Because my post made even ME miserable, here are some free, or for-pennies moments DD and I have found over the last few months. They aren’t much, but there are something.
‘Treat’ Fridays. The cheapest bar of chocolate or pack of baked stuff Aldi has to offer, unlimited screen time and whatever DD wants to yak on about from Tik tok or Roblox to me. No bedtime. And hotdog sausages from a can. Sometimes a ‘disco’. Sometimes I do a treasure hunt for the chocolate. Sometimes she does me a quiz night. We’ve had one or two ‘all night’ gaming sessions. (She thought it was a huge treat)
A movie marathon on Saturday nights - I make pizza and we snuggle under blankets and watch whatever films we can find.
Spa Sundays. I make a face mask out of stuff out of the kitchen (oats and milk or olive oil and sugar. It doesn’t matter) paint her toenails for her, leave regular conditioner on longer and wrap in a towel. I let DD have a bath. I make meatless roast (just the trimmings), and she chooses a dessert to bake (apple crumble or jam tarts, usually)
To be honest, I could live without those. My small pleasures are tiny. But there are still some.
I try to walk the dogs at sunrise or sunset. There’s something special about a sunset. And we are lucky in that we have green spaces to walk in and breathe.
I take my morning coffee out into the sun if there is any. I have few flowers this year, but there are usually some bees and swifts to watch. I can’t feed the wildlife, but I can water them, and the birds and insects still come to the water. We had hedgehogs in the dry spell and I even saw my first (live) badger. DD loves to make ‘homes’ for wildlife out of whatever she can find in the garden, so that often keeps her occupied.
I make homemade bread (when I make pizza) to have with my vegetable soup for lunch. I freeze it, so it’s fresh all week. ‘Fresh‘ rolls are a real luxury that never gets old for me, and cost just pennies. DD likes to make novelty shapes with the dough. I add fresh herbs from the garden to my soups too. After lunch I meditate (which I suck at, but it’s free and it’s supposed to help) and make fresh mint tea with mint from my garden. Then I take a nap. Naps are free and feel very self-indulgent.
I am a keen gardener, although I have had to scale back, I’ve still had herbs, some veg and lots of fruit growing. Some veg is very cheap and easy to grow if you have even a little space. Strawberries, raspberries, blackcurrants, apples and lettuce and herbs are very easy, cheap to get started and are worth it. I’ve made soft fruit jams, ice lollies and random gin-based cocktails with blackcurrant and mint. No, it’s not fever tree tonic, but it’s something. Rosemary, thyme and Oregano add really lovely flavour to cheap veggies. Mint and chamomile make lovely tea. Chives and lettuce are a nice salad. Cooking Apples make lovely desserts. A few cheap cut flowers like cosmos or sunflowers are easy and would be very cheering (I never quite get it together with them myself)
We have board game nights once a week. DD is very competitive and loves Labyrinth, Clue and monopoly. I also try and keep a jigsaw going. We each do bits when we are passing or chatting. I sell them on market place when we are done and buy another one, and a relative gave us a load we are working through. We do stargazing lying out in the garden and DD has an app to learn the names of constellations. (She’s into really vacuous astrology stuff, so she thinks it’s interesting)
My mum bought me huge bottles of bergamot and lavender essential oil for my birthday. I put a few drops on a tissue in my drawers to scent my clothes, as they are my favourite smells. I sprinkle them on old rags and stuff them behind radiators to scent rooms, too.
I line dry my bedsheets whenever it’s sunny and change my sheets on a Sunday. Fresh, line dried sheets smell wonderful and feel like a real treat to me.
I do yoga with Adrienne or Sarah Beth on YouTube at bedtime. Not quite a class, but not bad and it does feel good.
I follow a couple of YouTubers. Mainly flower farms and gardeners and some Vanlife travels. I suppose it’s the ‘influencer’ thing, but they are free entertainment (I used to get magazines) and it’s something new. You have to put up with ads, but at least it means they get paid for their content and I don’t need to part with cash.
if I have to go anywhere - an appointment or anything - I find something free nearby. A new walk or some ruins or something. We take a picnic or hot chocolate and cake and have a day exploring. Very occasionally we get a bag of chips and take them to a lake or somewhere. (I used to take our camper away for free nights in the Britstop scheme and do less local national trust days out or random free stuff, but the petrol is too expensive now, so we have to stay local)
Our dogs. They aren’t free, but we already had them and they get me out, Dd adores them and training them, walking them, petting them and laughing at their goofy antics is worth a lot. We also go to monthly breed meets which DD loves and is only £3.
Tiny pleasures, I know. But they’ve kept me going through the leanest of times and they are something. Some of them I’ll keep going. Some I hope to replace with more luxurious luxuries one day very soon. I can’t wait to have a hot bath, a proper G and T, a decent steak (or fish and chips!) and buy the latest book from one of my favourite authors! But in the meantime, clean sheets and fresh rolls will tide me over.