Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Using an External Aid: Lent

I'm not aiming to talk about religion here, so just hang in there! Last Wednesday was the first day of Lent. Lent is the 40 days (Sundays aren't counted) between Ash Wednesday and Easter. Go to Wikipedia to learn more if you're so inclined.

Anyway, one of the things those who celebrate Lent do is to set an intention, something we'll either add to or subtract from our lives in order to move closer to the spirit/God/whatever you call it!

This year, I've chosen to stay out of the thrift stores and out of Target. I was finding too much there to tempt me and ruin my budget.

A Lenten intention can help set or re-set a habit. If you're aiming to stop smoking, for example, doing it during Lent can really help. Because millions of people all over the world are pulling for you, as they work on themselves and their own Lenten intentions.

Anyway, back to pure Personal Finance!

3 comments:

Sharon said...

Hi CSF,
Yes, Lent is an opportunity to evaluate habits that aren't good. I've decided to try and take this Lent to be a joyful experience instead of a miserable one. So I've done more "adding" than subtracting, such as giving more of my time to the church, giving more in way of charitable giving, and adding a time for reflection each day. There is a very cool website www.sacredspace.com that will allow you to do this with ease! Good Luck on your Lenten promises!!!
Sharon

Anonymous said...

A nice thing about Lent, is it is a doable amount of time to really stick to almost anything. And that may actually be some awesome positive reinforcement to turn it into a habit - and wouldn't that be cool!

Chief Family Officer said...

Target is also my downfall when it comes to impulse spending (along with Amazon). I can't really stay away since I buy a lot of staples there (diapers, cereal when the grocery stores aren't on sale, etc.). So I'm really impressed by your Lenten resolution!