1. Real Simple Magazine
2. ice cream
3. Time to spend on the internet
4. free scrapbooking stuff (I earn it by helping run the website)
5. girls night out with my sisters- and cousins-in-law once a month
6. lunch with my husband's grandma on Mondays (she always treats!)

1. Shopping by myself (even grocery shopping or window shopping)
2. Fast food (my weekness)
3. Internet time.

__________________
~Happiness is a large family~

1. Chai Tea Latte w/ non-fat milk and a sprinkle of cinnamon powder from Starbucks.
2. My own homemade tea
3. A trip to the frabic store - by myself!
4. A trip to the bookstore - by myself!

Reading, taking a bath, internet time, watching a chick flick

1. Time to scrapbook without interruptions from the kids.
2. Shopping without kids.
3. Playing with the kids when they are not arguing with each other.
4. Lunch or dinner out with my husband.

~ Root soy candles - bought at the bargain basement! Here in Ohio we have the wonderful Root Candle Company and their even more wonderful (though very un-glam) bargain basement. First I'll go to the wonderful Huge store and feel pampered just Looking at all the wonderful candles. I'll note the scents I like, then...almost as an afterthought...go to the bargain basement and get the same candle, with a *slight* flaw, most of the times I can't even tell what it is, for about $15 Less than the 'perfect' ones. I have one burning now, it is the large Yankee Candle size, that I got for $8 that retails for $22 if I would have gotten it perfect. The flaw? The lip has a teeny tiny 'blip' on the edge of the glass. I'm burning 'Candy Cane' right now!

~My Paul McCartney Starbucks card. I make it frugal. Last (school) year I put $20 on it and still have a balance on it. I go there as a treat - But get the Short, (which is $1 I think) and then I tell them to add a shot of caramel flavouring to it. (50 cents). Most of the times the people behind the counter just charge me the refill size (I think 50 cents) for the coffee! Then I go to the seating area, people watch, usually 'glean' a newspaper someone left, maybe find a coupon or two in it, and then go on my way. A nice way to unwind for $1.50!

~ Festive paper napkins (not green, I know) I can get them so inexpensive (2 for 89 cents) for 2 packs of 20. I get them for all holidays and they make the table look so nice and warm.

~ Ralph Lauren Candlelight paint enhancer. At $50 a gallon it is *technically* not frugal - until you see it and what it can do for a room. You put it on top of your paint colour and it 'frosts' your paint to make it look light you are in candlelight. A gallon will go a Long way and transform your room to look like it was wallpapered professionally! A gallon will do a lot of rooms - very frugal to change the entire appearance of your walls!

Those are some of my favourites.

Great thread,

Got me thinking that maybe I don't treat myself often enough. I like to take baths but I don't do it very often lately.

My favorite girl treat is going to lunch with a friend or with my mother.

I also love having coffee with my neighbor while the kids play. If we're lucky they let us finish our sentences once in a while!!

I really have to find some more.

__________________
Marie - SAHM of DS Benjamin (april 2004) and DD Rose (march 2006).

~Falling asleep with my son after we read books together before naptime.
~Visiting my family up north.
~Getting into the tub with my son (fully clothed) and stomping around like Indians to be silly. We've done this twice before - washes my stresses right away!
~Decluttering/cleaning alone with worship music on.
~Making food from scratch (bread like I used to with my grandma, pies like I did with Mom, cookies with my son, etc).
~going to MOPS twice a month
~"special time" with DH after DS is asleep
~Going shopping with my son - we have a tradition now. He gets a free cookie (we have one of those cookie kid cards) and I buy a small soda, and he rides around in the big kid chunky car attached to my cart and we shop. Then at the checkout, he puts things up on the belt for me. Sometimes we have meltdowns (like when he wants to spend a half hour break dancing on the huge store logo that's painted on the floor), but overall it's a pleasant thing.
~Eating my dinner when it's HOT (I think I can count one one hand the number of times this has happened in the 3 years since Elijah's joined us. LOL)

I need to do these things more often too; and find more things that I enjoy that are frugal yet satisfying. I don't care for myself like I should and sometimes I feel like I spend so much time serving everyone else that I'm the last one on the list and it can be wearying and frustrating. Thanks for reminding me of the simple things I can do - I'm going to try to do them more often!

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1. Some uninterrupted time for myself.
2. Some time for just DH and me together
3. My favorite splurge is Sonic's peach sweet tea.
4. Plain dark chocolate.

A great library book, hot cup of tea, and some quiet time.