6 weeks of NO shopping?!?! You heard me right – I am going on a NO shopping spree for the next 6 weeks. One of the things that you may not know about me is that I am a Christian and am very proud of my faith, although I have not shared a ton about it on my platform. For those who are Christians, Ash Wednesday is tomorrow, which means that it is time to give up something for Lent. I chose this year to give up shopping.
Lent lasts 40 days and that was the time period that Jesus sacrificed a lot as he was in the desert for that exact duration. It is a time of reflection, sacrifice, and preparation for the celebrations of Easter. In the past few years, I never bothered to give up anything for Lent, as I was busy in school and did not really think much about it. I was never one who wanted to “give up” something for a fixed time period. Rather, I want to make something a goal. So, this year, I want to take Lent seriously and make it a priority to achieve my goal of living without shopping for 40 days.
What I am hoping to achieve from not shopping for 40 days is as follows:
- A greater appreciation and empathy for those who do not have the means or ability to shop. So many in this world live in developing nations where basic needs such as food and housing are a struggle to get. I want to be able to have the sympathy and understanding that those in living in the developing world feel regularly.
- Save save save save money. I have always struggled with saving money, even though I want to. I feel that taking shopping out of my budget will allow me to save my money for things that are important to me in the future, like travel, a future home and its decor, and a retirement fund.
- The experience of sacrifice. Life takes sacrifice. There will be times that we have to give up some things and, in the end, giving up things helps us to grow to be better people. My professor that I studied abroad with in Belize said that we don’t need much to live with – we only think we do. That sentiment rings way too true for us all; we just do not realize it!
- Growth. The biggest benefitting of challenging yourself is the growth the comes with it. Growth allows us to let loose, be free, and strengthen ourselves to be the best human beings that we can be.
Through giving up shopping, I will be able to grow into the best human being that I can be. 6 weeks without shopping?! Bring it on!!!!
XOXO – Katie <3