Often when people think of self-care activities they usually think of spending tons of money and time at the spa and getting your nails done by a professional.
Well let me tell you something, self-care doesn’t need to look Pinterest perfect.
You do not need to spend money to just take care of yourself. Self-care also doesn’t need to be time-consuming.
Don’t believe me?
Check out my list of 20 self-care activities that won’t break the bank.
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1. Have a cup of tea or coffee
This is my favorite and easiest self-care activity in my opinion. I already make coffee every morning so why not slow down and enjoy it.
Next time you have your morning coffee, take a couple of extra minutes to focus on the senses that are engaged when you have that first warm drink in the morning.
Meditate with it and only focus on the coffee in your hand.
Close your eyes and take in the delicious smell of coffee.
Here’s my favorite coffee at the moment. Did you know Bailey’s makes ground coffee? It is literally the best!
2. Go for a walk
Yes I know it’s the middle of winter right now but this is the most important time to get outside. Staying cramped up in the house all day isn’t good for your mental or physical health.
Bundle up in your favorite winter jacket, beanie, and scarf, and go for a short walk around your neighborhood.
Take in the vitamin D that your body needs and you’ll feel so refreshed by the time you get back in your warm house.
3. At home spa day
Believe it or not but you can create the ambiance of an expensive spa right in your home for a quarter of the price.
Fill up your bubble bath, add some inexpensive Epsom salt bubbles, and light a soothing candle.
You can even buy some pretty inexpensive facial face masks for pure relaxation.
I highly recommend all the products I’ve linked from Amazon. They are all inexpensive and really help create a spa-like atmosphere right in the comfort of your own home.
4. Read a book
Grab your favorite book, a cup of coffee or tea, your favorite comfy blanket, and curl up in your favorite spot in the house.
I love getting lost in a book and allowing my imagination to run wild.
Just giving yourself 30 minutes of uninterrupted reading time can help turn a stressful day upside down.
And remember your local library has tons of books you can check out for free! So there’s no excuse not to do this self-care activity.
5. Do a Youtube yoga video
The best part about the internet is you have access to so many free things from the comfort of your own home.
My favorite resource for free self-care is using Youtube to find yoga videos for relaxation.
This gentle and relaxing yoga flow by “Yoga with Adriene” is my favorite yoga routine to do when I just need to slow down and breathe. Try it for yourself.
6. Dance to your favorite song
Grab your phone, go to your favorite music streaming service (Pandora, Spotify, and youtube offer free options), and blast your favorite song.
Even on the most stressed out and depressing days, putting on some good music to sing and dance to makes me feel so much better.
Force a smile and start jumping around. You won’t regret it.
7. Do a quick clean up of the house
This may seem like a weird thing to have under self-care activities but believe it or not, the spaces around us can severely impact our mood.
Set a timer for 10 minutes and just pick up a few quick things. Clean off your desk or coffee table, make your bed and look at how much better the room looks.
That little bit of cleaning can wipe away the stress that a messy house gives.
8. Play and cuddle with your pets
I feel like animals were literally put on this earth to make us feel better. Just a few minutes of playing with my dog or cat always puts a smile on my face.
Plus they are awesome cuddle buddies.
Don’t have any pets? Go to the local animal shelter or humane society. Most shelters allow people to volunteer to spend time with the animals. It’ll make you and the animals happier.
9. Unplug from social media for a day (or shut off your phone entirely if you can)
While social media has its perks, it can also result in some major anxiety.
Take some time to unplug from social media and do something that brings you joy like any of the activities listed so far.
This year I’ve tried to do no-social-media-Sundays and let me tell you, from just the couple of Sundays that I have done that I have felt so much better. I spend more time with my family than on my phone. Give it a try.
10. Go to a local park, library, or coffee shop, and do your work outside your home
Sometimes we don’t always have the time to take complete breaks from responsibilities.
However, you can change your surroundings.
Find a different place to work from for the day and take in the different scenery.
11. Go for a drive
Something that is very simple to do in order to take a break and clear your head is to go for a quick drive.
I personally love doing this after a fresh snowstorm and seeing the trees covered in white. Or in the fall when the leaves are changing colors.
Take in the beautiful views while relaxing on a short drive.
12. Paint your nails
Again you don’t have to go to a nail salon to treat yourself.
Go to your local pharmacy or drug store and buy some nail polish for much cheaper than a salon would charge you.
Put on your favorite Netflix show and give yourself a manicure.
13. Look through your old photo albums or scrapbooks
I love looking at past photos of different adventures I’ve been on. It’s fun to remanence on past memories and be thankful for all the adventures you’ve been on so far in your life.
Don’t have pictures in a photo album or scrapbook?
Then take some time to print out some photos and make one. I find it so calming to scrapbook my favorite photos.
14. Watch a movie
Pop some popcorn and sit back and relax while watching your favorite movie.
No one ever said that watching tv wasn’t considered self-care, just be careful not to binging a show all day.
15. Rearrange your furniture
Tired of the same old look in your home?
Rearranging your furniture could be just what you need for a bit of change in your life.
While moving furniture may sound like more work than self-care, relaxing in your new and clean space can help you destress.
16. Write down five things you are grateful for
You can never go wrong with writing down what you are grateful for.
I love keeping a gratitude journal to look back at when I’m feeling down in the dumps.
This is something that can change your attitude immensely when your feeling stressed and overwhelmed
17. Take a nap
Sometimes in the middle of a long and stressful day, a nap can be exactly what you need to feel better.
Change into your sweats and take a quick nap to refresh yourself so you can finish the rest of your day with more energy.
18. Take a 10 minute mindful break
If you’ve been working for a while and you are starting to feel like your focus is drifting away, get up and walk over to your window.
Take in the view of the outdoors, or close your eyes and let the sunshine on your face.
I love doing this every morning as the sun rises. It can be super calming.
19. Get creative
Indulge in your favorite creative hobby.
Find something that gets your creative mind working like painting, scrapbooking, doodling, sewing, knitting, etc.
20. Color
Yep, coloring isn’t just for children anymore.
Recently there’s been a rise in Adult Coloring Books and man, I love them.
Remember how calming it was as a little kid to just sit and color. Well, you can do that as an adult too. It’s totally ok!
See! Self-care activities don’t have to break the bank.
It’s important that we learn to take some time to take care of ourselves. And taking care of yourself doesn’t have to be time consuming, selfish, or expensive.
Find your favorite simple self-care activity and treat yourself!
What are your favorite inexpensive self-care activities? Let me know in the comments below!
Interested in more self-care ideas? Check out my other posts on self-care:
9 Powerful Self-Care Books to Read
February Bullet Journal Set-Up: Self-Care Theme
17 Self-Care Ideas for Bad Mental Health Days
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8 thoughts on “20 Self Care Activities that Won’t Break the Bank”
Always need reminders. Never fails that when I have some downtime my mind goes blank of all the self-care activities I have available to me and I end up in front of the tv.
My mind would go blank too and zoning out in front of the tv is always easier. But now I keep a list of easy self-care things to do on my phone so that I always know of something better I could be doing that will benefit me more later than just watching tv.
I love all your ideas. I actually tried the paint your nails one with my daughter and it was oddly relaxing. I don’t usually do my nails because I work in a lab but it was fun and my daughter loved it!
Yay! I’m glad you enjoyed painting your nails and including your daughter just adds even more fun 🙂
These are great suggestions 🙂 I especially like the home spa day and coloring! Definitely need more things to do that will help me get away from all the devices!
Right! Working from home allows us to be on devices a whole lot more than before. We need to remember to take a break from them.
Very wonderful tips… I love the listening to music tip and there are so many tips that’ll try here. Well done
I’m glad you enjoyed it! Thank you!