By now, you all should know that I am a strong advocate for self-care, especially at holiday time. As the hustle and bustle of the holiday season ramps up, we tend to put our own needs on the back burner. However, when we fail to prioritize our own needs, we can’t effectively take care of anyone else’s needs either.
There are many ways in which we can express care towards ourselves, and it can look very different for different people. One form of self-care that I’d like to highlight in this article is one that isn’t often talked about, especially by women: Financial Self-Care.
photo from Ellevest’s “4 Less Obvious Benefits of Financial Self-Care”
This year, I began investing with a company called Ellevest, an investment company designed for women, by women, with the goal of working to close the gender investment gap. They recently published an article about the benefits of Financial Self-Care, and they also published a Financial Self-Care Checklist to help get you started. These articles-as well as Ellevest’s investment platform–are beneficial for both females and males, FYI.
I would encourage you to check out these articles and look at Ellevest’s checklist to see which items you can begin to mark off. Maybe as you work through the checklist, you can carve out some funds for a massage, or a pedicure this month. Think of what would be nourishing to your soul, and see if there’s room in your finances for that activity, then prioritize the time for that activity. (Time is another thing we must remember to budget.)
So what if you’re on a tight financial budget and can’t justify spending extra dough on yourself right now? Below are some ideas for self-care on a budget:
1. Give yourself a manicure/pedicure
2. Watch one of your favorite movies
3. Go for a walk or spend time in a park on a nice day
4. Read a book, a poem, or inspirational quotes
5. Do an hour of Restorative Yoga at home
For an hour’s worth of restorative poses you can do using household items as props, click here for my Yoga at Home handout.
If you incorporate a gym practice into your exercise, check out Planet Fitness’s article about How to Create Self-Love Practice at the Gym.
Interested in learning more about Ellevest or opening an account? Here is my referral link (so we both
get an extra $20 to invest!):