Monday, January 29, 2024
After the excitement of the holidays is over, it’s easy to experience a lull in your energy and enthusiasm.
Spring feels like a long way away, and it’s hard to fight the deep desire to disappear under the bed covers until warmer weather appears. But with the right plan in place, the winter season can be downright (dare we say it?) fun.
What you need: Tools and tactics for incorporating well-being into your winter lifestyle. This guide has it all, from tips for creating a cozy living space to strategies for seasonal dressing—all with an eye on saving money while feeling your best. Dive into this comprehensive guide to winter wellness and learn how to thrive during some of the hardest months of the year.
Create a realistic winter budget
Your bank account may look slim after the holiday season is over. What you need are simple strategies to cut spending in the winter months while putting away enough cash to still enjoy yourself.
Create savings challenges
If you need to replenish your funds this winter, try turning the chore of saving money into something fun with gamified savings goals, using one of the following challenges:
- $1, $5, or $10 bill challenge: In this challenge, you’ll designate a bill to save. For example, if you choose the $5 bill, every time you receive one as change after making a purchase or as part of a paycheck, you’ll save it in an envelope instead of spending it. This challenge can last days, weeks, or months, and you’ll be surprised how quickly the cash adds up.
- 52-week challenge: Why limit yourself to winter savings?In this challenge, you’ll set aside $1 the first week, $2 the next, and so on, until you save $52 in the final week of the year. If you make it to that final week, you’ll have $1,378 piled up in your savings account.
Use tools to make budgeting simple
Winter well-being activities don’t cost a lot—but they’re not always free, either. Budgeting your finances can help you see what you can spend. From online banking and investing to digital savings programs, finding the right personal finance apps to help manage your money can help you feel less stressed about your spending, so you can enjoy the season more.
If you’ve struggled to track your spending in the past, ask yourself these questions as you search for apps and budgeting tools:
- What are my goals with budgeting? Am I trying to save money, set aside a little extra for winter self-care, get out of debt, or create an emergency fund?
- Is most of my spending fixed (the same amount each month) or variable (different charges depending on the month)?
- Do I manually enter what I spend or does it automatically update?
From there, check out reviews of different budgeting apps to see which might best fit your needs.
Find budget-friendly winter activities
In the winter months, colder weather means many activities move indoors, which might increase the cost. But with a little creativity, you can explore winter wellness activities while spending less.
Consider these options:
- Bargain night skating. Local and municipal ice-skating rinks often have discount nights during the week. Bundle up, bring some friends, and have the hot chocolate ready when you get home!
- Visit your local library. Books, magazines, and DVDs are just the beginning. There are tons of no-cost ways to entertain yourself at the library. Some libraries offer free streaming services to cardholders and free passes to area museums. Others have weekly book groups or monthly programs free of charge. Stop into your local library today to learn more.
- Host a bake off. Who doesn’t love a sweet treat during the cold winter months? Put together a bake-off competition with friends and family where you invite guests to create confections using only ingredients found in their home. Then, come together to playfully critique everyone’s treat. This dessert-based potluck is an opportunity to connect with friends without the spending that comes with hosting a party.
Plan an affordable winter getaway
When the days are short and cold, sometimes the best thing to do is escape. The winter weather can really mess with your spirits, and while things like light therapy, psychotherapy, medication, and even extra vitamin D might help ease symptoms of the winter blues, a trip somewhere sunny could do the trick as well.
Before you dismiss the idea of planning a getaway in the dead of winter as too expensive, know that there are ways to travel on a budget and still end up somewhere warm.
- Travel in the middle of the week. Use online tools like Google Flights and KAYAK to track flights. These services will tell you if you should wait for lower prices or buy now. Avoid flying on Friday and Sunday as these flights cost the most.
- Shop discount travel. Big box stores like Costco offer vacation packages, including theme park tickets, hotel rooms, car rentals, and cruises. Booking multiple services together can save you in the long run.
- Avoid eating out. If you want to stay on budget during a winter getaway, plan to stay somewhere with a kitchenette where you can cook or prepare most of your meals yourself. Splurge on one or two meals out and DIY the rest, and you’ll save big.
- Housesit or house swap. If you don’t mind doing a few chores, consider signing up for a house-sitting service, where you’ll watch someone’s home while they’re away in exchange for a free stay.
Bottom line? Getting away in the winter can be a bargain. Just remember to purchase travel insurance coverage in the event of inclement weather.
Develop a personalized fitness routine
Exercise is an important component of wellness, but creating a winter fitness routine for the colder months can take some creativity. While you might run outside or bike in the summer, it can be harder to do so when the ground is icy and the hours before and after work are dark.
Fortunately, you don’t need a pricey gym membership or boutique fitness classes to stay fit during the winter. These budget-friendly winter wellness tips will keep you active without breaking the bank.
Search for discount memberships
A gym membership doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg. Some fitness centers offer $0 initiation fees during the early weeks of the new year, giving you savings to start your fitness journey.
There are other ways to join a gym for free or very little every month as well.
- Insurance discounts. Many healthcare providers offer discounts to local gyms as a benefit. Contact your insurance company to see if they offer free or discounted gym memberships.
- Workplace benefits. As a return-to-office initiative, some office buildings have added gyms as an amenity. Similarly, some employers offer discounts or credits to employees for having gym membership. Ask your benefits department if your company covers the cost of an employee gym membership or if there’s a gym in your building you can use for free.
Get outdoors
It’s all about layering: With the right cold weather gear (find reviews of the best places to shop, here), a walk or hike can feel invigorating. Rather than shy away from time outside during the winter, take advantage of your narrow weather window to explore sports like snowboarding, cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing.
While these require buying additional equipment, you should be able to find most of it used at a local sporting goods store. You can also rent skis or snowshoes for the day or by the hour for a minimal fee at many municipal or state parks.
Make time for mindfulness
A fitness routine isn’t just about heart-pounding activity. Quieter forms of exercise like yoga, Pilates, or meditation can be part of your winter personal care plan and play an important role in boosting mental health by helping you work on balance, stress-reduction, and fending off the winter blues. (Meditation doesn’t have to mean sitting still for long periods—some forms involve movement.)
Other things to know: There are meditation apps you can download for free and do anywhere, anytime. And yoga classes are offered all over the world, so if you take a vacation, you can scan reviews of yoga studios in various locations to find a class.
Find something you love
While you’ll read articles about the most efficient workouts or how to develop muscles faster, the best winter wellness routine is the one that you stick to. If you despise running on a treadmill or doing deadlifts, look for alternatives. Your fitness routine should be something you look forward to, not something you dread.
Cozy home ideas for winter
Cold weather can mean more time at home, so naturally, you want to make your space feel warm and inviting—without expensive renovations. Here’s how.
Rearrange the room
You can make your living room or den feel brand new without making a single purchase. With some imaginative rearranging of the furniture, you can transform a space into something that feels brand new.
For instance, try shifting your couch to the opposite wall, turning a coffee table lengthwise instead of widthwise, or even swapping items of furniture from one room to another.
Make mood lighting
You can make your home feel instantly cozier with the lighting you use. Overhead lights can be harsh, so you’ll want to use floor and table lamps in your home to create warmer mood lighting. If you’re on a budget, find lamps at your local resale shop, or check out the reviews for lighting stores before making a purchase.
Another quick way to make your home cozy during the winter: Upgrade your lighting with smart LED light bulbs. Many models are programmable with different lighting temperatures and colors so you can customize your lighting experience.
Change small accents
The littlest swaps will make the biggest difference in your home. If your kitchen feels cold, try swapping out the cabinet hardware for rounder, softer knobs and pulls in bronze colors that feel warmer.
Upgrade your office
Working from home in the dead of winter can drain your energy. Upgrade your workspace with personal touches, including photos of friends, family, and vacation memories. If you are shivering at your desk most days, spring for a small space heater or thrift a warm cozy blanket.
Add some personality with a few houseplants. Having greenery by your desk means fresher air and a vibrant workspace.
Breathe easier
If you have seasonal allergies or sensitive skin, the cold, dry air can wreak havoc on your health. Running a humidifier at night in your bedroom can help you breathe easier, leading to a deeper night’s sleep.
It may not be the most aesthetically pleasing, but humidifiers can add moisture back into dry, hot air, protecting you from dry, cracked skin, a sore throat, and chapped lips. If you use a humidifier at home, clean and care for it properly to avoid creating more allergens.
Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. Sail away from the safe harbor.
Get it on 
Download on the 