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I'll admit it: I buy $7 oat milk cappuccinos and chocolate croissants before I run errands on Saturdays. When my friends indulge themselves in yoga classes and an afternoon of shopping, they call it "a Meg Day."
December Meg is different. Like the vast majority of Americans, I can't avoid feeling stressed around the holidays. I have to tighten my budget to make sure I can afford cranberry-flavored cocktails at holiday parties and the $80 Skims bodysuit on my sister's wish list — or risk credit card debt.
But when it's cold, it's dark and the airports are packed with people who act like they've never been through a TSA line before, I need extra energy to meet my end-of-year deadlines. So, I've come up with a happy medium. I'm continuing my usual borderline-indulgent self-care routine, but I'm substituting activities that cost $0.
Here are four ways I'm making a little extra time for myself this holiday season that aren't chores, and don't cost a dime.
Free attractions
Every city I've lived in, big or small, is full of twinkling lights and free or low-cost community events around the holidays.
In New York, where I currently live, museums often have designated free or discounted timeslots. You can find other free events here — like tango lessons, silent discos or stargazing on The High Line — fairly easily on social media.
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When I lived In Adrian, Michigan, I checked local college, government and news websites — plus Eventbrite pages and Facebook groups — to find those events, from holiday concerts to tree lighting ceremonies.
This year, I'm attending a lights show and going to a downtown Christmas market with my family back in Grand Rapids, Michigan. My sister promises that she'll help me refrain from buying hot chocolate in a boot-shaped mug.
Window shopping
Dreaming about next year's wardrobe instead of buying it is a fairly obvious way to save cash, if you have enough self-control. But window shopping is tricky for me. I'll never be able to resist a discounted pair of Miista boots.
Instead, I take different routes home so I can see as many holiday-decorated streets as possible — a different form of window shopping with fewer financial consequences. Sometimes, someone will leave their living room lights on, and I'll catch glimpses of evergreen trees adorned in lights, gigantic reflective red bulbs, and paper angels.
Some of my co-workers pursue similar activities that activate their senses, like trying on fragrances, shopping for candles or patrolling grocery store aisle for free samples. It's a smart suggestion: Activating your five senses is a easy way to relieve anxiety, studies find.
Turn my living room into a café — or my bathroom into a spa
I have two hobbies I'm actually good at — ice skating and writing — and at least 12 I've tried once and never picked back up again. I'd like more time to master all of them.
My editor had a good idea: Grab a cozy blanket, put on your favorite playlist, make yourself a fancy hot drink and practice an activity of your choosing for a couple of hours. [Editor's note: That guy seems pretty smart!]
I switched my ceiling lighting for lamps, put on The Beatles and tried to complete a $25 crochet kit I impulsively bought online months ago. I sat under a blanket, sipped ginger tea from my favorite mug and felt generally recharged after two hours — even though I only completed about three rows of my crocheted strawberry.
Between Christmas and New Years, I'll do it again — this time as a DIY spa day, using the countless beauty products I've amassed over the years that I rarely use.
My editor will be happy, and likely unsurprised, to learn that his suggestion is backed by science: Practicing something creative can make you a better problem solver, psychologists say. And the simple act of play can relieve stress and build social skills and mental resilience, no matter how old you are, research shows.
Catch up with an old friend — or don't
Holidays can be celebratory, stressful and comforting all at once, and everyone handles that tension differently. Some people, for example, benefit from scheduling a phone call with a friend before or after group events.
I'm actually the opposite: My social and family obligations tire me out, because I feel like I need to be "on" during most of my waking hours to meet everyone's expectations. So, in the weeks leading up to Christmas, I schedule in "stare-at-the-wall" time.
Being alone, and in quiet, gives you time to reflect, process difficult emotions and be more present when you're ready to rejoin the word, University of Pennsylvania religious studies professor Justin McDaniel told me in 2022. After a few minutes of sitting in actual silence, I scroll on my phone, watch Thanksgiving episodes of "Gossip Girl" or do laundry.
The downtime recharges me so I can bicker with my family about which holiday movie to watch on Christmas Eve.
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