Budgeting for a Self-Care Routine

Becoming a parent is a huge step. Your responsibilities include taking care of yourself, your needs and your desires. Then suddenly, there is always someone who needs you just as much and whose needs must be taken care of quickly and often. The change is shocking!

In my experience, I went from caring for myself whenever I liked to having to schedule every second I needed with another person. It was a tug-of-war that I often lost, and before I knew it, I did not recognize myself anymore. I had to invest in myself regularly to achieve a sense of normalcy that would make me feel whole again.

Motherhood expenses do not always refer to costs related to money. Time, effort, and happiness are all free but still have a cost. Here are some cost-free things I did to help me regain my self-esteem:

• Going on long walks alone

• Having a special shower/bath time routine

• Spending time with friends and family

• Revisiting my favorite hobbies - reading, painting, drawing, crossword puzzles, rewatching my favorite shows

• Cooking a special meal for myself

Getting a moment alone to take care of yourself can be challenging without help. My best advice is to lean on a support system, whether friends or family, a church group, close coworkers, or neighbors.

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In addition to investing in cost-free things, I also spend on a self-care routine. Here are all the items I spend monthly on:

1. Lunch and Dinners with Bestie or alone................... $150

2. Massages.................................................................... $75

3. Hair............................................................................... $75

4. Manicures/pedicures.................................................. $80

5. Gym Membership.........................................................$60

6. Therapy.........................................................................$120

Total...............................................................$560

Everyone's budget is different. Each category of my self-care routine is vital to my well-being. However, sometimes, I cannot do everything on my list. In those cases, I dedicate more time to taking long walks or reading to give myself time to recuperate in replace of that self-care activity. I also continue to set aside money each month even if I don't get a chance to do the self-care act. Doing this helps me keep up the routine of managing my finances to continue fitting these little luxuries into my budget.

How do you take care of yourself? Which habits keep you stress-free as a parent? Let me know your best tips!