Jaime’s No-Shop February: The Final Week!

Missed the first few No-Shop February posts? Click here and check them out!

Wow… I can’t believe that February is already over! This month has flown by and while it has definitely had its ups and downs, I’m so glad that I decided to take part in my own No-Shop February!

My final week was probably the easiest, and I ended up motivating myself to keep it up. I might not be as strict on myself, but I plan on keeping a budget and staying on top of everything that’s thrown my way.

What were my big successes over the month? I got caught up on all of my student loans (I was already on top of my credit cards, but now I’m trying to pay them off even faster) and I’m on a great track to get them all paid off by 2013. I stayed under/at budget in every area. And I stayed really motivated throughout the month… probably because of the first two.

With the beginning of March comes a new month, a new budget and new plans. I’ve been working to include my boyfriend in my budgeting more and we’ve added some different areas (like car expenses) onto the plan. It’s a challenge, but I think we can do this! It’ll be hard, but we’re ready to make this change a reality.

It’s been amazing sharing my failures and successes with you… I think it kept me from spending frivolously, knowing that I’d have to keep you guys updated with what was happening, so thank you! And, for those of you who also participated in a No-Shop month (Fashionista Lab and Pretty & Poor both did it, while 365 Fashion Rehab took it to the extreme for the entire year), I hope it was successful.

I’d also like to send a big, huge THANK YOU to all of you who emailed me saying that I inspired you to start changing your spending habits. My biggest tip? Baby steps. Change one little thing at a time, and you can see a full lifestyle shift. You really can do this, so good luck!

To see more of Jaime’s work, check out DenimDebutante.com.