26 Lovely, Fun, FREE Things To Do When Everything Feels Expensive

I know it feels hard, but we absolutely can still enjoy ourselves.

Everything feels painfully expensive these days, doesn’t it?

I went to buy a pack of 2” x 4” mailing labels last week and they were $21?! Guess I’ll be handwriting addresses on printer paper and attaching them with that old roll of packing tape I found in the basement?!

It’s very easy to get stuck in a loop of doomscrolling and calling our reps. And while the latter is important, I’m also reminding both myself and you that

a) this is a marathon not a sprint
b) we can enjoy ourselves and refill our proverbial cups without spending a ton of money

1. Take a nap

But, like, a really good one. Turn on some white noise, change your pillow case (it gives you that ‘new sheet’ feeling with less work), take off your bra and spray a bit of lavender or eucalyptus essential oil onto your pillow.

Sidenote: rest can be a revolutionary act - credit to Audre Lorde!

2. Give yourself a mani or pedi

Add a few drops of essential oil and body wash to a pretty bowl of warm water and soak your extremities while you watch an episode of Only Murders In The Building. If you don’t have a manicure or pedicure set, push your cuticles back with a wet washcloth. If you’re feeling fancy, exfoliate with a brown sugar body scrub and slick on a few coats of a color you love.

3. Re-read a favorite book or rewatch a favorite movie

Resist the urge to treat yourself to a new book purchase! Trawl your local library the way you’d trawl a used bookstore or just re-read one of your favorite ‘comfort reading’ books. If you still have a dvd player, see what DVDs your library has - so vintage!

4. Make a complicated, decadent recipe with ingredients you already have on hand

This homemade pasta doesn’t require a pasta machine and I bet you already have the ingredients for this chocolate souffle, these meringue cookies, or these homemade crackers.

5. Take a hot bath

Add powdered milk. Or real milk. Or flower petals. Or Epsom salts or bubble bath. Turn on your favorite mellow music, light a few candles, and stay in the tub so long you wrinkle and raisin.