Use Some Money to Pamper Yourself

Staying on a budget can be hard work. It requires discipline and often means sayig no to luxuries. I equate it to weight loss. You can only deprive yourself for so long before you get off track. Pampering yourself periodically is a way to reward yourself while avoiding derailment.

That doesn’t mean using credit cards when you’re still working your way out of debt. It doesn’t mean springing for a new car when you can’t afford the monthly payment. It means treating yourself to something within a reasonable price range, even if you have to take it out of savings once in a while.

Last week, I treated myself to a pedicure. I was just planning to get a regular spa pedicure and then I learned something wonderful. On Tuesdays and Thursdays between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., the shop where I get my pedicures offers 15 percent off. That may not seem like much, but it was the difference between the normal treatment and the deluxe treatment. I basically got a free upgrade, which included more pampering. I lost myself in a book for an hour while someone else pampered me, and it cost me less than $35 with a tip. That was a reasonable price range for my budget, and it did wonders for my mood that day. It was worth every penny.

We all have our own idea of pampering. If you like clothes or shoes, you might reward yourself with something from your favorite store. If your idea of pampering is having someone else clean your house, you might call a cleaning service. If going out to eat no longer fits into your budget, you may want to treat yourself to lunch with a girlfriend. The best thing about pampering yourself is you can plan ahead and look for good deals.

I often find discounts to my favorite places online at adpages.com, groupon or moolala. I’ve purchased everything from gift cards to my son’s favorite entertainment places, to discounted cleaning services. Adpages frequently has dozens of coupons for restaurants. Another site to check out is dininghalfoff.com. My husband and I have a favorite restaurant, but it’s pricey and we can’t really justify the cost of eating there more than once a year. In the past two or three years, however, the restaurant has started sending gift cards to its VIP customers. We receive a $25 gift card usually twice year. The cards expire, so we can’t use more than one at a time. We know they come around birthdays and anniversaries, so we plan accordingly. This year, we bought a $50 Visa gift card when we had extra money, and we just received our $25 restaurant gift card in the mail. Half our meal is already paid for, and we haven’t even made our reservation yet.

Treat yourself to some guilt-free luxuries, maybe once a quarter or so. You’ve earned it!