How To Reward Yourself And Stick To Your Budget

A life in which you are not rewarded for your hard work and your determination or even loyalty is a disheartening, dispiriting journey. Without reward, whether it comes from someone else like an employee or a loved one, from yourself, or even for rewards when shopping, you will begin to lose motivation and become much less productive. More crucially, perhaps, you will also become much more unhappy. Therefore, it is clear that being rewarded is vital to get the most out of life. It can be hard to do when you’re on a budget, and if you are wanting to reward yourself for saving money or paying off debt, it can be harder still. That doesn’t mean it is impossible, though, and here are six ways to do it.

Take A Walk

Going outside and breathing in the fresh air can be a wonderful reward, particularly if you usually are inside throughout the day. It is something that you can really look forward to, and you can allow yourself this ‘freedom’ outside once you reach a specific goal during your day, for example. Take a stroll around the block, or go farther afield and visit a nearby park or woodland. If you live close enough, why not head to the beach? Don’t let the weather affect your ability to go outside! Come rain or shine; this is an ideal reward that will actually help you.

Being outdoors will clear your mind and allow you to think more easily. It’s perfect if you’re stuck on a project and need a different perspective, and as such, it is the best way to reward yourself when you reach one goal before moving on to the next.

Go For Lunch

We all need to eat, but making a sandwich at home just doesn’t have the same kind of rewarding feeling that going out to lunch will give you. If you’ve done an excellent job and you’re really proud of yourself, take yourself out to lunch somewhere. You’ll enjoy the food even more than you would at home, and you can get away from your familiar surroundings too. You don’t have to head to somewhere overly fancy if you’re sticking to a budget; a local café or sandwich bar is perfectly fine. You might even grab something from a grocery store and sit somewhere beautiful to enjoy it. What you eat is far less important than the act of getting out of the house and finding something different.

If you can go out to lunch with friends, that’s even better, especially if they know that this is a reward and they offer to foot the bill for you. Whatever you do, make sure that you’re not going to be paying more than your budget will allow, or you won’t enjoy the food and will instead be worrying about how to pay for it all, undoing all the good you’re trying to do.

Buy One Fabulous Thing

This option should really only be used when you have done something major, for smaller tasks that have been completed, smaller rewards are in order. However, if you feel you deserve something impressive as a reward, then you can ‘splurge’ a little and buy one fabulous thing. It could be a new piece of clothing or jewelry, or perhaps a vacation away. Maybe it is something you have always wanted. The important thing to remember is that this needs to be planned well in advance. You need to know what your goal is and have specific guidelines for achieving it. You should also know exactly how much you intend to spend on your reward, and ensure that you can afford it without putting yourself into financial difficulties. If the reward is more expensive, then it could be delayed. You know you have achieved what you needed to achieve, and you now need to ensure that you have the money to pay for your reward. This kind of delayed gratification can even make your achievement feel even better, making you happier in the process.

Add To Your Collection

Something that often works well as a reward system is to add something new to your collection. You might collect coins from The Token Shop, for example, or books by a specific author. Perhaps it is a particular type of ornament, or music by a favorite band. Whatever it is, rewarding yourself by increasing your collection can be ideal. Every time you enjoy your collection, you can remember past achievements, and this will then push you on to do more. The memories linked to these small but important items will be something to cherish for life.

Relax

A reward that might be missed out on many occasions but that is all-important is relaxation. The world is a busy place, and there always seems to be something else to do, with the list of tasks and chores going on and on. It is why, when you have the chance to relax, and you can use this time to reward yourself, you should take it! Relaxation can be as simple as lying down and recharging yourself for 10 minutes. It might take the form of reading a book or listening to your favorite music. It can be anything because everyone relaxes differently, but the critical point is that it should be enjoyable and it should get you ready to take on the next task without becoming overloaded, stressed, and miserable.

Save Up

When you are saving money, it can be hugely rewarding to log into your bank account and see the money building up. This can, therefore, be an excellent way to reward yourself in general. When you have achieved something you have set out to do, especially when you have saved money in the process, you can reward yourself by moving money into your savings account and enjoying the fact that you are being responsible and clever while counting your money. This is hugely rewarding and really can spur you on to do a lot more.