The Fabby December NSD Challenge with Tinsel,Much Hilarity,Conga lines and HM Eggnog!

marmiterulesok

December will soon be here!

Time to start searching for the Christmas decs,your much thumbed copy of '101 Winning Ways With Sprouts' and your beloved thermal undies.

We at Ennessdee Towers are planning to soldier on against the cold,dark days of December with lots of parties,hot food and drink (cheesy sprouts on a stick with cinnamon and pilchard mulled wine anyone?) and oodles of general merriment,conga lines aplenty and lots of raucous laughter.

The unflappable Cheffie

will be in charge of all the 'eats',Igor is our ever attentive barman extraordinaire,whose cocktail concoctions are legendary,mostly for being extremely potent and pretty nasty,if you must know.He also has a prized set of very sharp chef's knives,so we tend just to smile and knock them back.
Mrs Doyle will be on hand with tea 24/7 as per usual.And the odd egg sarnie mountain.

Hubert,the Towers' resident donkey/official lawnmower is hoping to play Tinkerbelle in our production of Peter Pan.Should be interesting to see how that works out,but as he's also Head of Casting,I don't think we need hold our breath.
It'll be a first though,I'm pretty sure,as I've yet to see Tinkerbelle played by a fat donkey with a penchant for spanx and lippie.



Don't try looking coy Hubert,I'm on to you!

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.

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.


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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

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

Here are the prizes that will hopefully act as 'carrot on a stick' to everyone!

1st target

2nd target

3rd target

4th target

Target exceeded

Consolation prize

Highest scorer

marmiterulesok

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

marmiterulesok 10/10 achieved!

Nargleblast 14/15

Gem-gem 15/15 achieved! 2nd target 19/19 achieved!

stripeyjumpergirl 12/12 achieved!

threellamas 0/15

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!

amber03 5/10

wifey27 5/15

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

lexbubbles 0/10

stormpassing 0/10

Moonbean 3/20

rawdinasaur 0/20

slowlyfading 14/18

knightley 8/15

lynnejk 10/10 achieved!2nd target 15/15 achieved!

Target exceeded 17/15 achieved!

jodles16 9/10

zenshi 13/15

craftingmad 4/14

nellis10 10/10 achieved! Target exceeded 12/10 achieved!

dreamywings1 0/10

marmiterulesok

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

This month's prize is a visit from Santa...what else?!ETA:Ok,he's not Gorgeous George,but I decided to add an 'alternate' prize in the form of this handsome chappie.'wink'
This is not sexist btw.You can decide which prize you'd prefer.Hehehehehe.*





marmiterulesok 4

Gem-gem 5

Knit Witch 17

Moonbean 5

knightley 5 achieved!

lynnejk 4 achieved!

craftingmad 4 achieved!

*Mr Gosling has been deleted due to lack of interest.

marmiterulesok

Link to November's thread!

Nargleblast

Ho ho ho! Tis the season to be jolly, and may I be the first to post my target of 15 NSDs for December!

So, this year's panto is Peter Pan, is it? Some good parts up for grabs.

Peter Pan
Wendy
Nana the dog
John and Michael, Wendy's brothers
Various Lost Boys
Mr and Mrs Darling
Captain Hook
Mr Smee
Various pirates
Tinkerbelle
Red Indians
And, of course, the ticking crocodile.

Can't remember what character is the Dame, perhaps the pirate ship cook?

Let's not forget the Ennessdee Towers Advent Calendar, which marmite will open each morning to reveal some Christmas-related prize!

Gem-gem

Hi. Going to go for a challenging 15 NSD and 5 in a row.

Couple of meals planned with a couple of friends. (But not going to the work party as it will cost £50 for food and entertainment plus money for drinks - will be able to run all my meals out with friends for less than that). Do I sound like a bah humbug?

stripeyjumpergirl

Thanks for the new thread, Marmite. I'm going to up my target to 12 NSDs for December.

threellamas

My first month of giving this a go- and what a month to start. Im going to go for 15 NSD. Go me!!!

Knit_Witch

My usual starter for 10 and 5 in a row Marmite