UPDATED 03/03/2025
Many consider self-care to be really expensive. I don’t and in this post, I’m sharing how you can be mindful about your practice if you’re on a budget. First, let’s start with how expensive self-care can be.
For the purposes of this post, let’s talk about a case study on Sally. She’s the type that loves to take care of herself. On her list are monthly massages, manicures every two weeks, yoga class every Wednesday, and of course, the Sunday morning coffee date with her bestie. Just for self-care, Sally spends about $300 each month. Keep in mind, this is just an estimate. Does this sound affordable to you? Some might see that figure and think it’s easy to swing every month. Others (like me), aren’t so sure. Maybe we can handle one thing from that list, but not all.
Now let’s look at another case study. Andrea loves to practice self-care just as much as Sally but she has different ways to take care of herself. Some that don’t cost a thing. On her list is time spent at the beach with friends or a good book, an at-home pedicure every month, taking care of her garden a few days a week, and even a hike when the weather is nice. Think about the cost for a second. When you compare the cost to Sally’s practices, it’s minimal. And even if Andrea wants to swap out something on her list for something on Sally’s she can!
Before I continue, I want to remind you, these are not real people. And there is zero judgement here. The whole point of sharing these is so you can have the light bulb go off and you can see that practicing self-care does not have to be expensive. Either way you choose, you are practicing and that’s a win in my books!
The bottom line is, you should practice. One of my favorite ways to practice self-care is by having a pajama day at least once a week. And it’s exactly what you think-I stay in my pajamas all day. I might do laundry or write a blog, but I don’t bother getting dressed. It might sound juvenile, but it’s incredibly relaxing. If a pajama day doesn’t work for you, keep these reminders in your head:
Only practice self-care in ways you actually can afford.
Do not give in to peer pressure to practice in ways that will break your budget.
Whatever you do, make it fun.
If your practices become a bore, change up your practice.
Make a reward system for yourself to keep you motivated. Every three months, practice in a way that feels luxurious.
In what ways do you practice self-care? I’d love to hear about it. And maybe even try something new.
