Is self-care really that expensive? The answer to this question is different for everyone. You do have to be mindful about how you practice self-care because it can get expensive, but it doesn’t have to be.
Let me give you an example of how it can get expensive.
Sally decides she is going to practice self-care by taking care of herself. She goes for a monthly massage, gets her nails done twice a month, goes to a weekly yoga session and has a coffee date with a friend every Sunday morning. Sally’s expenses for these services are:
- Massage – $80.00
- Nails – $125.00
- Yoga – $50.00
- Coffee – $40.00
This is just an estimate but that adds up to almost $300 per month! Doesn’t sound all that affordable, does it? For some, this expense might be easy but for most of us, it’s an added expense we just can’t swing. Maybe we can handle one or two of these practices but not all of them each month.
Let’s look at a more affordable example of self-care.
Karen chooses to take part in some practices that don’t cost a thing.
- Beach Time – $0-15
- At-home Pedicure – $5-$10
- Gardening – $10-$25
- Forest Walk – $5-$20
All of these cost little to nothing. A day at the beach can be free, depending on the beach. Doing your nails yourself only has the cost of buying the polish and a few tools. Gardening can involve cleaning up your yard or planting some flowers. And a walk in the forest is totally free! Each of these practices can be swapped for one of the more expensive practices. You still get your self-care in and you save some money. That’s what I call a win-win!
The bottom line is, I want you to practice self-care!
- Practice in ways that you can afford.
- Don’t feel peer pressure to do things that cost more money than you can afford.
- Make them fun so you can keep doing them month after month.
- Change up your practices when you get bored.
- Create a reward system so you can have one luxurious practice every three months.
Before you know it, you’ll be able to spoil yourself more often because you’ve saved money every time you’ve done a practice that’s free.