But just recently I decided to give shopping up for Lent.

This is not only a great challenge for me to complete throughout this time but it will seriously benefit my bank account and myself!

Lent is the Christian period of preparation for Easter. Beginning on Ash Wednesday, Christians spend the next 40 days, excluding Sundays, demonstrating a time of fasting, repentance, moderation and spiritual discipline. Most people will give up eating their favourite food, or go without something that has become a large part of their life, that is material and unnecessary.

For me, shopping has become an unnecessary part of my daily life, so I decided to give it up for Lent.

But not only will I be participating in the old traditions of Christian life, I will be teaching myself that impulsive shopping and purchases for the sake of it are unnecessary and easy to stop. It's like a personal experiment. I figured if I can go for a short period of time without using my card to buy anything, then it will be easier for me in the future to moderate my spending and just allocate myself a small weekly allowance, hence saving myself a lot of money!

If I save a decent amount of money over this period, I may even donate the savings to a charity!