8 Cheap (Or Free!) Ideas For Self Care

8 Cheap (Or Free!) Ideas For Self Care

Happy Self Care Sunday to our lovely tribe!

Self Care Sunday is our favorite day of the week and is a perfect way to take an extra few minutes for yourself before a busy week ahead. Making time to take care of yourself can be a feat in and of itself, and we want to make it easy and accessible for everyone to partake in! To inspire our tribe, we’ve compiled a list of low-cost ways to practice self care. Check them out below and let us know what you’ll be doing by tagging @fredandfar in your photos and stories on Instagram!

  • 1. Facial Masks
  • Doing a face mask is a surefire way to make sure you’re taking care of yourself -- you’ll be forced into 10-15 minutes of pure relaxation while you wait for your mask to dry and do its magic. Drug stores sell face masks for as little as $2-$3 or you can make your own at home using common ingredients like milk, honey and oatmeal! If you make your own mask, we recommend making a hefty bowl so you can keep it in the fridge and continue to use it throughout the week!

  • 2. Doing your nails
  • Assuming you have a bottle of nail polish somewhere in your home, giving yourself a manicure or pedicure (or both!) is a great way to relax and make yourself feel good and polished. We’d recommend pairing this with #1 and #4 and giving yourself a full spa day! If you don’t have any nail polish at home, pick up a polish in your favorite color from your local drug store for under $10. If you don’t have time to do your nails often or don’t want to spend money on getting your nails done frequently, the new light-less gel polishes are a perfect way to make sure your mani lasts!

  • 3. Read a book
  • Look through your bookcase (or your Kindle) and find feel good book to sit down and enjoy. In our busy, tech-filled lives, it’s rare that people make time to read for pleasure. Set aside an hour in a comfy nook to fully immerse yourself in a novel, whether it’s new or old. You’ll clear your head, and ideally, make more time to enjoy reading!

  • 4. Take a bubble bath
  • Taking a bath is one of the simplest waste to de-stress and care for yourself. Spend 20 minutes in a bath full of bubbles (with or without a bath bomb - our favorites are from Lush!) and allow the flowing water to rid yourself of worries. Extra bonus: no technology in the bathtub so you’re forced to disconnect and think about yourself.

  • 5. Take a walk around your neighborhood
  • More likely than not, you spend your days sitting in front of your computer, or at the very least indoors. Take a walk around your neighborhood on a nice afternoon -- it’s free, and it will make you feel amazing. Nothing can beat the feeling of the sun shining down on you and the fresh spring air!

  • 6. Do yoga
  • Or, any other physical activity that will make you feel good, relaxed and refreshed. If you browse Youtube, there are plenty of free yoga and workout videos for various skill levels and different amounts of time. You’re sure to find something to fit your interests and you can do it in the comfort of your own home! This is another great free activity to take care of yourself - no excuses when it’s so accessible!

  • 7. De-clutter your home
  • As we mentioned in our blog about Ways To Make Your Monday Better, de-cluttering and cleaning hope your home is a great way to take care of yourself and your belongings and to start your week on clutter-free note. Try to set aside an hour to put those clothes away, clear out unnecessary clutter or papers you no longer need, and put things back where they belong around your home. You don’t need to do a complete deep clean every week, but you’ll feel calmer come Monday if everything is where it belongs. Clear home = clear head = taking care of yourself!

  • 8. Sleep in (or go to bed early)
  • Different people need different amounts of sleep, some people need to wake up early to feel good and some people need to wake up late to feel good. Regardless of which person you are, almost all of us could use an extra hour of sleep. Take care of your body and your mind by allowing yourself an extra hour on either end -- whether you take that hour to fully sleep or to have a more leisurely start or end to your day, your brain will thank you for treating it well.

    Most of these activities are free, or extremely low cost, ways to treat yourself well and take care of every part of you. We encourage you to spend a few extra minutes (or hours if you have the time!) this week or weekend to focus on yourself and listen to what your body needs. All of these activities would go great together, so feel free to make a full weekend out of these self care activities! Be sure to let us know what you’re doing to take care of your shining self this week by tagging us on Instagram, @fredandfar !