Lent update

So here's an update on how I am doing so far this Lent with my Lenten promise/sacrifice

1) Fast food:
*I decided to give up eating fast food while working, hoping to save money by bringing my lunch. (I decided fast food had become a big vice, I was pretty frequently running through the drive through on the way to work or during my breaks--McDonald's, Arby's, Wendy's, Starbucks, and Dunkin Donuts being some of my favorites)
*So...I haven't eaten anything from a drive thru or bag since Fat Tuesday!
*I did buy food twice from the deli at Jewel. I rationalized this as not being fast food. Not sure if all would agree.
*Instead of Dunkin Donuts (which are everywhere in Chicagoland! There were like 2 in Bloomington!) or Starbucks, I have been making my own tea or coffee to drink or just drinking water or those packets you pour into your water bottle, though for awhile I was buying more cans of pop at the work vending machine. Good thing I didn't give up caffeine this year!
*I have been eating alot of microwave meals (Healthy Choice Fresh Mixers are actually pretty good, and don't need refrigerated), PBJ, and meal replacement/energy bars when I am in a time crunch.
*I was guilty last week of eating a candy bar for lunch, as well as way too many leftover 7 layer brownies that I made for my husabnd to take to work but they stuck to the pan, so the two of us have been eating it since (they still taste good! but I am pretty sick of them now!)
*So overall I don't think I have been eating healthier!
*However, I think I am saving some money. Our credit card statement actually did seem lower, I hope due to less swipes for mochas and double cheeseburgers. But I have been spending a little more at the grocery store buying lunch items.

2) Praying:
*I haven't done too well praying in the morning...I think I need to put a post-it-note on the mirror or something!
*I have been doing better at praying in the evening, as my husband and I got a prayer book from our church we have been reading together. It's been a good experience because while we do go to church together every week we don't discuss religion much outside of church. The prayer book also includes some history and information about why we do what we do and it's been a great experience to share with him.

Easter is three weeks away. I hope I can keep it up and do even better.

Fat Tuesday

Today is Fat Tuesday, meaning for Catholics like me that tomorrow is Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent, the time of fasting before Easter. Typically a person chooses to give up something that would be considered a "sacrifice", and then to do things that encourage a closer relationship with God, such as praying more, going to church more, or donating money to charities. And then there's the whole no eating meat on Fridays (except fish), to which I adhere, even though I have read conflicting stories about the meaning and origin of this tradition. The idea I grew up with was that we were to give up eating red meat as a sacrifice, that fish was a poor person's food back in Jesus' time. But I also heard a pope made a deal with the fishing industry). Either way, mostly out of tradition, I still do it. There are many "Catholic" things I do just because I have been taught to do it and over the years I do it over and over and over. Mindless? Maybe...I was baptised Catholic at the ripe age of one month, I went to Catholic school, I have been fed Catholic doctrine for years, but I figure I am an adult now and if I choose to continue then it's my choice.

So, the million dollar question is, what am I giving up this year? In the past it's been caffeine, chocolate, soda. This year I think it's going to be fast food. I am pretty guilty of running through the drive thru during my work week, so I hope this will force me to start planning ahead, start getting ready earlier and packing a lunch. Hopefully this will help the pocketbook and the waistline. And I am going to try praying once in the morning and once in the evening.

That being said, I will keep a log on here how I am doing with my Lenten plans.

So now the big question now is how to celebrate Fat Tuesday?