I quit buying new clothes for 5 months, and it helped me curb my impulse purchases. Now, I'm doing it again as I start repaying my student loans.

• Starting in October, I'll begin paying back my student loans again.
• Clothing will be the first thing I'll cut from my budget.

After three years on pause, federal student loans are going back into repayment. Starting in October, I'll have an extra monthly expense of $293, and clothing will be the first thing I'll cut from my budget.

I'm not the only one who plans to cut back.Of the 45 million Americans with student loan debt, 62% are expected to lower their budgets when payments resume, Business of Fashion reported. In August, credit card debt reached a record $1 trillion.

Despite a strong economy, retailers are bracing themselves for a slowdown in the coming months.

"The upcoming resumption of student loan repayments will put additional pressure on the already-strained budgets of tens of millions of households," Target's chief financial officer, Michael Fiddelke said in an August earnings call.

Earlier this year, I challenged myself to stop buying new clothes. That meant I could buy used clothing from thrift stores or resale platforms, but I couldn't purchase anything brand new unless it was a necessity, like socks, underwear, or basic tees.

I lasted five months before I bought something new. On average, I spent $120 per month on clothing and accessories.

This summer was a different story. I shopped a lot from June to August. First, I bought swimwear, which is one of my biggest weaknesses, sandals, a workout set, and one of those tennis dresses that were trending all season. Later, I purchased outfits and accessories for my 30th birthday extravaganza and new work attire since I've been going into the office more often. On average, I spent $525 per month on clothing and accessories.

Now that my student loans will be an added expense, I'm going to hold off on shopping for new clothes for a while. I was pretty disciplined for the first half of the year, so I'm confident I can make it for at least another few months.

Here's what I learned from five months of buying no new clothes.

I didn't have to buy new clothes for vacation

This year, I went on two vacations, first to Costa Rica in January and then to Mexico in February. Since I was traveling to warm climates during New York's winter — a hack I highly recommend if you get the winter blues — it was an opportunity to pull out some of my summer clothes.

I think there's a pressure to shop for something new when we go on vacation, whether it's for the photos or to get excited in preparation for the trip. But I found that same excitement just from packing sundresses, bathing suits, and shorts that I hadn't worn for several months.

My trip to Mexico was for a friend's bachelorette party, and some of the activities and dinners had fun themes like "glam night" and jewel tones. I thrifted a couple of outfits I didn't have and then picked up some jewelry and a new pair of sunglasses from a local boutique in my neighborhood.

Accessories are a fun way to breathe new life into repeat outfits

Social media puts too much pressure on us to always wear something new, but there's nothing wrong with repeating an outfit. In fact, the older I get the more I've come to appreciate discovering ensembles I love to wear again and again.

While I wasn't buying new clothes, I did purchase a few new pairs of earrings to jazz up old dresses. Then I thrifted a couple pairs of statement shoes, including snakeskin Jeffrey Campbell ankle boots. I didn't notice the label until I got home — at $12 they were a steal!

Weddings were great occasions to wear dresses that sat in the back of my closet

My husband and I attended a wedding in Los Angeles in April. Instead of buying a new dress, I wore a silk, beaded 90s dress that I thrifted years ago, but had never worn because I was saving it for the right occasion. With some brown lipstick, the dress was perfect for the romantic-gothic vibe of our friends' wedding.

It's not always necessary to buy a new dress for a special occasion — sometimes it need only be a special dress. Even though I ended my "no new clothes" challenge in June, I followed this principle for another wedding we attended in July and pulled out a favorite — a floral dress my grandma wore on her honeymoon in the 70s. Vintage pieces can be really elegant for cocktail or semi-formal events and they are much more unique than what you'll find in a retail store.

Resale platforms were a convenient way to shop for unique pieces

While I buy some of my favorite pieces in thrift stores, it's becoming harder to find high-quality and vintage. Most of the racks are filled with the same fast-fashion brands I could get online.

So I've been turning to resale apps like Poshmark and Depop to find unique clothing. I also use the platforms to sell clothing I don't wear anymore and make room for a few new pieces.

The challenge helped me shop more consciously

At the end of the five months, thrifting was not only less expensive than buying new clothes, but it also helped me shop more consciously.

Since I couldn't just quickly stop by a store where I knew I'd find something, I had to pause and look through my closet to see what I already had. If I did go to the thrift store, there wasn't always a guarantee that I'd find something I'd like. Oftentimes, I'd leave empty handed but while still fulfilling my itch to shop.