for Lent

and so it's Lent again... a season to reflect and think of all our past doings... and certainly i've got plenty to think about though this blog isn't quite the space to discuss those matters. anyways, the priest asked us today to think about of what we would give up for the next 40 days in preparation for Easter. That set me thinking of how $ can really change our way of life and i asked myself if i could possibly NOT BUY ANYTHING for the next 40 days.

i remember how during those days when i'd given up a full time job to volunteer - how even a cuppa coffee meant a lot to me. $4 for a cuppa was unimaginable. I ate at home a lot, and met up people after having my meals, and even left singapore for 4 months to backpack cos that was a cheaper option than staying here. when you have little to spare, you tend to think more clearly i believe. there's less clutter in the brain - less options, and thus what you need to do is clearer. now that i am earning an income again and being in the city that never stops shopping and selling, suddenly i feel the breathlessness of being caught up by a shopping bug again.... now i find myself surfing the net looking at computers when my trusty G4 is still plodding along; i pick up a handbag online cos it's on sale; and i can now afford organic stuff when previously i just closed my eyes and picked the cheapest on the shelf. Sigh....this jungle bunny feels like an animal unleashed in shopping galaxy. Thank the stars for the values of thrift that's been programmed into my system so i haven't gone TOTALLY berserk swiping those cards. i know of people who max out their credit, and deplete their monthly income on a regular basis. For me, it goes back to how one's brought up i believe. My mom was uber strict with us growing up - if we wanted something, we had to save up for it, and we never got to buy it at the first encounter. that was usually a good test of whether we really wanted something bad enough. i try to practise that principle as much as i can. and so , if i DO try the ambitious task of abstaining from purchase for the next 40 days, this principle would be something to rely on.

I thought about whether i should be writing about this online cos we really should not broadcast to the world what we plan to do but thought the online record would press me to stick to it cos of public accountability issues. So there you have it: i am now saying that i will NOT buy/ consume anything unneccessary for the next 40 days till EASTER is reached.

i've drawn out some rough guidelines to this abstinence.

1. it starts on monday 0000 hrs (which means i have one more hour to shop!)
2. it excludes daily subsistence such as lunch, but it DOES include designer coffees and expensive meals such as sashimi, steaks, lobster, anything consumed in a restaurant (unless i am made to go because it is part of a family outing cos it would be rude otherwise no?)
3. it excludes necessities such as tissue paper, sanitary pads, toothpaste but i am limited to buying generic ones nothing branded
4. it excludes my $100 zara vouchers because they expire in April! (not using them would amount to waste ya?)
5. it excludes magazines i buy for work purposes.

Specifically this means:

1. i will not buy another new pair of shoes
2. i will not go to the IT show that starts in mid march
3. i will opt out of restaurant meals as much as possible without becoming the most anti-social person around.

All that said, may i stress that i really am not a spendthrift, ALSO i know that i really should not be doing this only at Lent but make it a daily practice. but hey, baby steps are a great way to start.

ONE LAST THING:
if i should falter, i will put aside the equivalent sum spent and donate it to a charitable cause. ;-)