Indulge Yourself. You Deserve it!

C’mon parents. You know the bliss you feel when that school bus rounds the corner for the first time after a joyful, memory filled long summer with the kids at home.

If you listen closely, you can hear the collective cheer echoing through communities everywhere. Given the celebratory sense of the occasion, you may feel like giving yourself a treat- but what if it’s not in the budget?

Here are a few ideas for some low-cost indulgences.

Coffee Queen

Today is the day you upgrade your coffee. Get a larger size, fancy style, premium roast- whatever it is that appeals to you.

Up the pleasure factor by combining said coffee with an idyllic activity like a stroll in the park, or extra time on your porch thumbing through a magazine.

Shop Sensibly

Maybe you had your eye on something while you were shopping for back-to-school clothes for the kids, but the focus was (and is) on them.

Pick yourself up a single item (i.e. a sweater or a funky fall skirt etc.). The budget can really go awry if you start stocking up on whole outfits, but a single item that fits within a set budget is ok.

Freewheeling on the Menu

No doubt you have been exercising great restraint in your daily life by watching all of your spending closely, which likely means saying no as a matter of daily practice.

Wouldn’t it be a tremendous treat, for instance, if you let yourself order whatever you wanted on the menu when you are out to eat (which is possibly a rarity in itself if you are really sticking to a budget) based on what your appetite calls for, and not the price tags?

If this just-for-once kind of thing, it is ok. There is tremendous psychological benefit to this kind of indulgence.

Supreme Soak

Have a bath. I mean really have a bath. The kind that involves bath salts, candles, a glass of wine and your best trashy novel.

Time to unwind, all to yourself. Is there anything more decadent?