One of the common tactics of sticking to a tight budget is tracking your spending. It’s a great way to get a good look at what you’re actually spending.
If you notice that your spending is getting out of whack, you can make changes to get back on track. That way you won’t go over your budget month after month.
But even if you’re watching what you spend, are there some items you won’t do without? I know there are certainly some self-care and extras I won’t do without.
Self-Care and Extras I Won’t Do Without
1. Getting my hair colored
I’ve always tried to stretch out my time between salon visits as long as possible to save money. However, now that I have a lot of gray in my hair, I have to go more regularly. I’m not quite ready to go all gray yet, but eventually I probably will.
Until I go all the way gray, I plan to continue getting my hair colored. It’s definitely one of the self-care items I won’t do without.
2. Pedicures
Doing my own toes has always been a fun and special self-care treat. But sometimes I still like to get a pedicure at my salon.
I probably give myself this treat 3 or 4 times a year rather than every two or three weeks. Spacing it out makes it feel special but still saves me money.
3. Salon Hair Products
For many years I wouldn’t buy salon hair products due to their price. I thought they were way more expensive than I could afford.
In the past few years, though, I’ve changed my thinking. Because they’re of higher quality and don’t contain as much water, I use less. Thus, they last a lot longer than lower quality hair products from stores like Wal-Mart and Target.
As a bonus, I think my hair’s in better condition. Therefore, they’re one of the self-care items I won’t do without now. I think they are well worth what I spend and they are one of the ways I invest in myself.
4. Name Brand Clothing and Shoes
There are rare occasions when I buy shoes or clothes from a discount store. But, most of the time, I buy better quality clothing and shoes from other places.
I’m not talking about spending hundreds of dollars on a single pair of jeans or tennis shoes. Some people do that so they can compete with the Joneses. My quality clothing and shoes come from places with fairly low prices, like JcPenney or Maurices.
I don’t feel guilty because I usually buy clothing and footwear when the stores have sales. The reason I buy higher quality is because they last longer, which saves me money in the long run.
5. Essential Oils
I was skeptical about the benefits of essential oils until I started using just a few. I’ve discovered that they’re among the self-care items that I’ll always keep around.
As an example, due to my allergies to many medications, the only thing I can take for migraines is Tylenol. I pair it with peppermint essential oil to get through the bad migraines that last from 2-3 days.
How does this save me money? It’s much cheap than a $500-$800 hospital emergency room trip for each migraine!
Items I Rarely Pay For
1. Silk Sheets or Pajamas
Not buying silk sheets is less about economics and more about dislike. Many years ago, I had a friend who loved them. When I stayed in her guest room once, I barely slept at all because they were so slippery.
Silk pajamas are the same way. They’re so slick I just can’t stand to wear them.
2. Massages
I’ve gotten a couple of massages in my life, but in general, I have better ways to spend my money. Sure, they’re nice and they relax you. But they’re definitely not on my list of self-care items I won’t do without.
3. Manicures
The truth is that I really love to get my nails done. Once again, I have many other things to spend my hard earned money on at this stage of my life. Maybe someday I’ll be able to add them back to my budget… but not for now. I simply do my own whenever I have the time.
Summing It Up
There are actually several other self-care items and extras I could include in this post. Some are items I won’t do without and others are items I rarely pay for.
The point is that everybody has to decide for themselves what they won’t do without in their life and budget. All of the other things might be negotiable.
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Personal Capital lets you see all of your accounts in one convenient place. Sign up now for free.Do you have certain self-care items or extras you refuse to do without, even to save money? If so, what are they?
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