Nowadays, treating oneself will often seem like an expensive endeavor. People think of going to upscale hotels, traveling to picturesque tourist destinations, and gorging on delectable food in classy restaurants as some of the only ways to genuinely treat oneself. There is also shopping for luxury products, spending one’s time in a classy spa, and going on vacations in exotic, faraway places. Ideally, you’d be able to afford all of these for yourself and your family. Unfortunately, the fact is that not everyone has a readily available and inexhaustible pool of money that they can use.
However, treating yourself does not have to be expensive. In its essence, it is all about taking some time off your work and worries and just focusing on relaxing and refocusing your mind. That, in itself, doesn’t really warrant breaking the bank. You can go about this in several ways, including finding deals to reduce expenses for vacations or exploring simple activities that can help you relax or pamper yourself.. Whichever way you choose, just don’t forget that your main goal is to enjoy yourself.
1. Research on Promos and Deals
There are many promos, discounts, and deals offered by various businesses that you can check out to lessen your expenses. Oftentimes, you get them after purchasing a loyalty card or buying a certain amount of items from a store. Other businesses also do sales during holidays, especially during the Christmas season. With the booming eCommerce industry in the Philippines, you can certainly shop for items, book experiences, and purchase other products and services online—all while enjoying the great deals that many of today’s businesses offer. For safe transactions, it would be wise to carry out your payments through a trusted mobile money and online payment platform like Maya.
Maya is a payment application that makes cashless transactions possible both online and in brick-and-mortar establishments. With Maya, you can enjoy cashback rewards and other deals when you shop or pay for products and services online, allowing you to save money that you can use toward future purchases when you feel the need to treat yourself once again.
2. Try Something Different
People can be creatures of habit, going to the same stores, restaurants, and places they already like. However, trying something new offers the exciting possibility that you’ll enjoy something different. That’s often why people invest so much money in traveling to foreign lands and trying out exotic food and experiences.
But you don’t necessarily need to go far to experience something new. For example, instead of booking a vacation overseas, why don’t you try exploring other places in the Philippines? Each province has a rich variety of delicious local dishes unique to the area. If you’re in Metro Manila, there are countless places that you can check out such as the National Museum, which no longer charges visitors. If you like shoes, instead of going to the mall, you can visit Marikina and learn more about the local shoemaking industry.
We know that malls and other popular leisure destinations offer familiarity that can be quite comforting. However, you’ll never know how good of an experience going to new places and doing new things will be if you keep on just doing the same things. As such, make it a point to go off the beaten path from time to time. .
3. Spend Some Time with Family and Friends
For some people, treating oneself is not necessarily trying out something new all the time. Sometimes, it’s just about spending more time with the people they love and enjoying their company. If you’re this type of person, you can plan a whole day or evening for some quality time with your loved ones. Some interesting things you can include in your time together include playing games, making dinner, or watching a movie..
If you can’t meet up with people, you can always call them or contact them online. On Facebook, for example, you can send messages without using data. It also has a call and video call function you can use for either one-on-one or group calls, but these particular features do require internet connectivity. If your internet connection is not stable, Maya offers a lot of discounted data packages you can use to call your loved ones. You can even send data packages to the other people, ensuring that you can keep in touch even if they are strapped for cash.
4. Schedule a Day for Yourself
If there are people who like spending time with others, there are also those who prefer some time alone. If you belong to this category, take the whole day off and enjoy some well-earned “me time.” Unplug from social media and spend time just doing the things that you like. If you like running, go out for a jog. If you like cooking, shop for the ingredients you need and cook a meal just for yourself.. Overall, this day is personalized for you. Disconnect for a while from the world, and just focus on yourself.
5. Enjoy Some Art and Music
One of the best ways to unwind is to surround yourself with art and creativity—whether it’s through books, movies, plays, or songs. The great thing about them is you can enjoy them with others or just by yourself. If you like books, try to finish one from your book pile that you have long planned to read but somehow have always put on the backburner. If you like the theater, you can book a ticket to a show and invite a friend if you like. If you like the movies, you can never go wrong with a Netflix subscription. Paying for these experiences and services is very easy since these days, it can be done online. And if you don’t have a MasterCard or VISA card that you can use for online payments, you can get one from Maya for as low as PHP 200.00.
On the other hand, if you like making your own art instead, you also have the option of spending the day just being creative. Whether you like dancing, drawing, painting, writing, or composing a song, just let down your hair and start creating. Sure, it can be a lot of work, but doing something you like is always a treat.
Overall, treating yourself can be done in a lot of different ways. It doesn’t have to be expensive, and it doesn’t have to happen in a faraway place either. In its simplest sense, to treat yourself is to dedicate time to yourself and the things you like. After a day of rest and relaxation—you will feel rejuvenated and more confident to start another day.
