Budgeting in one form or another is always going to be part of my life. I will never be rich, but if I was, budgeting would still be there. That is how you stay rich. If you want to read more about the budgeting tips that I use, you can check out the pages on my blog.
Today I wanted to talk about self-care, and how important it is to include in your budget.
When you think of creating a budget, you think about the bills that go in and out. How you can manage them, how you can reduce them; what needs to be there and what doesn't. For me, self-care absolutely needs to be there.
As you may have gathered from my older clothing blogging posts, I love dressing up and wearing makeup. I like to have my hair looking nice, I usually have some form of makeup on and I wear a dress, every single day. The way that I present myself to the world is part of my self-care. It makes me happy.
Things that I typically do for my beauty self-care are having my roots done every eight weeks, along with having my eyebrows tinted and waxed. I have also added in having a pedicure to that eight week cycle.
I also try to go for a spa day twice a year, including a facial. I book in for the full day, take my kindle, go alone and honestly it is so wonderfully indulgent. Taking the whole day to relax, reading, clearing my pores and my mind in the steam room and having a facial just puts the cherry on the cake.
I also try to buy at least one book a month. Losing myself in a story and taking that time to myself is important for my self-care. My partner has a huge book collection of things that I would not normally read, but would like to; so I try to read one from the book shelf and buy something on Kindle more in my sphere every month.
All this adds up of course. This is part of the reason that I budget so carefully in all areas. These things I do for myself are important to me and for me. Doing my budgeting has made it possible to do those things.
You can be clever about the beauty side of self care too. I always ask for face or eye masks for stocking fillers at Christmas. My in-laws buy me vouchers for Christmas and birthdays for the spa, meaning there is much less to pay when I book.
I also try to buy products in bulk, utilising 3 for 1, or even better 3 for 2 offers in shops such as Boots, as well as making use of the advantage card.
One major help is that I use Topcashback for many online purchases throughout the year. I always buy my insurance (home, car, pet) through them and other purchases where I can, which again offsets the amount of money that I spend on self-care. This can result in a few hundred pounds by the end of the year.
Taking time for yourself is important and also does not have to cost a thing. I try to take some time for myself every day. This could be reading my book, putting on a face mask, or writing here. I try to list at least one thing every day that makes me happy and that I am grateful for.
Self-care also means that sometimes, you are going to have a bad day. Learnt from Tuesdays with Morrie, I allow myself a period of time to let myself feel that way, let it all out and then I feel that I can move on. Bottling up sadness is not healthy. Even if it is simply just a bad day at work.
Self-care may not be at the top of your budget list, but it absolutely needs to be there.
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