
Image courtesty of: http://blogs.bgsu.edu/hkrista/
Everyone has their Ramadan goals, yes?
I have been developing mine for the past weeks. The ones I came up with are:
- Read the whole Qur’an: I know this is one most people attempt/do and some might think it’s kind of a given but I really want to do it. I want to read a whole translation of the Qur’an so I can really get to the basics of my faith.
- Make all prayers: Easier said than done with some of them (aka Fajr) but InshAllah.
- Completely learn all of Salaat: Confession: I don’t know the part you do when you’re sitting down aka the Tashahhud. It’s difficult to learn something in a completely different language but I’ll admit, I should have learned it by now. So when I get to the Masjid on Eid, I’ll be able to recite everything correctly, InshAllah.
So that is what I had planned. However, today I came across this article on WordPress’s Freshly Pressed: no clothes til december. Summary: No buying new clothes until december, wear what you’ve got. I got to thinking, how often I decide I need something and then hate it and leave it in my closet something like that. I still have that horrible pair of jeans that 1) did not fit correctly (I bought them in a hurry) 2) I made a sad attempt at making them fit and now 3) they are completely ruined and sit in my closet as a reminder of $30 wasted. Not fun.
So, I thought, what if I do something like this? I decided to try. At least for Ramadan, which will be hard because Ramadan this year falls during the back to school shopping flurry. One thing I will need to buy though before August 1st is a new skirt. I need something to wear for Eid prayer (you need to look nice) and I think I have my Eid outfit almost figured out, I just need the maxi skirt (don’t act like you haven’t started planning your Eid outfit already. You know you have lol). So that will be my last piece. I desperately wanted a pair of skinny jeans before school starts too (I recently put my favorite pair to rest 😦 ) So that might get put on the exemption list too but besides that (and underwear. As Sarah pointed out underwear is a must), I will not buy nothing, nada, zip. For me: also on my no buying list will go jewelry, scarves and shoes. I have more than enough, even though one can definitely argue that you can never have enough.
Also, after thinking it through, I decided Ramadan will be the end of me buying those $2 coffees at McDonalds, Coffee Bean, Peet’s, Starbucks, etc. No more wasting my cash on my beloved coffees that come in the pretty little paper/plastic cups. If I don’t have a gift card or something of the sort, I will be stuck making it at home. Both Ramadan and Sarah’s post have made me think about reining in that consumerism I had previously talked about. It needs to be done. And that’s that. (Thank you Sarah for the idea!)
It’s hard to cut out the fun stuff like coffees, but once you do, it becomes a way of life. Best wishes!
Thanks! And I’m really hoping so! Even though I love buying my morning coffee, it’s really painful to think of all the money I’m wasting and how bad it is for the environment. This is hopefully a new chapter in life 🙂 Thanks for reading!
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