The wonderful thing about self-care is that it doesn’t have to cost a penny. But if you do need to spend a little money on some self-care activities, there are so many different activities that can be included in your self-care routine that are extremely affordable and that you can do on a budget.

I love saving money where I can and I’m always on the hunt for the best bargains. Below I have listed a few ways that you can practice self-care without even spending a penny and some self-care activities that you can do on a budget. These are the things that I myself love to do when practicing self-care.

There are so many more super affordable self-care activities that you can do on a budget and I would love know what your favourite ones are! Let me know in the comments.

Practising self-care on a budget

Reconnect with nature.

Sometimes I have so much going on, or I just simply get caught up with what’s inside the house that I don’t make time to get outside in the lovely fresh air. Reconnecting with nature is a wonderful self-care activity that you can add to your self-care routine. Even if it’s for just 10 minutes. It’s a chance to get some fresh air inside your lungs, take a moment to listen to the sounds around you and to be present in that moment. And it doesn’t even have to cost a penny!

My mum and I have let part of our garden grow wild with wildflower, bushes a tree and we’ve even placed some logs in parts of the garden too. Creating a wildlife garden has proven to be very rewarding. It’s a fun activity to do and once it’s complete, it’s so relaxing sitting outside and even inside when looking out the window, watching the birds, hedgehogs, butterflies and bees. I could easily spend hours watching them, especially in the spring and summer months.  

Another lovely self-care activity that reconnects you with nature, is taking a walk. My favourite place to go is Sandringham Woods, which is only about just over 30 miles away from where I live, so in the warmer weather, it’s so nice to spend a day there and take a picnic. (Especially when all of the beautiful rhododendrons are out)! I love seeing which birds and animals I can spot hiding in the woods and amongst the trees.

But there are also so many places just up the road from where I live that are within walking distance, that can be an extremely relaxing and enjoyable walk. I’ve discovered a few nature reserve location that are local to me and especially along the river. Just a few days ago, as the weather was lovely, my mum and I decided to go for a drive in the car along the river just up the road and stop for a picnic! (I love picnics)! It was incredibly relaxing (I was so relaxed that I fell asleep) and to be right next to the river, trees and wildlife with the sun shining over us was glorious.

A few more ways in which you can practice self-care on a budget and reconnect with nature is going on a camping trip. You can find a lot of campsites that are very affordable. I remember one camping holiday I went on which was in this lovely little campsite in the woods surrounded by trees. When I woke up in the morning, I looked outside and it was so amazing. I could hear the birds all around me and opposite where we were camping I could see rabbits wandering around. It was so wonderful. Although the thought of going camping, may seem more trouble than it’s worth, believe me it’s not. It’s very relaxing and taking some time out and enjoying the nature around you is very therapeutic.

Organise my living space.

Now you might be thinking that organising your living space doesn’t sound like a very good self-care activity, but honestly it really is. There’s something very satisfying about oraganising the living spaces in your home. It definitely helps me to feel a lot calmer and less chaotic. It’s a chance to clear out your living space, gathering everything together that you no longer need and want and making your space a lot more enjoyable. It’s also great knowing that all of the things that are you ready to part with can go to someone else who will really appreciate them and enjoy them.

I’ve recently been trying to organise a lot of my things into storage boxes to keep everything together and so they each have their own separate location. I’ve also been following a rule that I once read, (I’m not too sure where I read it) that when I buy one or two new items of clothing, I go through my wardrobe/drawers and I look through at the items of clothing I know I’m no longer going to wear, and I give them to charity. It’s a way of not cluttering up your wardrobe/drawers and letting someone else make use of them.

Books on a budget.

You may have read my previous post, 7 Reasons Why Reading Is A Perfect Self-Care Activity. In it, you will find some of the many reasons why I absolutely love reading and why it’s a perfect self-care activity. (There’s also some of my favourite bookish quotes in it too)! Anyway, reading can be a super affordable self-care activity.

Although I adore a physical copy of a book, I do love my Kindle! I can store all of my books together on it, I can take it out with me for the day and you want to know one of the best things about having a Kindle is? You can get lots and lots and lots of amazing free books on the Kindle store, or at a special offer price like 99p!

But if you don’t have a Kindle, you can still buy some very affordable books. Just about all charity shops have lots of wonderful books in. In the town where I live, there is a charity book shop that is filled with hundreds and hundreds of books. They are very affordable and you are also helping the charity out by buying books from them.

Over the years I have found lots of my favourite books from charity shops. (Sometimes I’ve even found the remaining book that I’ve been longing for in part of a series that I own). You never know what treasure of a book you may find. A charity shop I went in a few days ago had the most wonderful old books in. Some of which were dated (The people who owned them had actually written the date in when they got the books) from the early 1900’s. How amazing is that!

To be honest, I think just looking in a bookshop is a perfect self-care activity! Don’t you agree?!

I’ve also got so many books in my TBR pile! So rather than spending money on new books, I like to have a rummage through them and pick one that I’ve been meaning to read.

Spending a day out or evening with loved ones doesn’t have to be expensive.

Even though when practicing self-care, a lot of the times I do it when I’m on my own, practicing self-care can also be very enjoyable when spent with family and friends. It’s taking a day or evening out to enjoy each others company and to be around the people we love whilst doing activities that we each have in common.

Some of my favourite self-care activities that I like to do with loved ones is go to the cinema, go out for something to eat and go for a spa day. But when practicing self-care on a budget, the things above can be done whilst being super affordable.

You can find lots of great offers and websites that offer vouchers just by searching online. A cinema that I like to go to, one day a week they only charge £5 per person to watch a film. Now that’s a great price, especially when most cinemas now charge about £9 or more! And when going out for something to eat, why not make some tasty treats and go on a picnic instead! You can make up all of your favourite foods and treats and still have plenty left over. And instead of travelling to a spa, why not have a relaxing evening in with your loved ones and create your own relaxing atmosphere and get some of your favourite products/facemasks and candles and pop on a film or Netflix of course!

Spend an evening in doing the things you love.

My fifth tip for practising self-care on a budget is to spend an evening in doing all of the things you love. To be honest this is probably one of my most favourite self-care activities to do on a budget! Self-care for me is doing the things that help benefit the mind and body, whilst taking time out to enjoy the things I love and look after myself.

Here are a few things you can do when spending an evening in practising self-care… Get creative, have that much needed nap, do some baking, do some gentle exercises, have a nice warm bath or shower, have a pamper evening, read a book, watch a film or show, make yourself a yummy hot chocolate, write in your journal, practice mindfulness techniques, listen to some music or a podcast, and the list could just keep going and going, but you get the idea!

After a busy day, it’s so nice spending the evening doing the things you want to do. Why even now whilst I’m sitting at my MacBook writing this post, I class this as self-care because it’s something I enjoy doing and it makes me happy!

Have you found these tips useful?

Take a look at this post from The Mighty on affordable self-care ideas! I found it so interesting looking at how other people practice self-care on a budget!

Are you thinking about doing some of these affordable self-care activities? If so I would love for you to come back and tell me how you got on!

Let me know what your self-care tips on a budget are?

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