1/10

gothrockchic1 12/12 achieved! 2nd target 15/15 achieved!

slowlyfading 20/20 achieved!

cw18 15/15 achieved! Target exceeded 16/15 achieved!

The Only Girl 12/12 achieved! 2nd target 15/15 achieved!3rd target 20/20 achieved!
Target exceeded 21/20 achieved!


donna dynamo 10/10 achieved! 2nd target 13/13 achieved!

Seaotter 4/10

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

4th target 25/25 achieved! Target exceeded 26/25 achieved!




stripeyjumpergirl 10/10 achieved!

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

Target exceeded 21/20 achieved!

trev79 9/15

DFF 0/10

Samiszel 1/15

jodles16 20/20 achieved! Target exceeded 22/20 achieved!

Gem-gem 15/15 achieved! 2nd target 20/20 achieved!

cheexy 12/15

lite ruse 1/10

dede1988 0/16

Pollygarter 1/6

Saver-upper 0/10

Maybe_its_because 10/10 achieved!2nd target 12/12 achieved!

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

marmiterulesok

The 'In A Row' Challenge is here.I've added this as the new format doesn't seem to do titles within posts.

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

The prize is: bootcamp in Wimbledon Common with kerri gt,as she is a bootcamp veteran! :rotfl:

I hope you don't mind kerri?
Just as long as it doesn't mean being roused from our sleep at 5 am! :eek::eek:





marmite 4

Munchin 3

zenshi 4 3

Ratison 4

gothrockchic1 4

cw18 6

The Only Girl 6 6 3

Seaotter 3

Knit Witch 17

scotmumof3 3

Samiszel 3

cheexy 5

Maybe_its_because 3

marmiterulesok

Link to the June challenge.

Munchin

Morning

Thank you for the new challenge - I will go for 10 NSDs and 3 in a row

zenshi

Gonna go for my usual 15 and 2 in a row please

Ratison

Hi,

I'd like to go for 10 NSDs, and 4 in a row please

Nargleblast

Oh, marmite, what a star you are, you have really pulled all the stops out this time! A splendid challenge indeed! Who can resist glamping on Wimbledon Common ( the Nargle only does glamping, dears, never anything downmarket like camping - shudder - I mean, where, in a common tent, does a girl store her shoe collection?) , a trip to Wimbledon, strawberries, cream and Pimms, open air barbecues ( stoat kebab, anyone? ) and, of course, Igor and Tatty' s wedding in the beautiful grounds of Ennessdee Towers?

Put me on the list for a fabulous 18 NSDs for July please!

Aphidgirl

Hey ya,

I'll go for 10 NSDs in July please marmite