Cash Only or 47 days

photo via zizzybaloobah

All the Catholics and certain branches of Protestants out there know that yesterday was the first day of Lent.

For longtime readers, you know that dispite not being Catholic, Lent is a big deal for me. I like to take on a personal challenge and why not?  Last year, as some may remember, I gave up wearing jeans. 

I spent a lot of time trying to come up with something good, that would fit the circumstances. I considered giving up prepared foods, but considered that since I'm stage-managing a show the entirety of Lent it wouldn't be terribly realistic. I cosidered taking the jeans thing a step farther and giving up pants and only wearing skirts and dresses and then I remember that I live in Maine and spring doesn't get here until May.

I finally settled on giving up non-tangible forms of payment - that is I'm going cash-only for the next 47 days (because the 40 day thing is not true - count it out from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday). No debit cards, no credit cards - just nickels, dimes, and dollars.

Since I'm a stickler about my challenges the Rules (and Exceptions) are as follows:

Rules

1. I may only use tangible forms of payment. Cash, coins, silver ingots, gold doubloons. No credit, debit , check or paypal transactions. Paper gift certificates may be used if used in person.
2. I will photograph every purchase made and post them here once a week for thrilling reading. ;)
3. As I am using cash only, I will have to make all purchases in person. To further this I will attempt to make my purchases as local as possible.

Exceptions 

1. My cell phone bill is currently set up as an automatic online payment and I won't be changing that.
2. The rules apply to personal use only.  That is if I need to purchase something for work, as I occasionally do, it is exempt from the rules. Joint purchases with Mr. Cleaver are also exempt, provided he is present and doing the purchasing.
3. Medical costs are exempt if over $50.00.

I think it's definitely doable, but if anyone has any thoughts or suggestions or thinks my exceptions are bull-honkey or something, feel free to comment and let me know!

Too Lazy For Paragraphs: A Picture Post

Yes, I've hardly posted recently. So here's a quick catch up via photos: 

My $15 dollar Easter Dress from White House Black Market. It was too cold to wear it, but I didn't care.

I made it through all 47 days of Lent. I've worn jeans 3 times since then.

Spring is on its way!

I finally got my check from Northwestern, meaning I have officially done a paid/professional directing gig! 

$1.49 Daffodils from Trader Joe's, maybe one of the best buys ever.

Speaking of daffodils, I'm currently at a sock and a half.

Later this week: a return to recipe-posting!

Lent Week 6

Lent Day 37

Lent Day 36, 2. Lent Day 38, 3. Lent Day 41, 4. Lent Day 42

Only 5 Days left to go

Lent Week 5

Day 35.

Day 29-31.

Day 32-34.

Whenever I do a fast like this, there comes a time, without fail, that it becomes habit. As in, I don't miss wearing jeans anymore. Now when I pick out my clothes in the morning it isn't "what do I want to wear instead of jeans," it's "do I want to wear khakis or slacks today?"

Good thing too, since I realized today that Lent is 40 days until Palm Sunday + another seven days after that.

In other news, my life has gotten less crazy enough between an opening and rehearsal and dealing with way too many emails about ticketing that I was able to pull out the full seven photos this week (though don't look at Day 30 too closely - I was wicked tired and it shows). As and added bonus, I actually have some non-Lent posts lined up for later in the week - yay!

In other other news, I need a hair cut. My hair flip is getting outta control.

In other other other news, it's supposed to be 50 degrees tomorrow, glory hallelujah!

Lent Week 4

Day 28

1. Lent Day 25, 2. Lent Day 26, 3. Lent Day 27

Okay, so there are some pros and cons to this week's Lent posting.

Pros:

• On days 25 and 26. I am wearing a skirt. This is for you Crow.  Click on the titles for larger versions if you don't believe me.
• I am wearing the same sweater on days 26 and 28. Why repeat myself a day apart? Because I made that sweater. After three months of knitting, I feel as if I am justified in wearing it as often as I want until it is too warm to wear it, which at the rate Chicago is currently going, will be sometime in early June.
• Hardwood floors make awesome backgrounds.
• I actually cleaned my desk so I could take the Day 26 photo.

Cons:

• I, uh missed three days. I suck. But I was also prepping for a first rehearsal and helping build a set at the same time. (full disclosure: I wore jeans while set-building, but only during set building. I changed clothes immediately before and after, adhering to the rules I set out at the start.)
• The weather mocked me with two days of nice weather and then turned into super-cold land again. (At least until the weekend).
• I am running out of place in my apartment to take pictures. Not to mention poses. I am so not fierce.

Lent Week 3

1. Lent Day 15, 2. Lent Day 16, 3. Lent Day 17, 4. Lent Days 18 & 19, 5. Lent Day 20, 6. Lent Day 21

I was on the road on Saturday & Sunday (where I saw the Show Goats Trailer, sadly bereft of any show goats).

I did not wear jeans, I also did not take pictures. :(

Lent Week 2

1. Lent Day 8, 2. Lent Day 9, 3. Lent Day 11, 4. Lent Day 12, 5. Lent Day 13, 6. Lent Day 14

Another week another another seven days of me wishing it was warmer and that my pants fit better. That said, the goal of this little project is to be more aware of what I 'm wearing and it's certainly doing that.

In other news, Cadbury Cream Eggs are now on store shelves(and in my hand on day 13), which means those pants won't be fitting better anytime soon. Ah well.

Lent Week 1

1. No Jeans Lent - Day 1, 2. Paperwhites, 3. Lent Day 2, 4. Lent Day 3, 5. Lent Day 4,

6. Lent Day 5, 7. Lent Day 6, 8. Paperwhites, 9. Lent Day 7

(click on the titles if you want to see the whole photo) 

You know those moments when you're looking at something, but not actually looking at what you're looking at?

Um yeah, that was me in the closet this morning. Not to say that I'm running on empty on day seven here, but that the continuous really cruddy weather here in Chicago makes getting dressed less about choice and fashion and more about "what will get me to the train station without freezing."

The best part of this experiment thus far? Finding ways to make daily pictures of myself interesting to myself. The basket on my head? Only the beginning my friends, only the beginning.  

40 Days

Today, as most of you know, is the first day of Lent.

Now I'm not Catholic, I'd definitely say I'm Protestant, but to get more specific than that, it gets complicated.

I hold no allegiance to any particular brand of the Christian church, but if you want to go about it chronologically, I've gone to the following churches: First Baptist, non-demoninational home church, Evangelical Free, Methodist, First Christian, United Church of Christ and, currently, United Methodist. Oh and four months ago I got married in a Baptist Church in a service officiated by my brother via the Universial Life Church, just to make it more fun.

So if I'm not Catholic, why am I talking about Lent?

In truth, several more traditional Protestant denominations including Lutherans and Methodists still practice some form of Lent, but the reason I do it tends to be less spiritual in natural and more of a challenge. That is, what change can I make in my life for 40 days?

Like many quirks, this is something I started in college. My friend James and I decided that we would go forth and celebrate as many holidays as we could: we did Rosh Hannah, Yom Kippur and Lent our Freshman year. We always forgot when Ramadan came around, and really the whole plan never got that far off the ground, but Lent stuck.

That first year I gave up orange soda. I've also given up chocolate (twice) and two years ago I gave up complaining. Not exactly meat on Fridays, but I do what I can.

This year? I'm giving up jeans.

Day One

Yes, for the next 40 days I shall refrain from wearing the all-American classic. Why? Because feel like I've gotten lazy when it comes to getting dressed in the morning, especially since my work dress code is so lax. Mr. Cleaver and I joke about how he's going to "mix-it-up" and wear a sweater and jeans for the umpteenth day in the row, but it's true for me as well. Now, with Lent and Easter being so early this year, I'm at a slight disadvantage when it comes to dresses and skirts, at least for now (with the mounds of snow piling up outside), but I'm going to tough it out. And while I doubt I'll post everyday, I'm going to try to take a picture of outfit for the next 40 days as proof.

I do get one exception though - if I am painting, building or striking a set for the show that my theatre company is putting on in the next 40 days, I get to wear jeans, because if nothing else, they were meant for that sort of thing.