Affordable Self-Care Ideas for Moms

Take care of yourself everyday.

Life as a mom moves pretty fast, if you don’t stop to take care of yourself, you will burnout. This list of self-care ideas is sure to inspire you as well as encourage you.

If you’re anything like me, you feel a little bit of guilt when you spend money on yourself, especially for something as seemingly pointless as self-care. This list of ideas is perfect for moms on a budget. Taking care of yourself shouldn’t require you to get a second job.

We all know we have to fill our own cups before we can pour out and take care of everyone else. Starting small with little additions to your daily routine can make all the difference for filling your own cup.

Why is self-care important for moms?

Moms are the heartbeat of the home and if mama ain’t happy, no ones happy.

Self-care lowers mom’s stress levels, prevents burnout, and boosts overall well being by supporting mental health (Ross Center).

Motherhood can be tough. You have to be ready for anything life throws at you and most of the time you are the main person to handle the stresses of the family. To be ready for anything, you have to be well rested and in a good place mentally.

Taking care of yourself allows you to reach that next level of motherhood and be the mom you dream of being.

These self-care ideas will make you a more peaceful and gentle mother, ready to handle anything.

Making time for self-care makes you a better mom, wife, and overall person.

Self-Care Ideas and Inspiration for Moms

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Go to bed early (Cost: $0)

Women need 7-9 hours of sleep per night. Even though we love our time in the evenings to do whatever we want for once, it is crucial for our wellbeing to get enough sleep.

Try going to bed early enough that you can get an optimal amount of sleep and see how your day changes.

There are so many benefits of getting enough sleep:

“Get sick less often.
Stay at a healthy weight.
Reduce stress and improve your mood.
Improve your heart health and metabolism.
Lower your risk of chronic conditions.
Improve your attention and memory to better perform daily activities” (CDC).

Buy a coffee (Cost: $5-$10)

A great pick-me-up is a coffee from a coffee shop. Meeting a friend to talk over a nice cup of coffee is a wonderful way to take care of your mental health.

If you don’t have time to meet a friend, just buying yourself a little treat can go a long way in improving your mood.

I love to meet my friend at the park and walk to the local coffee cart with our kids. This gives us the chance to socialize and our kids love getting to play together.

Call a friend (Cost: $0)

Calling a friend is an instant mood boost and reduces loneliness. Moms often complain of feeling isolated, especially stay-at-home moms who have to be very intentional about making adult connections during the day.

A simple phone call can turn your whole day around. Take the time to connect with an old friend today!

Amp up your skincare routine (Cost: $5-$15)

Add a facemask to your skincare routine before bed tonight. I love that there are facemasks for every budget and skincare need.

Sheet masks are a great addition to a self-care routine because most of them require you to leave them on for a period of time. During the rest time, sit back, put your feet up and relax. This time is for you.

Here is a 12 pack of sheet masks for only $12!

Paint your nails (Cost: $0-$10)

When my toenails are painted, I can take on the world.

Painting your nails is one of the best self-care ideas because it forces you to sit down and do something for yourself, uninterrupted. Plus you feel more put together and sophisticated when you are done.

All you need is nail polish in your favorite color!

I like to use fast-dry nail polish so I don’t have to wait for an hour for it to dry.

Eat Well (Cost: varies)

Incorporating the right foods into your diet can make all the difference in how you feel throughout the day. Eating healthy meals doesn’t have to be complicated, look for foods high in iron, protein, and calcium.

Meal prep helps some moms eat better. Try chopping veggies, cooking meat, or making freezer meals in advance so you can quickly grab a healthy snack or meal.

After giving birth, it takes time and energy to recover. Breastfeeding also requires sufficient nutrients from your body. If you don’t get what you need, your body will take from your reserves in order to make milk for the baby. These are two huge reasons to take your food choices seriously postpartum. Read about 12 super foods for new moms, here.

RELATED: Becoming a Mother

Paint (Cost: $0-$25)

Painting promotes creativity, strengthens problem solving skills, improves fine motor skills, improves memory and concentration, relieves stress, and boosts self-confidence (Painting to Gogh).

Talk about great self-care ideas! With all those benefits it can’t hurt to pick up that paint brush and give it a try.

I am trying watercolor for the first time and I got this book to start out. It is made for beginners and walks you through each step to teach you how to paint. I love that it’s made for adults.

Go on a walk (Cost: $0)

It is completely free to go on a walk and start getting tons of health benefits. Such as: “increased cardiovascular and pulmonary (heart and lung) fitness, reduced risk of heart disease and stroke, improved management of conditions such as hypertension, high cholesterol, joint and muscular pain or stiffness, and diabetes, stronger bones and improved balance, increased muscle strength and endurance, and reduced body fat” (Better Health).

Going on a walk is one of my go-tos for self-care. It instantly relieves stress and makes me feel better when I’m done. Breathing the fresh air and moving my body does so much for my overall well being.

Read a book (Cost: $0)

Grab a book and escape to another world. Go on an adventure. Learn something new.

Reading is one of the easiest self-care ideas because it requires little prep. All you need is a book. Going to your public library to check out a few books allows you to read for free. This is a perfect option if you are on a budget.

If you have a little more money to spend, all you have to do is order books online and they’ll be delivered to your doorstep. What’s more simple than that?

Take a break from social media (Cost: $0)

Taking a break from social media can sound like a strange choice in a list of self-care ideas, but it really does help.

Some of the benefits of a social media break include: better sleep, improved mental health, increased productivity, better face to face interactions, and reduced information overload (Zaidi).

I do this every few months for a few days to weeks at a time. I find that when I take a break from social media, I am more patient, have higher levels of creativity, am more productive, and less anxious.

From personal experience, I highly recommend trying a break from social media for at least 24 hours as a form of self-care for moms.

Invite a friend over (Cost: $0)

Inviting a friend over to have coffee and chat is a great self-care idea for moms. It allows for a break and much needed conversation with an adult.

If your friend has kids, then your kids will benefit from this one as well. Kids need friends too, so inviting someone over with kids around the same age is a huge plus.

Inviting a friend over will boost your mood, reduce stress, increase your sense of connection, reduce loneliness, and improve your self confidence (Mayo Clinic).

Take a nap (Cost: $0)

Give yourself the chance to rest. This self-care idea allows your body to reset and be ready to take on what’s next.

Make sure there is someone available to watch your kids so you can rest easy knowing they are well taken care of.

When you wake up, you are sure to feel refreshed.

white bed with flowers and candle on the nightstand

Journal (Cost: $0)

Grab a pen and your favorite notebook and just start writing. Write down how you’re feeling about life, your hopes and dreams for the future, what happened today, or a life update to reflect on in 10 years.

The benefits of journaling are numerous, they include: improved mental health, increased self-confidence, improved emotional intelligence, increased memory, and strengthened communication skills (University of St. Augustine).

I love to write a journal entry every few months as a record of what’s happening in life at that moment in time. I’ve been doing this for about 8 years and I love to look back and see what was going on and what was important to me at each point in time. I wrote both of my birth stories, and wedding and engagement story in the same notebook and it’s beautiful to look back at these huge moments in my life.

Because I’ve been keeping a journal for so long, I get to look back and watch myself fall in love with my husband. I even wrote down that I knew he was “the one” only a month after we met!

I just bought this journal and I love it! The pages are just the right size for little thoughts and ideas or a long reflection.

Journaling is one of my favorite self-care ideas.

Watch your favorite movie (Cost: $0)

Gather your favorite snacks and settle in to watch your favorite movie or show.

I love doing this for self-care. With a house full of boys, I don’t get to watch the movies I love very often. When I do, I make the most of it and make popcorn and eat chocolate while I watch.

Take a luxury bath (Cost: $10)

Create an at home spa right there in your bathroom. Use a bath bomb, bubble bath, and epsom salts to make the perfect bath. Then get your favorite drink and a mini charcuterie board and trust me, you’ll never feel more relaxed. Make sure to turn off the lights and use candles to make the experience even better.

A bath is my go-to self-care routine. When I’m in the tub, my troubles seem to melt away. All the tension in my muscles disappears and I come out feeling refreshed every time.

Both of my pregnancies were really tough, a bath was the only time I felt any kind of relief. Since then it has become the place I regain strength when things get hard.