Even though this month was only 28 days, I feel like it was the longest month ever. As today is March 1st, I wanted to share how my month of “no fun” went. The truth is, I didn’t stick to my rules as much as I thought I would have, but that doesn’t mean this challenge was a total waste.
I like to think I saved 1 million dollars and have totally cleansed my body of all wrong doings I have ever done to it…but that is definitely a stretch.
Food: I went out to eat maybe 7 times during the whole month but those were only for special occasions with friends. For example, one of my best friends, Jess, had a birthday dinner and I definitely did not want to miss that just because I was trying to save money. I cut out a large amount of carbs, dairy and sweets during February too and was able to try some interesting recipes. I made cauliflower crust pizza which was so good and tried all these new smoothie and chicken recipes. I would go to my school’s dining hall out of convenience when I was on campus or out of desperation when I ran out of groceries. I basically treated those as my cheat days because all of the groceries I bought were super healthy and mainly just veggies. I slacked off a little towards the end of the month, especially with going out to eat, because I had already realized how much money I had saved. I tried to make what I ordered healthy or got the least expensive thing. I still think of all the times I didn’t go to Chick-fil-a or Chipotle this month, so I’m proud of myself.
Going Out: I would “no” a lot to my friends but did go out on a few occasions. I just made a point to stay sober. I ended up being the DD most nights, so I drove a lot during February. I think I only drank alcohol 4 times this entire month (two glasses of wine at most). I don’t regret it because it was definitely not a lot and most of the time it was for the social aspect, like a “wine night with the girls”. I really rationalized drinking and remembered to only do so in moderation so I wouldn’t ruin all my progress. This was probably the month I was most hydrated because while everyone would play drinking games, I would play with water, which I find super beneficial and hilarious.
Spending Money: I found that a lot of what I spent my money on were for experiences and not on objects. I bought tickets to shows I would never get to see again or for events that only happened once a month. Every paycheck I got, I put a portion of it away in my savings. This was good for me because my savings definitely depleted when I went abroad. I also relied on gift cards I already had to places like Starbucks and Dunkin’ in order to get my caffeine fix and go on coffee dates with friends. The best way to end this entire month was the fact I won a $350 gift card to Nordstrom on Instagram! I’m so excited to use that for new spring fashion and to buy some goodies for graduation! By not online shopping this month, I know I saved money but I also made a long list in my head of new items I want to buy for Spring. Friday is also payday for me, so lets see how strong my will power is this weekend now that I’ve gone so long without spending my money all willy nilly.
Working-out: I decided I was going to run a half-marathon in late April, so I really stepped up my work out game during the last two weeks. I thought it would be a lot harder to get back into running, but I think that my eating healthy this month has helped me so much. I really do feel a change in how I feel during the day after I’ve worked out or eaten healthy, which is wonderful. I may not have gone full “cleanse” this month but I have definitely improved my lifestyle. I forgot how good I used to feel after a run, so I’m really glad I’ve started that again. I haven’t weighed myself, but honestly I don’t plan to. If you feel good, you look good.
I really hope to continue a lot of my habits from this month into the rest of the year. I was still able to do a lot of activities I enjoy and still make memories with my friends. I read more books, got more sleep, worked my tail off in both of my jobs and built up a much stronger relationship with God by going to more Bible studies and worship nights. I realized that by doing my “month of no fun” it didn’t actually prevent me from having fun. I’m proud of myself for exercising self-restraint and cutting back on a lot of things that are better off staying in moderation. Lesson learned.
Telling my friends about my challenge and posting about it on my blog and social media really helped me stay accountable. Just now I am realizing the similarity in “No Fun February” to my 6 weeks on an all liquid diet in the aspect of restricting myself for my own benefit. Now that I know I can do this, I may try to make “No Fun Feb.” a regular thing. I was able to abide by most of my rules and hold back this month, but I think the real test of self restraint will be the next few days of March. Wish me luck!
Any questions about my “No Fun February”? Comment below!
thanks for reading!xx