Five Free Mom Splurges
Moms are notorious for putting everyone else before themselves.
I will flip through a Good Housekeeping magazine at the doctor’s office, scan an article about the importance of taking time for yourself, agree wholeheartedly, and plan to treat myself to a nice soak in the bathtub after the kids are in bed.
Then I get home, life happens and I take a twelve-minute shower because “there’s just so much to do.”
I seriously admire women that have nice nails.
I looked down at my fingernails a few days ago and thought about how badly they needed to be trimmed. Then I had this thought, “I don’t have two minutes to sit down and clip my fingernails.”
That’s crazy.
So this post is as much for me as for you.
I know that I need to take some time for me.
Just me.
It’s good for me to be a healthier mom which in turn is good for my family.
I’ve written before about modeling the behavior I want for my daughters to emulate. And self-care is there. I want to teach them that they are worth the two minutes it takes to clip their fingernails and so much more.
So I’m going to ease into the splurges by starting with free ones.
Because if it costs time AND money, woah.
Just woah.
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I will definitely talk myself out of whatever it is using some sort of martyr-like excuse.
“That manicure money would buy a really nice pair of tennis shoes from China for Dax.”
Side note: I’ve actually ordered these shoes for my son and they lasted for the entire six months that they fit him, and he loved them. I’m calling that a win.
So without further ado, here are five free mom splurges.
1. Take a detox bath
There are tons of articles about how good detox baths are for you. And while I think that’s absolutely awesome, my favorite part of a detox bath is the hot water.
I love hot water.
A scalding hot shower almost always puts me in a good mood (even if it is only twelve minutes!).
To take a detox bath, you really only need one ingredient – Epsom Salt. This is something we keep on hand anyway because my husband has to soak his feet a couple times a week.
You can add other ingredients like essential oils and baking soda. Each of those has its own unique benefits.
The whole point is to add all this stuff to a scalding hot bath and let your body detoxify from all the toxins you encounter during the day.
And not only is that good for your body, but it’s also good for your mind.
If you can sit in a calm, quiet bath and use that time to pray and thank God for all the blessings in your life, how great will you feel when you get out??
I know I’d feel amazing!
Or if you’re already all prayed up, read a book, watch a Netflix show, flip through a magazine, or just savor the silence.
2. Amazon Boxes
If you don’t already have an Amazon Prime membership, you are missing out.
For about $8 a month, you have access to some pretty awesome benefits including free two-day shipping, Prime video streaming, Kindle lending library, and Prime photo storage.
Click here to sign up for a free 30 day trial of Amazon Prime!
But here’s a cool feature that comes with Amazon Prime that you may not have heard of – Amazon Sample Boxes.
The way this works is that you order a sample box and pay for it, and then Amazon credits your account for the amount of the box.
So basically, you get a box of goodies for free!
The sample box options they have are constantly changing and range from luxury beauty products to fancy snacks to dog treats to men’s grooming products to sports nutrition.
But you should totally get one JUST FOR YOU.
3. Time for Reading
When doing research for her book The Fringe Hours, Jessica Turner surveyed hundreds of women.
She asked a simple question, “What would you do if you had more hours in the day?”
The overwhelming response was that women would like to read more.
I know this is true for me. I love reading, but I rarely take the time to do it anymore. I used to read several books a month and now I just don’t.
I have a whole list of books I’d like to read someday, but that day never seems to come. So I’m committing to getting back to reading. There are lots of ways to get free books, so I can’t use the cost as an excuse. Here are a few of my favorites.
Audible, Prime Reading, Paperback Swap, Kindle Lending Library, and Overdrive.
So right now, one of the biggest mom splurges I could give myself is to simply take time to read.
There are lots of little moments throughout the day that I could use to read for pleasure: before the kid’s wake up, during our afternoon quiet time, or in bed each night.
To make this happen, I simply have to do it.
I have to stop telling myself that cleaning or laundry or whatever is more important, and then sit down and read.
That’s it.
4. Use Your Rewards on YOU
Most of us moms participate in some sort of rewards program whether at a grocery store, Walmart Savings Catcher, Ibotta, Ebates, or a credit card.
And for me, I use the rewards to do things like have a totally free Christmas.
But what if we used just some of those rewards for ourselves???
We would feel awesome!
Our husbands wouldn’t reprimand us (mine wouldn’t even notice!).
Our kids wouldn’t be deprived.
But we would feel great knowing that shopping spree on Amazon to buy some of that cool stuff you always want but never buy was totally FREE!!
5. Trade-in Your Clothes
Bite the bullet and clean out your closet.
Do it hardcore KonMarie style and get rid of every single piece of clothing and accessory that you don’t love.
Then sort through the rubble and send the clothing that’s still in style to ThredUp or Swap.
If you use my referral links above, we both get $10 to spend!
Set your payment option as a store credit so that you get more money back for your clothes, and then spend ALL of the money treating yourself to new clothes.
It may be tempting to get clothing for your kids.
Resist the urge.
ThredUp even has a really cool option to choose “Rescue” boxes.
These boxes have clothes that may need a button sewn on or have some slight fading, but they’re still in good shape. They sell these at an incredible discount and I’ve never been disappointed with a rescue box.
Related post: How to Get Free Clothes from ThredUp
It’s great to be a good steward of your finances.
It’s also great to be a self-sacrificing mom and wife.
It’s not great to give so much of yourself that you feel completely drained all the time.
Find some ways to work some self-care into your routine.
You will feel more energized and better equipped to care for your family if you take some time to care for yourself with these free mom splurges.
You’re worth it.
Your whole family agrees.
We’d love to hear about the free mom splurges that you’ve found! Tell us in the comments!
WANT TO REMEMBER THIS LATER? PIN 5 FREE MOM SPLURGES TO YOUR FAVORITE PINTEREST BOARD!
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6 Things You Need to Be a Healthier Mom
Creative Ways to Save Money as a Family
5 Personal Money Rules for Pastors
The Best Devotionals for Moms in the Trenches of Motherhood
We really are the last people we think about in our households…sometimes i even feel like the dog gets more uninterrupted bathroom breaks than i do! Love these ideas…and like you said…we just need to DO IT! In this season of motherhood, I don’t get much “me time” but I’ve tried to take a few extra moments on Saturdays mornings (when the hubby is home and we have nothing planned) to just linger while “getting ready” and do a few extra things for myself and my appearance. Helps with self confidence as well!!
Yes!! I love getting ready to go out to eat dinner when my husband is home. Taking a little extra time makes me feel so great!
HOW did I not know about these Amazon sample boxes?!?!?! I am obsessed with Amazon. Ordering this like yesterday.
Yes!!! I’m still using the stuff from a health one that I ordered! It’s such nice stuff!
Awesome ideas! Living on a tight budget I can relate to not want to spend any money on myself. There are a few guilty pleasures I’ll allow myself but, for the most part, I have to stick to the free stuff. Defiantly will be trying some of these ideas! Thanks!
I love saving money! And being able to treat myself without any extra expense makes it feel like an even better treat because it comes without any guilt! 🎉🎉