The Thrifty Therapist: Things I Do for Self-Care on a Budget

One of the essential tools in my thrifty toolbox is finding things to do that take little to no money but offer great rewards in terms of self-care and relaxation. Now, the hardest thing about this is that what I find valuable might make you more stressed, so you have to find your own way into self-care. What I talk about here might not be something that works for you, so the first thing to know is that you have to find what interests you.

My self-care routines include reading, making books and other papercrafts, crocheting, watching movies, and napping. I also like taking classes on papercrafting and self-improvement, and all that, so I look for ways to get the most bang for my buck! I subscribe to a service called SkillShare where I can take classes on lots of different topics. I also have an unlimited movie subscription to my local theater where I can watch as many movies as I want every month. Between these two subscriptions, I spend about $30 per month. My other hobbies and self-care things do not need much money, but I choose to spend it on occasion.

Recently, I have had to go on a stricter budget. Fortunately, I have my services set up so I can shift a bit to go into my spending restrictions without having to give up my self-care routines. I can use the library apps more and take advantage of my subscriptions more than I have recently.

My papercrafting habits and routines have plenty of materials that I have collected over the years. I enjoy making books and journals out of the things that I have around me and that come to my house. The political flyers that people insist on sending out this time of year are perfect for junk journaling, so materials arrive in my mailbox without me having to pay one cent for them! I already have the other stuff in my craft stash, so I don't have to buy anything new.

Since I feel that self-care is an important part of being a helper, it is something that I have to continue to prioritize, even when I'm having to pay more for my medical care than I anticipated and have lost my part-time job that was my primary way of building my savings. It just takes a bit of thinking and shifting habits a little bit to continue to complete these tasks with less money.

As you find your own self-care journey, it is important to find things that give you refreshment and relaxation and professional processing on all sorts of levels - things that cost money, things that don't cost money, and everything else that you can think of. Self-care is not all trips to exotic locations (though those can be good), but also drawing or playing in a community band or taking walks around outside.

I have a bit of time for some self-care this morning before I head to work (have I ever mentioned that I LOVE it when we fall back??), so I think I will start making a book - or my map for next year's quests. (I did not do a good job of doing my evening routine yesterday, so I did not get that finished yesterday. I can start it today. We will see if I can incorporate my pm routine into my self-care routine this afternoon.

Happy Tuesday. Make sure to make time for self-care today.