13 Jun Self care on a budget
I’m Unhappy and Broke: Robin’s Tips for Self Care on a Budget
One of the big buzzwords for the past few years is “self-care”. I often have clients who tell me that they just don’t have any time for self care. Between juggling work, running kids around, doing home repair, studying for this or that, trying to make time to return text messages, and making sure you go to the store for milk for the THIRD time this week it can feel like there is nowhere to squeeze in anything resembling self care. And where is the money for self-care going to come from? We all live on a budget, and justifying those dollars can be difficult. But often we can find “time confetti”-those little 5-10 minute blocks of time, often where we are waiting for something else to begin or end. So I say “sieze tempore confetti”, or “seize the time confetti”! Grab your time and be willing to make the most out of the 5-10 minutes that you do have.
I simply LOVE a bargain; a trait I think I got from my Mom, so I would credit her with teaching me how to do self-care on a budget. One of my favorite tips she taught me is about hiding chocolate in your underwear drawer. Yep, you heard me right. When I had my son, my Mom came up to help out for a week. Before she left she gave me a box of nice chocolates and said, “Hide these in your underwear drawer. Some days you just need a little chocolate, and kids will NEVER look in their Mom’s underwear drawer.” This is obviously true, because I had never known about my Mom’s chocolate stash! So the message here is this: self-care does not have to be expensive or time consuming. It can be as simple as sneaking away to grab a nice chocolate out of your underwear drawer. So here is a list of my favorite quick and cheap self care activities:
- Stop at a garden center and smell the flowers
- Download a book or audio book from your local library
- Find a new group of friends on MeetUp.com
- Find out what groups or events your local library has
- Google “fat puppy videos” and watch 10 min. of frolicking fat puppies
- Check out a local nature center
- Dig out that fancy hand lotion and your nail file and give yourself a manicure
- Light a candle and make a cup of your favorite hot beverage
- Turn off the news and put on some soothing music from Pandora
- You can buy a massage for $1 a minute upstairs at Central Market
- Download a self-care app and use it (link to blog post about apps)
- Get something for free or get rid of clutter on Freecycle.org
- Find a farmers market and enjoy some local produce or art-I recommend Four Seasons market and Good Local Market
- Did you know Central Market and Whole Foods has a bargain cheese bin? Stop by to grab a small piece of fancy cheese.
- Stop by PetsMart and snuggle a kitty up for adoption.
- Find a local pond and feed the ducks
- Download the Recolor app to access coloring pages to use on your phone
- Google “Free events in (your city name)”, or search Guide Live for upcoming events.
- Dallas Museum of Art and the Trammell Crow Asian Art Museum are free, and there are many low cost museums in the area.
- Check out activities at Klyde Warren Park. They have tons of free and fun activities!
- Look for a Groupon! I’m amazed at how many things have Groupons now.
- Find something free on Freecycle.org! You can get or give away items.
What is your favorite way to engage in self care? Choose one to do today or this week to bring a smile to your face and engage in self-care!
