We all know how important it is to be physically and financially responsible. It’s the reason why you come to this site, to get tips and insight on how to be at your healthiest financially. A large part of being financially responsible is being able to identify when you are spending money on your “needs” as opposed to your “wants”. Prioritizing needs over wants is critical when budgeting and planning. However, your wants should not always be ignored. There are times in our lives when we have to indulge the side of us that’s a little more frivolous.

As a responsible adult, when you work hard, I believe you absolutely have earned the right to indulge yourself from time to time. We have to feed our souls the same way we feed our bank accounts. If being financially responsible is about making sure that your monetary and material needs are being met without worry, shouldn’t that same attention be paid to our emotional and spiritual well-being? It’s important that we treat ourselves as well for our overall health. There are a lot of people today working 50, 60 plus hours a week in order to put food on the table. But are all of those people truly taking care of themselves the same way they are taking care of their wallets? Personally, I don’t feel that one benefits from running the rat race without being able to enjoy the fruits of your labor. [Tweet “As a responsible adult, when you work hard, you have earned the right to reward yourself. “]

When I am working on a major project, whether it be at home, at work or in my personal life, I am sure to reward myself at the end of that project with something like a pedicure or new trinket. If I have worked exceptionally hard and done exceptionally well with my budgeting for the time period, I will do something a little extra like a spa day or a new handbag. And yes I believe in aiming for at least an annual vacation. I may not always get there myself, but I definitely feel that’s worthwhile goal just to recharge and get back to the important things in life. We are all working hard week by week and we have to be responsible for our emotional and spiritual selves as well as our finances. Rest and relaxation are among the number one ways to feed back into your well-being.

So I say go ahead and treat yourself! You know when you deserve a little reward for all of your daily efforts. You can tell when you’re in need of a pick-me-up, or when you should be getting a pat on the back but no one else seems to have picked up on that yet. Do it for yourself. You’ve earned it!

Ladies, how do you reward yourselves in financially responsible ways?

[info_box type=”alert_box”]If you want to practice self-care, you have to care for your finances.  My book, The Happy Finances Challenge, is designed to help you learn to make money decisions that will lead to long-term financial happiness in just 42 days. [/info_box]