When you get a big bonus at work, or got your taxes back, how do you reward yourself? Everyone deserves to reward themselves once in a while. I like to go to a greasy spoon restuarant I haven't been to before. I'm determined to find the perfect one. But I don't feel right putting my money there unless it really is extra, or bonus money.
I've been a mom for so long that I always get so guilty spending something just for myself. So I usually bring my daughter along to eat (decadent cakes and stuff) when I want to reward myself. But back when I was still single, I would go for a massage/spa or make-over (hair or facial treatment).
I also like to check out new-to-me restaurants, but I may be running out of those. So if not that, then I’ll check out a new dish at one of my favorites. Or I’ll go somewhere I rarely have the opportunity to go for one reason or another (the reason usually being that it’s out of the way). I might also splurge on a mani-pedi. Whatever’s left, I’ll save it and hopefully end up using it on a big-ticket item at some point.
Everyone needs to treat themselves once in a while because otherwise what's the point? When I'm broke, I save up and buy myself a nice chocolate bar, because it's something I enjoy. I used to buy bag and shoes, but they all pile up and are nice to look at but that's it. These days I prefer something more tangible and a bar of Godiva is affordable.
I don't really like "rewarding" myself as such, as I know that for every penny I save, I am a little bit closer to being able to buy a house, which is something that I do really want to get started with now. So I will usually just put any kind of bonus that I get into a savings account and keep it for a time that I need it more, really. It is the best thing to do for me right now, as I know that this is the only way that I will ever be able to get the house of my dreams.
I always find a reason to reward myself, especially when the item that I want to buy is something that I already have, and with extras of the same item at that. I just tell myself that money is made to be spent, so that justifies it, lol. I buy either food or any material item.
To treat myself, I usually go buy a few things from my wishlist on amazon or eBay. I am a habitual online window shopper so I find it lovely when I actually get justify why I'm buying all this new stuff - a well deserved treat. I also sometimes like to go to a mall and just let myself impulse buy a few nice things. I rarely let myself get sucked up in that because it can sometimes be time consuming.
I think I may have mentioned this is another post, but I will go buy two pairs of shoes from Payless, (BOGO). I have never gone there without buying 2 pairs of Champion or Airwalks. Sometimes I ven buy a pair I don't particularly like so that I don't waste my chance at BOGO.
A reward doesn't have to cost you a lot of money. I love rewarding myself regularly so if getting rewards involved spending a lot of money, it would make a huge dent in my wallet. The only way I reward myself is to, each week, spend my Saturdays or Sundays doing "fun" things — fishing mostly. Saves me a little [money] on food if I catch anything.
This is something that I have not done for myself in a long time. Being a mom just makes you think twice about every little expense you will make. But somehow, if I have the time and money, I would love to go to a massage parlor or spa. I have had this ache in my back for so long that I just got used to it.
I usually celebrate with my husband by treating ourselves out for a meal at one of our favourite restaurants. if It's a substantial bonus, we may go clothes shopping too and get a few things that we wouldn't otherwise be able to afford. Then we put a chunk of the money in our savings account.
When I get a chance to reward myself, I do some extra shopping. I tend to spend more money on clothes than I usually would, but don't go crazy. I also will check out a restaurant that I wanted to go to but felt like it was too expensive at the time. I also make sure I add money into my savings account.
We haven't done this in a very long time, but we lived near a drive in movie theater. It was always fun to get some take out and check out a double feature in our lawn chairs, smoking, eating, laughing, and talking. The drive in theater is gone now, and there just doesn't seem to be any advantage to going toan indoor theater anymore. Its just to expensive for being smoke free.
Every once in a while I do like to treat myself to something nice, but I first make sure all of the bills are paid and the kids have everything they need. For a while, my treat was the satisfaction of paying off a bill that needed to be taken care of. Sad but true. At some point this year I am planning to go out and spend a bunch of money on new clothes for all of us, and maybe a new piece of furniture.
If there suddenly should be some extra cash floating around me, I usually like to go to my favorite Hare Krishna restaurant and splash out a little on my favorite foods. I really love organic tofu with salad and various sauces, followed by a delicious coffee and almond milk frappe. My mouth even waters just thinking about it. That's my idea of luxury.
When I first discovered "credit", and I had a great score thanks to fingerhut, my family and friends had the best christmas ever... radio Shack, maurices, JC penny, and so many more store cards were maxed out by the time I was done. I would get so when paying off a bill.Even if it was just a 30$ a month bill, it was still so exciting! It doesn't sound sad, to me. It was always cause to celebrate for my husband and me.
I think it's important to reward yourself because otherwise you tend to lose track of how much you are worth and what you are earning money for in the first place. Personally I always try and buy myself someone nice every once in a while and I don't even wait for bonuses but I mostly only stick to small expenses unless I know I can afford to splurge a little. If I can, I try to buy myself some nice clothes and accessories and a few snacks I otherwise would just ignore due to price.
Rewarding yourself is a great way to enjoy your hard-earned money. Rewarding yourself does not have to be expensive. It doesn't have to make a great dent on your pocket. Have some alone time or you can do something you enjoy with the people you love. When I reward myself, I usually bring with me my mom and sister. Sometimes, we eat at our favorite restaurant or have a relaxing massage in the spa. We don't do this often so when we do it, it is definitely a treat. For me, spending quality time with my family is a reward in itself.
I too think its important to reward ourselves from time to time and not just at the times that we achieve monetary gains either - but as we all lead busy lives these days - also for the things that we do on a daily basis - which is why - as I'm always extremely busy and am usually trying to juggle doing a hundred and one different things at once - or at least thats what it feels like - I reward myself frequently - fortunately it doesn't cost me anything - as my idea of a treat or reward is quality time to myself - which is generally either spent gardening, riding my mountain bike or going for a hike in the mountains and taking loads of photos.
