50 Unique Ideas for What to Give Up for Lent (and What to Take Up Instead)

Wondering what to give up for Lent? Lent can feel like a spiritual sprint where the goal is just to give up chocolate or coffee. While those sacrifices are valid, the true heart of Lent, the 40 days leading up to Easter,is about creating space for God and growing closer to your spouse and family. It’s about replacing a bad habit with a great habit.

If you’re looking for a fresh, realistic way to observe Lent this year, let’s move beyond the typical fasts. We’ve compiled 50 unique ideas focused on home life, marriage, and emotional health. Instead of feeling deprived, you’ll feel intentional and focused.

Here are 50 meaningful, modern sacrifices, and some great ideas for positive habits to fill the space you create.

1. Modern Habits to Give Up for Lent (Digital & Time)

These sacrifices focus on reclaiming your time and attention from screens and noise, offering that gift back to your family.

1. Give Up “The Scroll”: Dedicate the first and last hour of your day to being completely phone-free. No checking social media or email in bed.
2. Give Up Notification Sound: Turn off all notifications on your phone for 40 days. Only check apps when you intentionally open them.
3. Give Up Passive Background Noise: Stop leaving the TV or radio on just for background noise. Embrace quiet time, which encourages conversation and reading.
4. Give Up Comparison Scrolling: Unfollow three accounts on social media that make you feel inadequate or less-than.
5. Give Up Your “Screen Seat”: Spend your usual TV-watching time in a different chair or area of the house, signaling to your brain that this is time for a book, a puzzle, or talking.
6. Give Up Fast-Paced Podcasts: Switch from double-speed podcasts to listening at regular speed, practicing patience and mindful listening.
7. Give Up “Reply Immediately”: Delay your response to non-urgent texts and emails by at least one hour. This combats anxiety and unrealistic expectations.
8. Give Up Online Window Shopping: Stop browsing Amazon or other online shops for non-essential items just to pass the time.
9. Give Up The Snooze Button: Force yourself to get up with the first alarm. This gives you an extra 10 minutes of quiet prayer or preparation time before the kids wake up.
10. Give Up Media Before Bed: Cut off all screens (phone, tablet, TV) 30 minutes before your head hits the pillow to improve sleep quality.

2. Financial and Material Sacrifices for Lent

These sacrifices free up money and focus your energy on what you already own, rather than what you want to buy.

11. Give Up All Takeout/Fast Food: Commit to eating only food prepared at home (excluding coffee/tea). This saves money and encourages family meal prep.
12. Give Up Single-Use Items: Give up using paper towels, disposable cups, plastic straws, or fast-fashion items. Use reusable alternatives only.
13. Give Up Non-Essential Errands: Group all errands into a single weekly trip to save on gas and time.
14. Give Up Impulse Purchases: Institute a 48-hour rule for any item over $20. If you still want it two days later, you can buy it.
15. Give Up Buying New Clothes: Only wear clothing you already own for 40 days. This is a great time to evaluate what you actually use.
16. Give Up Coffee Shop Visits: Make all your coffee/tea at home. Track the savings and donate the difference.
17. Give Up Food Waste: Commit to throwing away zero leftovers or perishable items. Get creative with meal planning!
18. Give Up Subscription Boxes: Pause one non-essential monthly subscription (beauty, snack, streaming) for the 40 days of Lent.
19. Give Up Store-Bought Desserts: Only eat desserts you bake from scratch. This makes the indulgence more intentional and less automatic.
20. Give Up One Closet Item Per Day: Donate one item of clothing or gear from your closet every single day for the 40 days.

3. Relational and Emotional Sacrifices

These are sacrifices focused on cleaning up the internal habits that damage your closest relationships.

21. Give Up Complaining: Commit to going one entire day without complaining about weather, traffic, work, or chores.
22. Give Up Negative Self-Talk: Every time you catch yourself thinking or saying something negative about yourself, replace it with a positive, truthful statement.
23. Give Up Interrupting: Focus on letting your spouse or child completely finish their thought before you start speaking.
24. Give Up The Last Word: In any minor disagreement with your spouse, allow them to have the final statement without counter-argument.
25. Give Up Gossiping: Refuse to participate in conversations that judge or share rumors about other people.
26. Give Up Excessive Multi-Tasking: When your spouse or child is talking to you, drop what you are doing, make eye contact, and listen fully.
27. Give Up Hold Grudges: For one person you are struggling to forgive, intentionally pray for them every single day.
28. Give Up Criticizing: Rather than pointing out a fault in your spouse or child, choose to compliment two things you admire first.
29. Give Up Exaggeration: Commit to only speaking in simple, honest, non-dramatic terms, avoiding hype and hyperbole.
30. Give Up Comparison to Other Couples: Stop measuring your marriage or home life against the filtered perfection you see online.

4. What to “Take Up” Instead (Positive Habits)

True sacrifice creates a void, and you must intentionally fill that void with something positive and constructive. Use the reclaimed time and energy from your sacrifices above to dedicate yourself to these new habits.

31. Take Up 10 Minutes of Prayer/Meditation: Commit to 10 minutes immediately after waking up, using the quiet time you reclaimed from giving up the snooze button or the scroll.
32. Take Up Daily Gratitude Journaling: Write down three things you are truly grateful for every evening.
33. Take Up A Weekly Date Night: Use the money you saved from giving up takeout and coffee shops to fund one intentional, distraction-free date night at home or out.
34. Take Up A Compliment Challenge: Write one genuine, specific, non-critical compliment to your spouse every day.
35. Take Up Reading a Spiritual Book: Use the time you freed from giving up passive TV or background noise to read a book that challenges you spiritually.
36. Take Up A New 15-Minute Movement Goal: Take a walk, stretch, or do light exercise during the time you freed up from stopping online browsing.
37. Take Up Batch Cooking: Use the time saved from non-essential errands to prep your lunch and dinner for the next two days.
38. Take Up Daily Reading Aloud: Spend 10 minutes reading a classic or age-appropriate book aloud to your children (or your spouse).
39. Take Up A Simple Act of Service: Once a week, commit to a secret act of service for your spouse or a neighbor without expecting recognition.
40. Take Up Calling a Loved One: Dedicate five minutes every few days to calling a family member or friend you haven’t spoken to in a while.
41. Take Up Daily Scripture or Affirmation: Read a short devotional or a single positive affirmation first thing every morning.
42. Take Up The “Stop and Greet”: Whenever your spouse walks into a room, stop what you are doing, make eye contact, and greet them warmly.
43. Take Up A Hobby that Uses Your Hands: Dedicate 30 minutes a week to something non-digital, like knitting, drawing, or simple home repairs.
44. Take Up The Bedtime Check-In: Spend five minutes every night with your spouse or children talking about the best and worst parts of their day.
45. Take Up The “One Spot Rule”: Use the energy saved from decluttering to clear one specific counter or surface in your home completely every night before bed.
46. Take Up Weekly Letter Writing: Write a physical note or card to someone—a grandparent, a friend, or even your future self.
47. Take Up Learning a New Skill: Spend 10 minutes every day working on a language app, watching a tutorial, or learning a single new recipe technique.
48. Take Up A “Blessing Box”: Start a small jar where you write down good things that happen and read them all on Easter Sunday.
49. Take Up Intentional Silence: Sit in complete, purposeful silence (no music, no podcast) for 10 minutes once a week.
50. Take Up Meal Time Connection: Institute a “no phones at the table” rule for all meals to encourage present conversation.

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