How To Splurge On Yourself While On A Bugdet
A for those who can are on a tight budget, a common misconception might be is that you can’t possibly afford to buy nice things. There are plenty of different ways to treat yourself without hurting your wallet, its just a matter of looking in the right place!
Here are a few tips and tricks on How To Splurge On Yourself While On A Budget.
Shopping Places
I really like the idea of being able to buy a wide variety of clothes for a very cheap price for something as little as 5 dollars.
During my “younger years” (as in two years ago) I would go to the mall and shop at places like Forever 21, H&M, Traffic, and other popular name brand stores. I would only have a 20-40$ budget and this often meant that I could only buy about two to three items at the most-if that.
Finally, a friend of mine asked me to go to Ross with her, which I probably would have never gone otherwise. I soon realized as I took a look around and had a cart full of clothes, that I could splurge on clothes that I could actually afford and I didn’t have to hurt my wallet. Needless to say, I now leave the store with a bag full of clothes rather than two hangers.
Sometime afterward, I found Kayla Dawn Cook’s YouTube channel and saw she dressed head-to-toe glamorous all of the time. I was even further surprised to discover that almost all of her clothes were from the thrift store. The memories and ideas of a dusty, old, and smelly store no longer boggled my mind, as I now had a new perspective on things. Goodwill or Salvation Army are good spots to go thrifting at.
How To Splurge
It’s good and dandy to splurge on yourself but even if something is crazy cheap, you still have to establish a budget.
My first suggestion is to have a list that contains things that you deem to be really expensive such as a car, a laptop, or certain pieces for furniture. Then decipher a plan of how you will go about prioritizing those splurges by calculating a healthy amount to take out of your income each week. Figure out how you can adjust other expenses and try to find ways to make more money through side hustles.
My second suggestion is to simply have a splurge fund. I think that this is more suitable if you don’t have a specific list of expensive things that you would like to splurge on; maybe you’re like me and just want to go shopping. Set aside a set amount of your income for your splurge fund and use this to your leisure. I personally recommend having this splurge fund in cash and perhaps temporarily leaving your credit cards at home so that you are not tempted to buy more than you intended.
Find Creative Things To Enjoy For Free
This tip applies more for entertainment, which is to find creative ways to enjoy things for free.
One of my favorite things to do is to invite a bunch of friends over for Friday Movie Night. Try inviting a few friends over or perhaps just your significant other, order a small pizza, and binge-watch on a bunch of Netflix movies.
Another free activity I suggest is starting a creative hobby like painting, crochet, or even playing an instrument. I personally like painting in the park on a nice and sunny day; If you don’t have any painting supplies, you can buy supplies at Michael’s for as little as 10$.
I also suggest making a dish that you might have liked from a restaurant. You can utilize the website Supercook.com what allows you to use the ingredients that you have in your home. You can also use Pinterest to help you find a similar dish, I am usually able to find identical recipes but with many similar ingredients sometimes with a shorter time to prep and cook.
A Few More Suggestions
Additionally, I suggest utilizing coupons and apps that provide deals and discount packages such as Groupon or Retail Me Not.
Also, going to a consignment shop like Plato’s Closet, that way you can exchange your old wardrobe for a new one, without having to spend little or hardly any money.
For my last tip, I suggest signing up for free customer service award programs. You can do this by creating an email account just for these rewards, and check your account for extra coupons when its time to shop.
