20+ No Spend Self-Care Activities (Decommodifying Self Care!)

I just want to say as a Buddhist and the daughter of a meditation teacher, meditation is not having an empty mind its just observing thoughts instead of letting them take over you. And for adhd people the best way to do that IS by doing another activity like coloring, watching an ambiance video, concentrating on a candle, washing yourself in the shower etc!! So you're actually meditating already when you do mindfulness while coloring!

As a librarian so glad you mentioned the library. So many forget that they can get books, dvds, music and so much more there for free!

I’ve stopped watching TikTok because I was having trouble telling myself I don’t need the next product being promoted by prominent influencers, especially when I couldn’t afford several of the items they were advertising.😢 I’m so glad you’ve made this video, Kennedy! Always keeping it real with us!❤ Love you!❤❤❤

The way I do daily gratitude is at the end of the day I write down my "ta-dah" list. It's the opposite of a to-do list - it's all the thins you got done that day. I have chronic health issues and I can get really depressed at all the things I wasn't able to do. But when I write what I did get done, it helps me.

My cleaning tip for anyone who hates cleaning. Categories (and you can stop after any of these categories) In this order! 1. Wet Trash (things that would mold if not cleaned up now), 2. Dry Trash (tissues, wrappers etc), 3. cloth/fabric (towels, cloths, socks, most of the time they go in a laundry basket), 4. Items that don't go in that room (put them in the room they do go in; they don't have to be put away if you don't feel like it but at least they make it to the room they do go in), 5. items that are in the room they go in that are not put away. 6. surfaces (sweeping, mopping, wiping down table/shelves. At this point whatever room you were in will be clean enough to function. Many times I start with Wet trash and that is all I have the energy for. and that is okay because that is the most important thing in the room to remove. Honestly just removing trash from a room makes it 10 times cleaner anyways. I also often find starting is the hardest part. and if you tell yourself I only need to pick up the trash then that simplifies it enough to get started and then maybe you find the energy once the task is begun. In short: Wet Trash, Dry Trash, Cloth, Items, Surfaces. Love yall!! stay cozy Muah! 💋

In the vein of "getting myself a little treat," I would also add, take the time to make a mundane thing special. I make myself tea of some kind pretty much every day. When I'm having a bad day, I take the time to carefully pick out the tea flavor, use a nice pot and teacup instead of the first coffee mug I see, and just really take the time to enjoy the process of making and drinking my tea. You can do that with coffee, a smoothie, heck, even just taking the time to slice up some citrus for your water. Making the mundane special is a really nice way to treat yourself.

My absolute FAV self care that is totally free: Listening to a podcast while going on a bike ride to each of the little libraries around town to swap out books I’ve read with new ones, then picking a bench to sit at while I eat a little snack I packed in a bento box for myself ❤ literally a perfect day to me

the free time basket is SUCH a cute idea!!

I'm glad you mentioned the library. A lot of folks forget that libraries have a ton of free resources for all kinds of things. Have a good week, cozy lady.

Also for the Sims, sometimes the feeling of looking for and downloading custom content feels like online shopping except everything's free! It kinda has that same feeling of buying new cute clothes/home goods and then going into the game and making a new sim or a new house with all your new cute cc is super fun and exciting!

Yess! We definitely DO NOT need to spend a dime for self-care! Self-care can be as simple as reading your favorite book, watching your favorite show, taking a nice long bath, etc. Indulging (speaking for me) once in a while is fine. Consumerism is such a major issue today, and deinfluencing the term “self-care” is a MUST! Love the video!

The basket idea is GENIUS! Especially for us ADHD folks who completely forget about items we own 😆

my favorite thing to watch when i want to have a self care day/night is watching my favorite childhood tv shows/movies on youtube! - little bear (soo pure and cozy 🥹) - franklin - angelina ballerina - totally spies - maggie and the ferocious beast - barbie/bratz movies makes me feel safe and cozy :)

I LOVE going shopping around my house! There is always colored pencils or stickers or candles that I'm "Saving for a special moment" and I go "What the hell! Today is a special moment" and decide to use them and end up having a great time without spending any money!

I scroll through Libby and tag books as “want to read” and it gives me the same emotional fulfillment as scrolling through social media and internet shopping. I treat it as “Recommended Picks for You” instead of TBR and I always have a book available that matches my mood when I’m looking for something different.

as a librarian, i was so happy to hear you talk about going to the library as a resource! so many people seem to forget we are there and just how many resources we have. thank you for thinking of us❤️

I watched this video as a person who really doesn't spend a lot of money but who DOES need to learn how to do self care. Today I gave myself a little pedicure and did some yoga. I'm 39 and I waking up and realizing how poorly I've cared for myself. I don't want to be 60 and stuck in a chair all day. I want to be 60 and moving around my home with ease chasing cats, planting gardens. Step 1 is literally learning how to care for myself while maintaining my frugal ways. Thanks for your inspiring video.

Ironic that you listed watching your favorite cozy content creator as a free hobby and that’s what I’m doing right now! Your videos are a warm hug. Love! Happy Easter!! 🤍

My favorite part of the "free basket" idea is that it is also a way to practice gratefulness for what you already have <3

girl you ain't lying about that pinterest board <3 I also love making mood/pinterest/vision boards. either about my mood now or the mood i want to be in