The Sky's The Limit November NSD Challenge with fireworks and treacle toffee for all!

marmiterulesok

Welcome to the wondrous wonder that is The November NSD Challenge!

We have returned from our piratey jaunt aboard the good ship 'Swobzedex' full of vim,vigour and not a little rum...ready to batten down the hatches,face those winter storms and enjoy a few home cooked delicacies such as pilchard mini quiches and the perennial favourite:chickyburgers with smashed potatoes,care of the fine catering skills of Swedish Chef...yum!



Now Cheffie still believes that Guy Fawkes invented treacle toffee,that the 5th of November is to celebrate this and is unaware of his connection to dynamite...please let no-one tell him otherwise!

Mrs Doyle is on hand faithfully 24/7 with a cup of tea and some lovely egg sarnies!

Then,of course,Igor (our general dogsbody,sous-chef and owner of an extensive chest wig collection that would put Tom Jones to shame) is already slaving over a hot stove,preparing his justifiably infamous,sorry,I mean renowned lumpy pink custard with chocolate sprinkles! He also has a fine set of chef's knives,so best just smile and say thank you when he offers you second helpings.

Hubert is Ennessdee Towers' resident lawn mower (he's a donkey,you see),lover of all things pink'n'sparkly,pretty high heels,dresses,lippie...you get the picture. He's also well known for being incontinent like you wouldn't believe,but pulls off his beloved big nappy,donkey spanx and rara skirt combo with aplomb.BTW if you ever have to share a room with Hubert,don't take the lower bunk.

Then there's Igor's sister Helga,who has decided to stay with us on an extended visit.Helga is the shy and retiring type,but happens to have some beard-dwelling voles in her,er,beard....that's right,Helga is bearded.Watch out for the voles:they are hooligans and have already given me an ulcer.Plus they use all the hot water. 'deep breaths marmite deep breaths'.

Now,I know that many of you think that I am The Bosslady,but,alas,tis not me who holds the reins here...Tis Mistress Nargle,so if you've got a problem,please take it up with her....'manic giggling is heard before it turns into a prolonged coughing fit'

I am but The Royal Inscriber of the NSD and Feeder of The Cauldron of Doom.

I'm also Igor's second official taster,which,in itself,is more than enough to deal with,I can assure you.Curried gherkin marmalade on toast anyone?That was breakfast.He knows how much I hate burnt toast.

Last,but not least,we have Tiddles the house cat Now Tiddles may look fierce,but he loves nothing better than having his tummy rubbed and sleeping.You'd think he'd be a useful ally in the vole-off,but,no,they're best friends.Go figure.

So,don't be shy...join us as we work like bilio to keep the cauldron of doom filled up with nsds.

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 at the next 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.
Shawnie boy has a message....'You're in my house now.....',so watch what you say.


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


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


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

FONT=Tahoma]Some helpful suggestions and ideas to follow below from our sponsor and godmother, BigMummaF :A[


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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 our lovely food related prizes!Let's face it,we need to keep warm somehow,especially since the Ennessdee Towers fuel budget fund has mysteriously disappeared!
Heads shall roll.
Oh yes.
I have my good friend Inspector Swindle of the Yard looking into the matter as we speak.

1st target a nice cuppa

2nd target a yummy sandwich

3rd target a piping hot bowl of soup

4th target pizza!

Target exceeded cheese galore!

Consolation prize lovely cake!

marmiterulesok

Post your target and I'll add you to the list!
marmiterulesok 10/15 achieved! 2nd target 14/15

Moonbean 15/20

tatabubbly 9/12

stripeyjumpergirl 10/10 achieved!

MIB 4/12

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

4th target 25/25 achieved!Target exceeded 28/25 achieved!

Justforme 14/15

Nargleblast 12/15

donna dynamo 8/10

Buffythedebtslayer 0/10

Munchin 10/10 achieved!Target exceeded 11/10 achieved!

jodles16 15/15 achieved! 2nd target 20/20 achieved! 3rd target 23/23 achieved!

elfy1807 2/12

zenshi 15/15 achieved! 2nd target 16/18

BigMummaF 0/14

Gem-gem 15/15 achieved! 2nd target 17/20

slowlyfading 13/20

craftingmad 4/14

cw18 0/15

Newly Saving Ninja 0/20

scotmumof3 6/15

suzitiger 0/5

Butti 1/10

HB2027 5/10

Itsa Longshot 7/20

Wifey27 7/7 achieved!Target exceeded 8/7

knightley 6/6 achieved! Target exceeded 7/6 achieved!

marmiterulesok

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

The prize:

marmiterulesok 4

Knit Witch 10 achieved!

Munchin 3

elfy1807 3

Gem-gem 5 achieved!

craftingmad 4


knightley 5 achieved!

marmiterulesok

Link to October's NSD thread!

Moonbean

May I join with 20 nsds
Please ! I need to save as much as I can now
I've got nothing in my savings! :eek:

tatabubbly

I'll join this month - I'd like to have 12 nsd if I can - mainly because
I want a bit of extra dosh for the weekends so no spending during the working week!!

stripeyjumpergirl

Thanks for the lovely new thread, Marmite. I'd like to start with my usual target of 10 NSDs, please. Fingers crossed I do better this month!

Maybe_its_because

yes please for 12 NSDs for November.
Will give that number another go seeing as though I missed it within a whisper in October. Wont... be... beaten...

Thanks again Marmite

MIB x

marmiterulesok

Moonbean wrote: »

May I join with 20 nsds
Please ! I need to save as much as I can now
I've got nothing in my savings! :eek:

Of course you can have a target of 20!
Good luck with adding to your savings.

tatabubbly wrote: »

I'll join this month - I'd like to have 12 nsd if I can - mainly because
I want a bit of extra dosh for the weekends so no spending during the working week!!

Hi tatabubbly and welcome to the challenge!A target of 12?Of course!
I don't think I've seen you here before,so if you would like to choose a mug,Mrs Doyle will be in in a jiffy with a cup of tea!
Good luck. :money:

stripeyjumpergirl wrote: »

Thanks for the lovely new thread, Marmite. I'd like to start with my usual target of 10 NSDs, please. Fingers crossed I do better this month!

stripeyjumpergirl,I'll be watching closely with fingers crossed too! :money: