25 Self-Nurturing Activities

We, as a whole, tend to not spend enough time on ourselves. Either we spend too much time on our kids and not enough on ourselves, or maybe we spend too much time doing things that don't mean much to us just to pass time.

It's time for that to end.

Self-care is hugely important. I'm a better mom and overall person for having taken better care of myself in the past couple of years. And I highly recommend it. Does this mean I never take time to do what someone else wants to do? Of course not. But it means knowing when to say "no" and not feeling guilty about it.

Something that I think is huge for self-care are selfies. I know. But seriously. Take a ton. Waste a ton of space on your mobile device. Feel silly, feel sexy, feel giddy... But do it. Selfies are huge. I find that when I make a point to take selfies (whether or not I feel like it; some days I don't feel stellar,) I feel better about myself. And let's be honest, who doesn't enjoy looking back on photos of themselves? I love it!

Staying on the same vein as my 22 Free or Cheap Ideas to Avoid Spending Money post, I thought I'd share some ideas for saving money and taking care of yourself.



25 Self-Nurturing Activities

1. Take selfies!!!
2. Listen to music that is not predominantly filled with anger.
3. Practice yoga.
4. Meditate. (With or without calming music.)
5. Light incense and (natural) candles.
6. Dance around while listening to upbeat music.
7. Smile. (I always feel better when I make the point to just smile!)
8. Compliment yourself.
9. Take a nice walk outside.
10. Paint, sketch, play. Anything artsy.
11. Make something. Anything crafty.
12. Take a nap.
13. Take a nice, long, warm shower or bath. (Maybe with some music in the background.)
14. Practice an instrument. (Maybe you've had a keyboard in your closet for five years and have only played "Chopsticks" five times?)
15. Relax. Just sit or lie down and relax. If you fall asleep then awesome; your body needed it!
16. Stretch or do some yoga!
17. Smile and say "I love myself!"
18. Snuggle with some fur-babies.
19. Receive a massage. (Or look up reflexology and perform some on yourself!)
20. Go hiking or nature-walking.
21. Hug a tree!
22. Have a nice, nutritious meal.
23. Practice deep, slow breathing.
24. Work in the yard / work on a container garden.
25. Watch a movie with no super sad or angry parts. (It's all about staying emotionally neutral or positive!)



Maybe this will inspire you to take a little more time out for yourself soon.
I promise, it's a good idea as long as you don't forget about everything else in your life.

What do you do to take care of yourself? Do you have any hobbies you enjoy?

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22 Free or Cheap Ideas To Avoid Spending Money

We just started the Spending Fast, but I thought that it might get a little boring to just sit at home twiddling our thumbs with nothing to do. Obviously "cheap" and "avoid spending money" contradict each other, but here "cheap" means no more than probably $10.

A couple of years ago, I attempted a Mission 101 project; it didn't go so well. I've had this list sitting partially-done since then. So I thought I'd finish it up and share it with you.



20 Free or Cheap Ideas To Avoid Spending Money

1. Sketch / paint / draw. Anything artsy.
2. Sew / cross stitch / learn to knit. Anything crafty.
3. Watch a movie. (Have a marathon with your family!)
4. Visit the library. (You can even get the movies for your marathon there!)
5. Play board games.
6. Visit a museum. (Some are free on certain dates and others are just always cheap!)
7. Practice Origami.
8. Try a new recipe! (Or prepare food to be frozen / canned.)
9. Take a nap.
10. Do yoga or Zumba. (You can find videos on YouTube!)
12. Go to the gym. (Most gyms have a small "one-time-visit" cost of something like $5.00, or some people have the option of somewhere like Planet Fitness for $10.00/month.)
13. Read.
14. Take a bath or shower. Do nails / makeup. Pamper yourself!
15. Meditate or spend time by yourself.
16. Get dressed up for yourself.
17. Do something your kids want to do. (Normally say "no" or "in a little bit"? Say "yes" to something your child is interested in more often!)
18. Create homemade versions of some of your toxic products. (Recipes are out there for everything from body products to cleaners and beyond!)
19. Take a drive. (Maybe find somewhere new!)
20. Turn music up loud and dance! (Bonus points if you get your kiddos involved!)
21. Try out some of your Pinterest ideas. You can find my boards here if you want some inspiration.
22. Go outside.


I hope that some of the ideas help you!
What are some of your favourite free or cheap things to do?

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Why I'm Doing A Spending Fast

January 20th, 2015

My word for 2015 is "Present" and hubs is "Harmony". Together, we want more peaceful lives where we spend more time being present; not preoccupied by other things. And getting rid of debt will help both of those happen more naturally.

While browsing Pinterest for frugal budget ideas, I found Anna's blog And Then We Saved. She created something called a Spending Fast ® to get your ass in gear to start paying off debt and start saving money. After reading her story, I realized that it wouldn't be too unrealistic to think that we could do the same thing. Maybe not in just fifteen short months, but if we are diligent, it won't take too long.

I realize that not everything is going to be black and white; "Yes" and "No".

For example, if we're out of the house and need to eat or drink, we will. But considering we can't eat basically anywhere fast food is served anyway (we're Vegan!), we will try to go to a grocery store. That will be a positive as far as money and health are concerned.

"Won't it be boring?" Maybe. But it's not like we don't have enough to do at home / cheap / free outside of home... I think it looks more daunting than it will actually end up being.

"What about spending for your boys?" They're the biggest reason we're doing this. We have too much in debt to be able to relax; we can't do everything we'd like because too much goes to bills each month. We want to end up maybe buying a home in a few years... And we definitely aren't in a position to do that today.

We've taken Anna's advice and outlined two lists; "My Needs" and "My Wants". The "My Needs" list will be things that we absolutely have to use money on. Period. The "My Wants" list will be things that we will not be spending money on. Of course, there are always going to be situations where spending money will be necessary, but it's our goal to not do that. I'm going to be blogging the whole thing, so if we slip up (I should say when; just being realistic,) you will know about it. And just as Anna wrote, our list can't be totally comprehensive, but this is a pretty good start.

What I Will Have To Spend Money On (My Needs)

Rent

Utilities (unplug more often, use less water, etc)

Car Payment

Gas

Car Insurance

License Plates

Car Upkeep

Credit Card Bills (work on paying off...)

Food

Toiletries & Essentials (toilet paper, dish soap, etc; try homemade / using greener versions...)

Cell Phones

Internet

Anything the Boys Need (diapers, clothing if they've outgrown theirs...)

Pet Stuff (litter, food...)

Faucet Filters

School-related items (text books, paper, etc for when Pooh starts Kindergarten this Autumn...)

Our handfasting (we're married but are having a handfasting sometime this year.)

What I'm Not Spending Money On (My Wants)

Credit Cards (here I mean not using the money once it's available...)

Starbucks (or any other treats...)

Going Out To Eat

Collectibles (comics, action figures, pop vinyls...)

Thrifting

Garage Sales

Body Modifications

Etsy

Clothes & Accessories (Shoes, purses...)

Unnecessary "usuals" (Perfume, candles...)

Unnecessary pet stuff (toys, catnip, fish tank statues...)

Stuff For the Apartment (dishes, tapestries, tchotchkes...)

Gifts (family and friends will understand and hopefully appreciate cards and homemade gifts...)

Random things we didn't budget for (photobooth pictures, souvenirs, gas station snacks...)

Most trips (if we plan a trip, it'll be local and as cheap as possible...)

Our plan is to basically do what we can at first... With hubs having to take off a few weeks for the birth of our second boy (and only getting paid for one of those weeks,) we don't really know what we'll be looking like money-wise. But after he goes back to work and we're back to getting regular paychecks, then we'll figure that out. We're thinking that when we pay off something, we'll use part of it to pay toward another thing and then a small portion of that will go into savings. I know, it's a super inventive idea... Haha.

I'll be posting about our Spending Fast pretty often... In years past, when I've done "Mission 101" projects, I've made big lists of cheap / free ideas to do... So I'll be sharing things like that, too.

Instead of making a post every time we slip up or pay something off, I'll write about it here on my Spending Fast Updates page. I'll mention most when I post as well, but I thought having them all in the same place would be a good idea.

Alright, well... here's to being debt free!!

Spending Fast ® via And Then We Saved

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