Self-Care Ideas You Can Afford: Boost Your Wellbeing on a Budget

Self-Care on a Budget
Spending all your hard-earned cash on overpriced face masks and takeaways you regret the next day is not too conducive to the notion of self-care. It doesn’t require a huge splurge and a full day of spa activities to maintain your general wellbeing. Here are a few calming ways to implement self-care into your hectic, budget-friendly life.
1. Goodbye notifications
Whether you’re working from home and are sick of the Microsoft Teams sound or you’re a self-confessed phone addict, turning your notifications off could do you the world of good. There’s something incredibly satisfying about waking up with just a message from a loved one and maybe one or two snoozed alarms. Instead, we’re hounded all day long by group chats made three years ago that for some reason, you’re still a part of and pop-ups to let you know that your ex from six years ago has “posted for the first time in a while”. Creating a space of peace where you can still have your phone to hand but won’t be pressured to be “on,” means more time to be focussed, tasks get done quicker and more thoroughly. Setting these boundaries does wonders for mental health and actually gives you time to relax. So, stop reading emails from your boss at 10 pm.
2. Take a break from self-help
Now, this may seem like a slight contradiction but hear us out. You know we love a good self-help book here at Financielle but sometimes we need a break from constantly trying to improve ourselves. Perhaps, before bed choose a fiction book every other night and lose yourself in a story, this way you still get the relaxation from reading but the cogs in your brain can have a rest from the constant criticism of your current ways. You might find that taking a break from consuming so much information may actually give you time to process and implement it, after all, small changes are better than drastic ones. Give it some thought.
3. Get your scrapbook out
We’re not saying you have to go back to being a love-struck teenager plastering a notebook with pictures of you and your first boyfriend surrounded by heart stickers. What we are saying is that technology can be temperamental and the likelihood of pictures getting lost or accidentally deleted is quite high. We recommend using FreePrints to get your snaps delivered to your door, it’s only £3.99 for 45 pictures! The act of looking through all your memories and making an effort to display them nicely is so therapeutic and could easily be a great family activity.
4. Say no to plans
We’re here to tell you that it’s completely fine to be feeling a bit overwhelmed by social plans. By turning down invitations and planning your time on your own terms, you’ll feel like you have a new sense of freedom as well as saving a bit of cash for the plans that you actually want to say yes to! We’re not implying that you should sit at home alone like a hermit, just learn to say no to plans that you don’t feel completely up to.
There are some contradicting ideas here, we know, but self-care isn’t always binge-watching Netflix with a glass of wine (although, sometimes it is). Give some of these ideas a go when you’re feeling drained or need a little boost and let us know how you get on.