The season of Lent is upon us again, and with it comes the opportunity to reassess our goals and intentions for this unfolding year. Of course, that can be quite a tall order, and maybe you just want to take a more simplistic, traditional approach to Lent but aren’t sure where to start. Here are a few straightforward ideas on what to give up or add to your day-to-day to better yourself this Lenten season.

First, don’t buy anything that you don’t need. Food, household goods, replacing school supplies, all those are given purchases for most families. But, new clothes, new home décor, and new gadgets we can all live without (at least for 40 days). Instead of shopping for wants, save that money and consider donating it come Easter.

Speaking of donations, you can use Lent as a time to organize your home and donate unused items. Each day, select something you no longer use and set it aside to donate to the Goodwill or Salvation Army. If you’re really feeling ambitious, you can plan to go through one cabinet, drawer, or box each day for forty days. This will not only help you declutter but also help you reorganize.

From a clear home to a clear conscience, a tough, but very rewarding Lenten sacrifice, is to give up gossiping. If someone says something negative about another person, either say something nice or don’t say anything at all. It may shock you how often this will happen. I think that many times people don’t even realize when they talk about others in less than positive ways that they are, in fact, gossiping. Resist the temptation over the next forty days and see how it changes (for the better) your interaction with others.

If you really want to empty out negativity from your life for Lent, double down on that no gossiping and add no complaining to the list. This will be very hard as for many of us: Daily complaints are some of our most prevalent forms of communication. Think about it, when you’re at work, what’s the number one topic of conversation you have with your colleagues outside of work talk? When you’re at home, do you complain about work? Do you complain about your spouse to your friends? Do you complain about your friends to your spouse? It can be eye-opening if you take count of all the complaining that goes on in a typical day. Stop the negativity cycle and give up complaining until Easter. Good luck!

If you’re not feeling up to the challenge of banning negative talk and gossip from your life, but instead are looking for a more conventional abstinence-type route, consider giving up soda. For those of us that have that 3 p.m. Diet Coke this is a small but still meaningful sacrifice to make during Lent. If not soda specifically, try abstaining from after-dinner snacks or replacing chocolate breaks with banana breaks. It helps when you give up something to substitute it with a healthier or more affordable option. For example, make coffee at home instead of buying it on the way to work. Instead of ordering pizza, try making pizzas with frozen dough. Find that one relatively harmless indulgence and go without for the next six weeks.

Instead of giving up something, you can always add something positive to your day. I love the idea of complimenting your spouse and kids daily. Now, you may normally say nice things to your family all the time, but try recognizing the out-of-the-box moments during Lent this year. Things like “Thank you for always making sure all the lights are off before you come to bed.” Or “I really appreciate how you hold the door open for Mommy as I’m getting the mail.” Try to also say important things, especially to your children. I like to acknowledge when my daughter overcomes a challenge (even a small one) to let her know that I’m proud of her, and she should also be proud of herself.

Whether you go all-in on a spiritual reexamination or merely give up chocolate this Lenten season, the hope is for some aspect of your life — your heart, habits, or home — will be rejuvenated and ready for spring.