I am not Catholic, so I don’t feel obligated to practice the self-deprivation of Lent. However, I believe that self-discipline is a valuable character builder and that when done in a spirit of sacrificial worship, can be spiritually healthy as well. For that reason, I do practice “fasts” once in a while — especially from things that seem to be approaching god-like status in my life. As we approached the Lent season this year, I started to reflect on things in my life that have a hold on me. I like chocolate, but I can honestly take it or leave it. I LOVE donuts, but I won’t leave early for work just so I can swing by the donut place. (Now, if for some reason, traffic gets me there early, all bets are off.)
So — what could I give up? What, by consciously eliminating it from my life, would cause some sacrificial discipline? Then I realized something that makes my life very comfortable — too comfortable, perhaps — is waste. I waste a lot of resources in my life and don’t really give it a second thought. How would giving up waste affect my life? Can I give up waste as an act of sacrificial worship?
Yes — I believe I can.
Identifying Areas of Waste in My Life
Food
For something I love so much, I sure waste a lot of food. I over-buy and over-prepare for dinner, thinking the leftovers will make for an easier meal the next night. All too often, though, the leftovers spoil as we instead opt to eat out. I buy the larger package at the grocery because it’s a better unit price — nevermind that there are only three people in our family and we may never finish the larger packages of food. I buy fruits and veggies the best of intention, only to choose a preservative-filled snack cake that will never go bad, while the perishables perish.
The plan to stop wasting food:
- Prepare less — just enough for the meal and maybe a brown-bag lunch for work the next day.
- Buy less — only buy perishables we will eat before they spoil, then eat them.
- Rotate stock — make sure to put items that are approaching their expiration date near the front. Also, in rotating the stock and organizing, I will have a better idea what we already have. I can plan meals around our stock on hand and use it!
- Watch expiration dates and store food properly — if I will not be using the meat I bought before the recommended date, I will store it in the refrigerator. !
- Eat leftovers!
Other Consumables
Those who know me well hardly consider me a tree-hugger, but even I admit, there is no reason to waste paper and consumables. Yet, I am guilty and this is another area of my life that merited some reflection.
- Napkins — at home, I will distribute one napkin per person at meal time. Why, then, at restaurants, do I grab a handful out of the dispenser? I’m going to stop doing that.
- Paper — I will be very careful not to print unnecessarily and i will reuse the other side of my printer paper whenever I can. I am a “tactile” person — sometimes, I will print an email so I can make notes on it. I’ll print double-sided or reuse the blank sides as I can. Better yet, I’ll try to make my notes digitally instead of printing at all.
- Newspapers — newspaper is great for cleaning windows and mirrors. I will use it for that purpose, which will cut down on the amount of paper towels I use also.
- Opt for Digital Delivery — a couple of the magazines to which I subscribe offer a digital version instead of print. I think it’s time I take advantage of that. And the few bills that are still delivered to my home can be changed to email.
- Detergent, Shampoo, Soap, Toilet Paper, etc. — see if i can use a little less of everything.
Money
Being unemployed for a month recently already had me looking for ways to save pennies, but I know I waste an embarrassing amount of money.
- Recommit to a spending budget for extras like eating out and non-essential purchases.
- Research services like cable TV, home and auto insurance to make sure we are getting the best deals available. Are we paying for services we don’t need or use? Are their options we could live without to save money?
- Plan menus around weekly sales flyers.
- Keep a spending journal to identify other areas where we waste money.
- Save on gasoline by eliminating unnecessary travel and idling.
Time
Probably the most precious resource any of us have, time is also something that is carelessly wasted.
- Plan my day — budget my minutes like I budget my dollars. Plan trips to save time and miles.
- Restrict time spent on non-productive activities like watching TV. That being said, I enjoy TV and there are a couple of shows I really enjoy (like “Jeopardy”). When part of planned leisure time, I don’t think TV watching is to be completely eliminated. However, aimless channel surfing with no goal in mind — THAT is a waste of time.
- Budget time for social media and stick to it — don’t get sucked in.
- Multi-task — I love to read books on my phone while waiting in line. I like to clean my kitchen while my oatmeal is cooking in the morning. I like to fold laundry while I am watching “Jeopardy.” There are some activities that require undivided attention (don’t check your email while you are driving), but many activities have downtime that could be used to accomplish something productive. I will look for such opportunities.
So, here begins a 40-day fast from waste as an act of spiritual discipline and worship. In this exercise, I hope to not only become less wasteful and more efficient, but to develop a deeper appreciation for the blessings that I now take for granted. By wasting less of my resources, I pray I will have more to give to others.