Self-Care on a Budget
How to take care of you, not spend a high dime and recharge your life each week.
When was the last time you actually put yourself first? Living your best life starts with having your finances in order but also includes getting your “self” in check. We as women are always doing it all and it’s our nature to put others before ourselves. We tend to neglect who we are which makes it difficult to fully focus on our relationships, careers and our finances.
Our minds are constantly going; even when we jump into bed at night we are already thinking about what we need to do the next day. With millions of balls juggling in the air, the last thing we think about is taking a break and shutting out the world. We believe that if we do, our world will come crashing down and we will never recover.
This is far from the truth.
It’s important to make time for you and recharge your mind, body and soul. How do you expect to be the best wife, mother or friend when you are constantly running on fumes? When I take time for me, I come back into life with more peace, focus, energy and clarity.
When we think of recharging, we quickly picture ourselves lying on a beach, sand between our toes and pina coladas lined up in front of us, just waiting to be had. Then our next thought…this would be a great pic for Facebook and Instagram! Our minds never fully shut off, which is why self-care is so important for our well-being and overall sanity. With our constant crazy lives, we can’t wait around for that next vacation to give our mind and body a break. Self-care isn’t a quick fix type of deal. Making time for yourself needs to be of constant focus and attention in your life.
Make time for you
I know you are already busy so before you go raging at me and saying you don’t have time – ask yourself if you are worth 1-2 hours of your time a week? Carve out a few hours on the weekend and have yourself a Self-Care Sunday or Selfish Saturday. It’s time you make you a priority.
You don’t have to break the bank to give yourself a break. Here are a few ideas for your “me time” that will cost you less than $30 a month:
Start Keeping a Journal – Go to your fav book store and pick up a journal. It should only cost about $30. I buy a new journal every January to keep all my yearly thoughts in one place. Find a quiet area and reflect on your week, what you have accomplished and what you are grateful for. Also write down what you are going to stop doing, keep doing and start doing the following week. If you have journals from prior years, you can even spend the time reading through them. You will be amazed at how much you have grown or you will discover new areas that you want to focus on. This in itself will bring you more energy, clarity and direction for the future.
Read a Book – Make a plan to read a book a month. Pick up that book you have been dying to read for years! It should only cost about $30 or if you are like me you likely have tons already on your bookshelf waiting to be read. Curl up with a glass of wine or a cup of tea and escape into your imagination. If you already have a book, take the $30 and pick up some comfy reading socks – now you can totally be in your Zen! Looking for a book that will kick start this new found focus on YOU? I would highly recommend, Exponential Living by Sheri Riley.
Start Meditating – Meditation is a great way to reconnect with yourself and become more present in your life. Practicing meditation will also help you think before you act and not be so uptight in certain situations – and we can all use that. I would recommend you do this daily if you can carve out 10-20 mins. If not, spend your Self Care Sunday during an extended meditation routine. There are plenty of apps that provide free guided meditations. A few that I use are Headspace and Calm. If you want to unlock further meditation guides these apps usually have a monthly subscription of less than $20 per month. [Ps. You can even find some free yoga apps if that also excites you.]
Be Out with Nature – This will literally cost you nothing. Lace up those sneakers and get out with nature. You can even make it your mission to find a new park or walking trail each week. Spend time in silence as you take in the beautiful world around you or better yet, take that book or journal with you when you go! For the best walking spots in Toronto, click here.
Make sure this expense is included in your monthly budget – you should never be spending outside of your means. Taking care of yourself should be a priority so if you can’t squeeze the extra $30 into your budget, consider passing up your fav morning coffee purchase for a piece of sanity instead. To live a life of full worth means to live abundantly in all aspects of your life – mentally, physically, spiritually and financially. You must value your worth and make time for yourself. Your best life is just around the corner and you don’t have to spend a high dime to get it.
