Living Well At Home: High Summer Staycation... On A Budget

Photo by Micheile Henderson 

With July now being in full swing, I want to make sure I embrace the magic of high summer while social distancing. Just because I'm staying at home a lot, doesn't mean I can't make my weekends feel special. To be honest, my weekdays are still filled with a decent amount of anxiety and long to-do lists. Add in the non-stop news alerts I get from my subscriptions, and it creates the perfect emotionally draining storm. I'm getting better at managing those emotions, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't put more pressure on myself on Mondays-Thursdays. And that's where the cherished weekend comes in.  Because weekends, now those are still precious and as carefree as possible with everything that's going on. The weekends tend to be when I let myself relax and catch up on fun. So here is my frugal, at-home staycation game plan for this weekend!

Friday Evening

1. Pick up a bottle of wine and flowers to go with my healthy and delicious dinner. I'm going to make chicken kabobs with a side of broccoli. And now it's time to set the scene. Put flowers on the table, eat and drink from pretty tableware, play good music, and make sure the area is clean and clutter-free... that's how you take an ordinary dinner to the next level.  
2. Light candles and settle in for a feel-good movie. Disney Plus is WHERE IT'S AT!!!
3. Spa Time!  I'm going to give my hands and feet a coconut oil treatment and then paint my nails while watching the movie and drinking wine. Then I'll do a face mask and hair treatment before curling up into bed with a poetry book. 

Saturday Morning 

1. Morning self-guided therapy session using the Bloom and Sanity & Self apps 
2. Decorate the balcony with flowers for breakfast/coffee 
3. Read on the balcony while drinking coffee 
4. Try on new clothes and have a photoshoot 

Saturday Afternoon 

1. I'm taking 2-3 dance/pole classes and will work on my stiletto heels choreography! Ahhh! I'm so excited. 
2. Maybe run to target to look at home decor or convince my roommate to drive me to home goods. 

Saturday Evening 

1. Photoshoot round two because taking photos during the evening in prime. 
2. If the weather is nice, I'm going to eat dinner on my balcony. Not sure what I'll cook. Maybe turkey burgers. Or maybe I'll order out and walk to pick it up. Either way, I'm dressing up! 
3. I'm leaving the evening a little open because if the weather is nice, I'm going for a nice walk with a drink I'll make at home. If the weather is poo, I'll stay home and paint or start the illustration course or something like that. 

Sunday Morning

1. Tidy up home ... because cleaning while the apartment is quiet is really therapeutic. 
2. Get ready for brunch - I'm cooking brunch with a few friends because it's safer and cheaper. 

Sunday Afternoon 

1. Cook brunch with friends 
2. Shenanigans - gotta keep the afternoon open and go with the flow. 

Bunch Outfit Statement Pieces 

Sunday Evening 

1. Prep for the next week while watching a comedy. 
2. Do some online window shopping because I have a long list of items I want to get to spruce up the home and have yet to bite the bullet and purchase any of them. Time to fix that and budget for what I want. 

I know it's nothing fancy, but I want to challenge myself to have a fun weekend without spending a ton of money (other than on home decor that I'll buy on sale and budget for). My ideal weekend would be to go to a private lake house or beach house here in the NYC/NJ area, but I'm not on that level yet. So for now, I'll turn my weekends at home into a little escape. What are your weekend plans?