Treats for yourselves, under £5

[BarryWhiteIsMyBrother]

I would like to start buying myself a weekly treat, with a budget of £5 and am looking for ideas. A few 'rules' for my proposed 'programme':

1. I must buy one treat per week.
2. If I spend less than £5 on my treat one week, I cannot roll the leftover money into the following week. Similarly, I cannot skip buying a treat one week to accumulate the saved money with the following week's money.
3. It can't be food or drinks (I'm trying to watch my weight)
4. I already have a TON of make up and given the year we've had, I haven't worn it much (maybe I should start again but I CBB to take it off at night and if I wear makeup I absolutely take it off before bed)
5. The treat must be for me: no gifts for others to make me happy, type thing.
6. If purchased online, P&P must be included in the £5.

Any suggestions?

• cut flowers or houseplants
• candles
• nice soap
• I know you said not food or drink, but how about nice low-cal soft drinks? I really like things like Fentimans, Fever Tree and flavoured seltzer water
• books (charity/secondhand if you’re sticking to a spending limit)

A Book( £4.50 ish in supermarkets)
The mini toiletries in Boots ( i.e The Sanctuary)
A tub of Ben&Jerry's
A hair mask
Facemask

magnesiumspray
For a blissful sleep. I use the body lotion but you can’t get that for £5.

2 here for £5 though rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F174422252061

Cut flowers are a great idea! But not sure where I'd get a nice bunch for £5. I'm not too keen on house plants. We have a few already and that's plenty for me.

Love candles and in fact have lots - plus one of those lamps that we've been using most evenings. So our current supply of smelly candles will last us until next summer or so!

Nice soap or mini toiletries sounds nice - I love the Sanctuary in fact - thank you for the suggestion.

I have a few face masks but never seem to find the right time for them. And tbh I also forget until it's bed time (or morning time) and then I CBB or don't have time. A hair mask though sounds good because I could do that while I have breakfast, before I shower. Or even overnight. @Spied do you have any recommendations for one?

@LadyFeliciaMontague how does that spray help you sleep? It seems to be for sore muscles.

Could you do it monthly and get something like a subscription to something like boxcitment or Birchbox or something similar eg a stationery one etc.
That way you don’t have to keep thinking about things and it’s a complete surprise each month?

Great idea OP.
I’d get a secondhand book from eBay.
Nice pair of socks.
A magazine from WHSmith as they have such a variety.
A puzzle book (I quite like those one with the Hanjie and Kakuro puzzles).
A sachet facemask

A scratch card.
Nice tonic.
Food flavouring to put in gin or vodka, my favourites are banana, parma violet, pink pepper and sherbert lemon. Under £2 for 10mls on ebay.

How long are you planning on doing it?

Could you do a theme a month, or each week has a theme in a month? So week 1 - something fragrant - candles, small travel size perfumes, flowers, essential oils. Week 2 - something to read (or related) book, magazine, bookmarks, that little thumb thing to hold the book. Week 3 - something to do in or out, colouring book, national trust cafe cake, possibly even an entry fee (likely for some hidden place, or a really short thing). Week 4 - personal care - hand cream, soaps, face mask, body sprays and for the months with 5 weeks, lucky dip - stationery, hand warmers, coffee, anything.

Might help work out what you want each week if you have to think in a category, and you won't buy candles 3 weeks in a row and then struggle to think what you want.

So many great ideas! And yes, I'd like it to be a weekly rather than a monthly thing to maintain the excitement levels throughout the week. I'm quite stressed atm (work - I run the shop) so I'd like something small but exciting to look forward to every few days. I am going to note down all the ideas that would work and then plan them like an advent calendar.

The magazine idea is particularly good (but not a subscriptions as I had to cancel those I had for lack of time as they'd all end up in an unopened pile) because I can always pick one up when I go food shopping and then I have to put my feet up to read it. Maybe while having a face or hair mask on at the weekend .

Flowers every week.maybe buy yourself some suitable vases first if you don't have them. For a fiver, you'll get these in supermarkets:

Freesia are gorgeous, lovely scent. Most of the year round. My favourite.

Irises - spring more likely

Gladioli - autumn especially - get a big vase

Late Spring/Summer - hydrangea (dry them), allium in about May, sea holly in late summer

Snowberries in Autumn

Roses, lillies, lisianthus, astromeira, carnations, chrysanthemums all year round.

@BarryWhiteIsMyBrother low magnesium levels are really common and affect sleep quality. I’ve slept poorly for years, the dr even prescribes several sleeping tablets each month, I was recommended the lotion and I feel like a new woman. I haven’t taken sleeping tablets since I started using it in September!

www.healthline.com/nutrition/magnesium-and-sleep

betteryou.com/health-hub/magnesium-sprays-what-they-are-and-how-to-use-them/

That is great info. I've been having problems sleeping, mainly due to work-related stress. I will definitely give it a shot.

Just a quick update: I was in HomeSense and TKMaxx recently and realised there are plenty of sub-£5 treats in there. Once non-essential shops reopen I think that will be where I'll go on a Saturday to source my treats!

I came on to say tk maxx will be your friend here!

Their little candles are usually £2.99 or £3.99 and you get some really lovely scents.
Similarly, their handsoaps, notebooks etc.

I like the idea of theming the treats per week like a previous poster suggested.

What a lovely idea to do!

I like the theme idea too, and am pinching your idea!

I'm going to upgrade my stationery for work - I don't have a hole punch or stapler, and am using an old tumbler for my pen pot, so in a couple of months my desk will look fabulous!!

What about 'nice' food that's healthy?

Sushi, a nice salad for lunch instead of a packed lunch? Some smoked salmon, or something else that you wouldn't normally buy because it's expensive?

But I don't understand the point of the rule about it having to be exactly £5 a week and not being able to save the money for a bigger treat if you don't spend it one week? What if you see something lovely for a pound or two one week and then don't see something for a while but then see something for £15 - why wouldn't you allow yourself to buy those things?

Op - Aldi & Lidl do some lovely flowers for less than £5. I often treat myself and they seem to last for ages too

Books for my kindle

A bunch of daffs and a magazine

• books
• magazines
• face masks
• bath bombs
• adult colouring book
• a candle
• fluffy socks
• set of eyelashes
• lip balm
• a nice fabric covid mask
• a beauty band
• sleeping mask
• make up brushes
• body butters

I'd be going to b&m or home bargains and seeing what they have! What a lovely idea!!

The Works do loads of fiction novels in a 3 for £5 deal.

I treat myself once a month on payday, £20 budget, as many second hand books as I can get from Amazon, must not exceed £20. Love them coming through the post every few days and having about 6 or so a month to pile through simple pleasure but a huge one to me!

@BarryWhiteIsMyBrother - how about buying yourself a nice hot drink each week, maybe try a different one to what you normally would. A hot choc or latte with whipped cream and if you have money spare grab a biscuit. I know you said no food or drink but this could be on your ‘cheat day’ so it’s both exciting and earned x

I would choose bulbs and seeds. Do you have any hobbies you might like to get things for?

I like the idea of treating yourself once a week but don’t think the rule of not rolling over the £5. For me I wouldn’t be looking to buy something unnecessarily unless it was actually something I wanted - a bit like stocking filling/filler gifts, people don’t actually use them!

Couldn’t your treat a week also have a non monetary value - like an evening in the bath with a glass of wine etc. And then the next week you could spend £10 on something that you wanted out of the £5 budget.

I have a tea subscription thing that I got to brighten up working from home and cut down on the frankly terrifying amount of coffee I was drinking. £4.95 a month for 15 different flavoured teas. Different brands / flavours each month and often they throw in a small extra thing (mini chocolate, wax melt etc). I love trying all the flavours and it’s helped me cut down on caffeine which has improved my mood/sleep.