#020 — Give Up Something Financial for Lent
It’s Mardi Gras time. Fat Tuesday was yesterday, and in most Western Christian traditions, Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, the forty-day long liturgical season of fasting and praying leading up to Easter.
Here’s Lent in a nutshell according to Spirit Home:
The three traditional practices to be taken up with renewed vigour during Lent are prayer (justice towards God), fasting (justice towards self), and almsgiving (justice towards neighbour). Today, some people give up a vice of theirs, add something that will bring them closer to God, and often give the time or money spent doing that to charitable purposes or organizations.
Give UP for Lent
Most common vices people give up are alcohol, or sweets, like chocolate. But I challenge you to sacrifice some of your normal spending. It can be both a religious & financial reward!
Here’s a few things you could give up for Lent that are financially rewarding:
- Eating out at sit-down restaurants
- Eating out altogether
- Going to sporting events
- Going to concerts
- Getting a manicure/pedicure
- Buying more clothes
- Give up smoking or caffeine
- ??? (add something in the comments below!)
Add something for Lent
What can you add that could be spiritually and financially rewarding?
- A monthly household budget
- Join a website that uses personal finance software to categorize & track your expenses)
- Read a financial related book (The Total Money Makeover or Automatic Millionaire)
- Take a financial course (Financial Peace University or Crown Financial Ministries)
- Read the book of Proverbs
- ??? (add something in the comments below!)
Give TO something for Lent
This is a no-brainer. We should give to those less fortunate or to the organizations that help them. But I also challenge you to give your time — it often costs us more, and certainly provides us more benefit and personal reward of being intricately involved in a cause.
What will you be doing for Lent?? What would you add to the above lists??
Follow me on Twitter!!
Photo by howieluvsus