NST March: Marching to a different beat

apple_muncher · 25 February 2018 at 3:49PM

Join the NinjaSavingTurtles, named after our leader and inspiration NinjaSavingKat, and march to a different beat. Your own beat. No more following the crowd. No more keeping up with the Joneses. No more paying the banks extra money for the privilege of having borrowed from them.

March. The month of daffodils and the arrival of Spring. The equinox and altering the clocks. Preparation for Easter. St Patrick’s day. Pi day. Spring cleaning. But, most importantly of all: MARCH MADNESS.

What you will do with your money, your time and your energy this month will seem like madness to those who are still caught up in the maelstrom of consumerism. But Turtles are tough and stand proud against the ‘norm’. They swim against the tide. Turtles always take their lunch to work. They rack up NoSpendDays (NSDs) like they are going out of fashion. They eschew takeaways and big chain coffee shops. No vending machine has their fingerprints on it. They note down every single little spend in the notebook that would have to be surgically removed from their grip should they ever need hospital treatment. They look after themselves – financially, physically, mentally, spiritually, emotionally. They have BIG GOALS. They dream of FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early). They read blogs by other frugalistas to gain more inspiration. They share the lows and highs on here, posting every day. They are grateful for what they have.

The non-negotiables:

· The challenge runs from March 1st to March 31st
· For the striders: 18 NSDs; for the plodders: 15 NSDs (you can keep an NSD if the only thing you buy is fuel, medication, reduced items or paying for weekly or random activities [set the money aside for these at the start of the month])
· Set your budgets before the challenge starts (food, bills, travel, activities, repayments, holidays, treats, clothing, pets, savings)
· Be generous – there are many who are far worse off. Do not forget to give to your choice of charity.
· Note down every single spend in a notebook and analyse where the pennies go
· As ever, always take your lunch to work, and drink and snacks when out and about
· [FONT=&quot]Pay towards your debt first! This is imperative. You have your debt free date in mind (You do, don’t you?!?!). So calculate how much you need to pay per month to reach it - and pay that first. Live off the rest. Simples.[/FONT]
· Plan. Look ahead to the month and what your commitments are. Are you working late and therefore unlikely to feel like cooking when you get home? Make sure you have a portion or two of homemade ready meals in the freezer.
· Check in every day.

So onwards and upwards we march.
Every step counts.
We move with purpose.
We know where we are heading.

Who is with me?

apple_muncher · 25 February 2018 at 3:50PM

Mad March turtles:

1 applemuncher
2 Kerry Woman
3 Toni'sfriend
4 laurenh1
5 clippy_girl
6 mothernerd
7 dolly84
8 greent
9 shabbychic12
10 DawnW
11 LavenderBee
12 indigowarrior
13 f0xh0les
14 debtfreeby2020
15 sashanut
16 misstara
17 thriftylass
18 BadBookkeeper
19 need an answer
20 Calling 14
21 slowlyfading
22 Dottydaisy
23 x_raphael_xx
24 abundant1972
25 archwaysaver
26 Jonesy88
27 Eager_Elephant
28 Fmess
29 bizzie
30 DancingDragons
31 RhiBi
32 lauradora
33 missyv30
34 bebelles
35 Ladykernow
36 Debtfreewannabme
37 Nicky Noo Na
38 WelshKitty85
39 lucky starr
40 igamogam
41 mummylewis

Kerry_Woman · 25 February 2018 at 3:54PM

Can I join in for March please?

Toni'sfriend · 25 February 2018 at 4:24PM

Hello
Can I join this month please. Missed most of January and all of February because of our long holiday. Great experience but expensive. All paid for from holiday fund so nothing on credit cards but I really need to get back to frugal ways.