I'll admit it: I buy an oat milk cappuccino and a $7 chocolate croissant before I run errands on Saturdays. When my friends indulge in yoga classes and an afternoon of shopping, they call it “Meg Day.”
December Meg is different. He loves The vast majority of AmericansI can't avoid feeling stressed on holidays. I have to tighten my budget to make sure I can afford the cranberry-flavored cocktails at holiday parties and the $80 Skims suit on my sister's wish list — or risk credit card debt.
But when it's cold, dark and airports are packed with people acting like they've never been through a TSA line before, I need extra energy to meet my end-of-year deadlines. So, I came up with a happy medium. I continue my usual, indulgent self-care routine, but I substitute activities that cost $0.
Here are four ways I can carve out a little extra time for myself this holiday season, without it being a chore, and that doesn't cost a dime.
Free attractions
Every city I've lived in, big or small, is filled with twinkling lights and free or low-cost community events during the holidays.
In New York, where I currently live, museums often set aside free or discounted time slots. You can find other free events here – such as tango lessons, silent discos or stargazing on The High Line – fairly easily on social media.
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When I lived in Adrian, Michigan, I checked local university, government, and news sites — as well as Eventbrite pages and Facebook groups — to find these events, from holiday parties to tree lighting ceremonies.
This year, I will be attending a lights display and going to the downtown Christmas market with my family in Grand Rapids, Michigan. My sister promised me she would help me refrain from buying hot chocolate in a shoe-shaped mug.
Window shopping
Dreaming about next year's wardrobe instead of buying it is a fairly obvious way to save money, if you have enough self-control. But window shopping is difficult for me. I will never be able to resist a pair of Miista shoes at a discount.
Instead, I take different routes home so I can see as many holiday-decorated streets as possible — a different form of shopping with fewer financial consequences. Sometimes someone will leave their living room lights on, and I'll catch a glimpse of evergreen trees decorated with lights, giant red reflective bulbs, and paper angels.
Some of my coworkers do similar activities that stimulate their senses, like trying perfumes, shopping for candles, or patrolling the grocery store aisle for free samples. It's a smart suggestion: Activate your five senses Studies have found that this is an easy way to relieve anxiety.
Turning my living room into a café – or my bathroom into a spa
I have two hobbies that I'm really good at — snowboarding and writing — and I've tried at least 12 hobbies at once and never done them again. I would like more time to master them all.
My editor had a good idea: grab a comfy blanket, put on your favorite playlist, make yourself a fancy hot beverage and engage in an activity of your choice for a few hours. (Editor's note: This guy seems pretty smart!)
I swapped out the ceiling lighting for lamps, put on a Beatles band, and attempted to complete a $25 crochet set I impulsively purchased online months ago. I sat under a blanket, sipping ginger tea from my favorite mug, and felt generally recharged after two hours — even though I only completed about three rows of strawberry crochet.
Between Christmas and New Year's, I'll be doing it again – this time as a DIY spa day, using countless beauty products I've collected over the years that I rarely use.
My editor will be pleased, and perhaps not surprised, to learn that his suggestion is backed by science: doing something creative can… Make you a better problem solverPsychologists say. Simple play can relieve stress and build social skills and mental resilience, no matter your age. Research shows.
Reach out to an old friend, or don't
The holidays can be festive, stressful, and relaxing all at once, and everyone handles this stress differently. Some people, for example, benefit from scheduling a phone call with a friend before or after group events.
I'm actually the opposite: my social and family obligations exhaust me, because I feel like I need to be “present” during most of my waking hours to meet everyone's expectations. So, in the weeks leading up to Christmas, I schedule “staring at the wall” time.
Being alone and quiet gives you time to thinkProcess difficult emotions and be more present when you're ready to rejoin the Word, professor of religious studies at the University of Pennsylvania Justin McDaniel Tell me in 2022. After a few minutes of sitting in virtual silence, I scroll through my phone, watch Thanksgiving episodes of Gossip Girl, or do laundry.
Downtime gets me recharged so I can fight with my family about which holiday movie to watch on Christmas Eve.
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