promise oneself
imperf to forswear
swear to give up

A helpful strategy, then, is to promise oneself to refrain from spending any part of a refund (or other kind of found money) for a brief but significant period - two months, say.

Again, he renounced his position as head of the church.

She could not renounce her family, no matter what they had done.

Not more than an hour ago I had renounced all those things.

We have to renounce the politics of force, they bring nothing good.

But like the others, he can't bring himself to renounce his trade.

This led him to renounce his family and social position.

Perhaps they too will then be powerful enough to renounce power.

They had to renounce the stars in order to have a home.

I wrote to your solicitor last year, renouncing the money.

We must see to it that military force is renounced.

And take this with you, man whom I here renounce!

She might have renounced music as a career, but never to hear it again?

Must you now renounce one to keep faith with the other?

At the same time, the groups in the country were called upon to renounce violence.

China has never renounced the use of force to bring the island under its control.

Not that I am ready to renounce this world, or its things.

Some workers that renounced the union were allowed to return to work.

You could renounce your rights, but must do this before starting the job.

According to the report workers may not renounce their right to annual leave.

For the last time, will you take the five million and renounce your claim?

Art is itself too near the reality which must be renounced for a season.

Getting married and having a daughter has led him to renounce any interest in violence, he said.

After three years there, she renounced the faith and left.

From the first they had renounced the use of dogs.

Not for the first time he swore to give up dice altogether.

Charity immediately swore to give up her power, seeing where it had so nearly led her.

This makes Takaya lose his confidence and initially swear to give up racing.

Thirty-six prisoners were reported to have repented and sworn to give up future criminal activity.

He said Muslim clerics, encouraged by the government, were preaching against piracy - 200 former pirates had sworn to give up.

The first threat of fair skies in spring may have women estimating bikini damage and men swearing to give up the golf cart.

What she'd done instead was swear to give up her life or sanity for me, if only I saw to her vengeance after she no longer could.

Commanded by the Optio, Prolix leaves the camp, swears to give up soothsaying, and is driven away by a thunderstorm.

LISSA: I, the undersigned, do hereby swear to give up lying to others and/or myself for the remaining - what is it?

Chris Warner (Michael Galvin)was stunned when Kirsty exposed Katherine as a fraud and murderer, and swore to give up on women forever.

Then, when Tom King was fully recovered, Haynes had made him swear to give up fist-fighting and abjure strong liquor, and had secured him a post as barman in the Fighting Chance.