Post-Lent fast

Four months after Lent, My Eco Self decides to go on a money fast. I remember reading a feature about an old hack who did the same, and feel convinced that I have as much resolve as a lazy journalist who takes a taxi to the train station every day, when My Eco Self, young and sprightly, would always walk. Per the precedent of the profile I read, I’m allowed to have a full cupboard of food before I begin the challenge. I stock up on essential post-Lenten supplies; my vegetable box, Fair trade chocolate. My Eco Self walks round Waitrose paying extra attention to its laden shelves, and stocking up on harissa paste and vanilla extract to cover the possibility that I might need some for a staple recipe. The money fast coincides with a week of stay at home holiday, instead of a last-minute trip to a sun haven to escape the grim English summer. I feel eco smug.
“But aren’t you just staying at home because you spent too much money on your new kitchen and are only working part-time?” asks Food Neurotic Friend.
No, I tell him firmly, it’s a Lenten gesture, the aim being a simple, Quaker-like existence.
"Aren't you a bit out of date for Lent?" he continues.
“You can't put a timeline on aspiring to a simple lifestyle," I say "and I practically live like a nun anyway.”
“Is that by choice?” he teases.