5 low (or no) cost self-care ideas

Developing a self-care routine really doesn’t mean you have to treat yourself to expensive luxuries and spend lots of money

True self-care is about listening to your mind, body AND budget and doing what works best for you. It’s about showing yourself the love that you so freely give to everyone else, and making the time to put yourself first. Rest assured, there are plenty of ways you can do this without breaking the bank.

Here are five ideas that won’t mess up your budget.

:: Read

When was the last time you picked up a good book and read it just for fun? We get so busy with life that we rarely allow ourselves time for a cheap luxury like this. If you don’t have any books at home that appeal to you, stroll along to your local library.

Or host a bookswap party with your friends - invite them to bring along books they no longer want to keep, or re-read, and for the price of some refreshments and a packet of biscuits, you can have a new library shelf.

If you have access to Kindle, you can often find free Kindle books to download. Or perhaps you have local charity shops who sell off fabulous reads for 20p a book?

So consider taking time out from mindlessly scrolling on your phone and curl up on the couch with a book instead. Reading is a great way to temporarily escape and unwind after a long day. And the best part is, it can be totally free.

:: Dance

There is something to be said about switching on the radio and dancing your heart out, having a dance party in your own kitchen. Or make an uplifting playlist and set aside a time each day to get your body moving and your blood pumping. You could even ask Alexa (if you have one of those devices) to select some music for you.

Allow yourself the space to be silly and free of judgment: no need to worry about looking goofy, just let yourself feel the music and take note of how it shifts your mood. Dancing is a beautiful form of self-care and a great way to destress while having some fun.!

:: Volunteer

Take time to visit and/or volunteer at a local animal shelter. Being in service to others, animal friends included, is one of the most powerful forms of self-care. You’re allowing yourself the time to do something you enjoy, free of charge, while contributing to the greater good. Spending time with all those cute fur-babies while helping your community out in the process – that’s a total win-win. Or volunteer at a local charity shop, or library, whatever feels good for you.

:: Listen

No matter what topics you are interested in – business, theatre, sports, entertainment, politics, psychology, spiritual stuff – you name it, there is a podcast out there to cover it.

Podcasts have become one of the most popular ways to consume information today. It’s also a wonderful way to broaden your perspective and learn something new in the process. Plus, it’s completely free! So get browsing … and listen to your hearts content.

:: Time ... to do nothing at all

This, to my mind, it’s THE best form of no-cost self-care in the world. There is absolutely NO shame in allowing yourself time to do nothing. You might want to lay down on the grass and watch the clouds go by, or perhaps binge-watch your favourite shows on Netflix … it doesn’t matter.

Just pop down your to-do list, and walk away from it … don’t worry, it will still be there when you’ve finished doing nothing.

We get so caught up in being productive ALL the time that we forget to stop and have a little fun. So clear space in your diary right now … and do something that makes YOU happy, just for the sheer pleasure of doing it.

So I hope this has given you a few ideas as to how you really don’t need a lot of money to have a successful self-care routine. These are just a few of the many ways you can keep your money in the bank, while taking care of yourself in the process.

... ... ...

There are also lots of ways in which we, here at CreaTEAvity Studio, can help you to create and cultivate a self-care routine:

If you are feeling curious and would like to think more about upping your self-care routine, you are most welcome to download our self-care self assessment quiz - PDF, nothing fancy or high-tech! - for you to see for yourself areas in which a little more self-care might be welcome.

And you are also most welcome to download the accompanying ebook '25 simple ways to being putting yourself first' … (with space for you to journal your thoughts as you read through each way). I hope you find them useful, as well as illuminating for your self-care journey.