Do you celebrate Lent?

I grew up United Methodist, and we didn't give up anything for Lent, although some people in my church did. The most common desires I saw people giving up included sweets and smoking.

A couple years ago, a friend of mine gave up watching TV in his house. It reached a point where he was always wanting to be at another person's house, bc his rule didn't extend outside his own house.

I've decided to give dying to my desires a try this year. I went back and forth with what is really difficult for me to give up, and I'm going to give up eating at restaurants when I'm paying for it. The reason I have that stipulation is that I have a few work events coming up where I'll be expected to go to meals, and if I don't eat then, I won't get to eat at all. I may still join friends who are going out to dinner, but my goal is to only order a drink and eat my meal in advance.

My reasoning for this is that eating out has become a bit of a financial vice for me. This will be good practice for me to get in the habit of only eating out a couple times a month versus a couple times a week.

UPDATE: After attending an Ash Wed service, I have also decided to give up TV in my home. I've decided that doesnt' include my Netflix movies. We'll see how I do.