You'll never sell me on a diet pill or instant results diet program (in fact, you'll rarely hear the word "diet" coming out of my mouth in any positive context). You'll rarely find me making a new years resolution (and I will admit right now that I may even be silently judging you if -on January 3rd- you're announcing yours to me).Hey, at least I'm being honest. ;)
I am not one to initiate any truly meaningful life changes unless I can legitimately and realistically see myself sticking to it forever. This is why I've never successfully become a vegetarian or subscribed to a specific political party. This is why you've never seen any of my relationships last longer than 4 months in my entire life (until now *swoon*). Whatever "it" is, it has to mean that much to me that I won't let it go.
I believe this is partly the reason why I haven't, for the most part, participated in the season of Lent. But within the past few years I've come to realize that this isn't a denominational "thing" that I get to avoid "because I'm not Catholic". I now understand that Lent is an opportunity to fast from something that will ultimately remind me to walk closer to Christ.
Thing is, Lent just sort of sneaks up on me. Anytime that I've participated, I've always been late to the game. But better late than never, right?
My first Lent-ish experiment was in 2013; I decided that I was going to give up my interaction with any (and all) drive-thru windows. If I wanted to eat that junk food, it was going to have to be worth getting out of my car and walking up to a counter for. I realize that it was a baby step, but a good one nonetheless; I hit fast food establishments less than half of the times that I normally would. Looking back, since I was forced to spend more time thinking about "how" to get my food, I would remember to be thankful for having anything for my tummy at all (even if it was slathered in special sauce). Definitely wasn't a "super Christian" type of fast, but it sure didn't hurt!
My 2014 fast was from Netflix; I suspended my account. Since I don't have cable, it meant that I had no use for my TV for an entire 40(ish) days. Some days were easy, and other days I considered re-activating my account (after all, it shouldn't count if I'm snowed into my house with absolutely nothing else to do and no where to safely go).
Last year I noticed two things.
First: my relationships flourished. I spent more regular time with my people than I had in months.
Second: I realized that the evening isn't over at 8:00. With nothing to sit down in front of after guitar lessons, I found myself making evening (decaf) coffee dates with friends and spending more time at the gym. Come to think of it, that fast was an incredibly healthy and prosperous one.
This year has been just as sneaky as the rest of them; yesterday's pancake posts on Facebook reminded me that - once again - I hadn't thought about or prepped for a 40 day fast of any sort. I hadn't decided what (if anything) I "should" give up, and I almost decided to just forget it. But a couple of friends came to mind (and wouldn't you know it, I just realized that this is related to my last post from Autumn), who have decided to (some degree to) participate in a fast based on the book "7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess". The particular fast that comes to mind is to choose 7 foods and eat those (and ONLY those) for an entire month.
Yeah, NO! I am not interested in that. At all. I feel absolutely no tug, pull or tap on the shoulder to participate in that type of fast, and I offer a slow-clapping, standing ovation to those brave enough to take on that kind of challenge.
But (!) it got me thinking...couldn't I survive off of the food I have in my house for 40 days? Even without a pre-Lent prep-shop (since I've missed pre-Lent anyway)? There are literally hundreds of dollars worth of groceries sitting right here in my house (largely in the form of condiments, sauces and spices alone). What I have here is probably more than some people get in an entire year, and often I will still venture out to purchase items based on what I'm craving instead of eating what I already have.
Soon after realizing what excess I have here, every humanitarian sponsorship commercial came to mind; specifically the part of the commercial that says "for the price of a cup of coffee per day, you could feed(/clothe/medicate/educate) this child".
Could I feed myself for one dollar a day for 40 days?
Deciding to eat only what is in my house and to, otherwise, spend only $1 per day for anything else I might need (ideally fresh, perishable, nutritious food) would not only remind me to be grateful when I prep, cook and eat, but also when I plan and shop. I would have to spend my money wisely, cook creatively and suck it up when I have to drink my coffee black or eat a small stack of PB&J sandwiches on crackers because I'm out of bread.
Because I am beyond blessed.
So, here we go.
The Plan:
- take full inventory of all edible items in my home (CHECK - photos attached)
- plan meals weekly, focusing on what I already have in the house
- purchase grocery gift card ($25 PC card CHECK - the rest will be paid in cash)
- commit to blog my experience 2-3 times per week (hold me accountable, please)
- keep all receipts; track every penny spent (fridge magnet clip is already holding my first receipt)
- spend no more than $40 on food items between now and Easter; purchased items should really only be to prevent scurvy and/or calcium deficiency
- don't *plan* to eat out; but don't argue if invited and paid for ;)
- "time-out" Sundays will not be a regular occurrence, although special occasions to be considered
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| Freezer: Feb 18 |
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| Fridge Door: Feb 18 |
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| Fridge: Feb 18 |
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| Pantry: Feb 18 |
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