A Different Kind of Lenten Fast

I know Lent started last Wednesday, but it just occurred to me this morning that the discipline I've chosen this year might make an interesting blog. The first post might be late, but the discipline did actually begin on Ash Wednesday.

What I've chosen to do this year is not buy groceries until after Easter. I have a freezer crammed full of stuff, some of which is probably well freezer-burned by now. I have a pantry full of canned goods, at least some of which are well past their expiration dates. And yet every week I go to the store and buy more. To be sure, some of what I buy are things like bread and milk that cannot be stocked up. Some are convenience foods, frozen dinners I keep on hand for the nights I don't have time or energy to cook. But other things I buy just because I think I need them, and then never actually use.

One of the worst ways I waste money at the grocery store is buying fresh fruits and vegetables that sit in the refrigerator until they become compost. I'm so tempted by them in their fresh loveliness that I can't resist saying "Of course I will cook and eat this." And I might do well for a couple of days. But before long I'm back to old habits, and the Wednesday night routine of checking the fridge for things that need to go out with the trash pickup in the morning.

So I'm going to get off that treadmill for a while and see what happens. I suspect some of the menus might get interesting before Easter arrives. But I doubt I will run out of food.

This morning I realized that I will run out of bread and milk before the end of this week. That made me wonder if perhaps I shouldn't make an exception for these two items. Then I thought about coffee, and whether it, too, might be an exception. And I very quickly realized there were at least half a dozen items I could justify/rationalize making an exception for, and that made me say "No! No exceptions." Yes, I will run out of bread and milk. I may have to ration my coffee to make it last (I put the last of this morning's pot in a carafe and put it in the fridge instead of pouring it out.). But I have the skills to make bread, and I have at least some yeast in the pantry. I have rice and couscous and pasta. Instead of cold cereal with milk I can have oatmeal and grits. In other words, I will manage.

Other than those realizations, there hasn't been any real impact yet. The freezer is full. The pantry is full. I will have to think about how I am going to prepare meals for MJ and Dan, since MJ will be here for a week, but I think I can manage. I know there's meat in the freezer. And there's a large container of chili. I'm not going to worry past that. This exercise is about not worrying, being content with what there is instead of rushing out to buy something new. Stay tuned.