33 ways to spoil yourself for $20 or less aka ME GIFTS

Fun fact about my mom's house: There is an plethora (who says you don't use SAT words in real life!) of magazines to assist in my procrastination from doing pretty much anything. The other day I found myself thumbing through an old issue of Shape magazine with Lauren Conrad on the cover. If you don't know who Lauren Conrad is:

                            1. Like, ohmigod! Like, where have you been for, like, the past 4 years?
                            2. She is famous for acting singing um. . . .
                                being herself on camera on the now defunct reality show, The Hills

Anyways, Miss Conrad said that the when she needs motivation to go to the gym she simply goes out and buys a brand new workout wardrobe.**  Now, if I had a spare $500 - who are we kidding, a pair of pants at lululemon (www.lululemon.com) costs $100, so a new wardrobe would be more like $1000 - a  month to spend on cute workout pants and tank tops, I'd probably be skipping my happy butt to the gym too.  But not because I had new (overpriced) outfits, but because I had a spare $1000!  Unfortunately, I do not receive paychecks from:  reality shows, movie cameos, BOOK DEALS (Don't get me started on that one. The envy and contempt might build up and cut off my circulation), endorsement deals or clothing lines.  Thus, going out and reenacting the shopping scene from Pretty Woman (but in the Nike Store) is tragically, freakin' impossible.

  Reading this article happened to coincide with me accidentally weighing myself earlier in the day.  Now I say "accidentally" because it was not planned and if I hadn't literally tripped (How coordinated are you first thing in the morning?) over the scale, I wouldn't have weighed myself for a few more weeks.  But the scale was right there, so I weighed myself and LO AND BEHOLD - I've lost 10 lbs. so far!!!!!! I got to thinking about ways that I can keep myself motivated/ treat myself for a job well done within MY budget (not L.C's) ~ which is about $20: a $20 "Me Gift".  So, since I have NO LIFE these days, I took it upon myself to go to a few stores (TJ Maxx, Ross, World Market, Pier 1 Imports, etc) and write down some ideas for ways you can treat yourself for $20 or less that can either motivate you to go to the gym or symbolize some small accomplishment you've made by going.

 Oh yeah, I didn't want to include anything food related because I'm trying to get away from the idea of using food as a reward or punishment.  That's what got me in this predicament in the first place.  I've been using food in the same way a cutter uses a sharp object for far too long.  So you can put food on your $20 "ME GIFT" list, but it's staying off of mine.  I've come too far to revert to bad habits. 

So here's a few ideas for some $20 "Me Gifts". Go out and spoil yourself!

1. New workout pants ~ $12.99 ~ TJ Maxx
2. 15 new music downloads from iTunes ~ $19.35 (assuming you get the $1.29 download. What happened to the .99 downloads? Aren't you rich enough Steve Jobs????)
3. 1 Year subscription to magazine (Shape, Cosmo, Men's Health, etc)  ~ approx. $15.00 (O Magazine is $18 - but she can do that because she's Oprah)
4. Yoga Mat ~ $10.99 ~ TJ Maxx (fun designs and colors!)
5. Used copy of Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill ~ $7.50 ~  Amazon (if you have not read this book, BUY IT!!! It's about have a richer, fuller life. . . . not bank account!!)
6. Used copy of The Biggest Loser Cookbook: More than 125 Healthy Recipes Adapted from NBC's Hit Show ~ $5.00 ~ Amazon
7. Movie ticket ~ $11.00 +$ .30 banana + $2.67 edamame (so you aren't tempted with movie snacks) = $13.97
8. Used workout dvd (Examples: Bollywood Dance Workout, Pussycat Dolls Workout, Luscious: the Bellydance Workout) ~ approx. $7.99 - Amazon
9. Manicure AND pedicure  ~$18 (Impossible you say? Nope. Take advantage of the penny saver that comes in the mail.  I found THREE coupons for local nail salons that gave 20% - 30% discounts on mani/pedis)
10. 1 huge candle ~ $15 ~ Pier 1 Imports 
11. Mr. Bubbles ~ $4.65 ~ Walmart
12. decorative vases ~ $14.95 ~ Pier 1 (Instead of flowers, write a motivating quote on a piece of paper, put the paper on a stick and "plant" in vase.  You have a motivating bouquet!)
13. Leather Journal ~ $12.19 ~ Walmart
14. Fresh cut flowers ~ $15.00 (put those by your bed! Really puts me in a good mood to wake up to fresh flowers) ~ Farmers Market
15. Gym/ Beach bag ~$14.50 ~ Old Navy
16. Flip Flops ~ $5.00 ~ Old Navy (new shower shoes after your hard workout!)
17. Sports bra ~$15.00 ~ Old Navy
18. Reusable, Steel H2O bottle ~ $5.00 ~ Old Navy
19. Pajama pants ~ $14.50 ~ Old Navy (If your day isn't made a little bit better by some cute pajama pants. . . tisk, tisk)
20. Super cute scarves for any season ~ $9.99 ~ World Market
21. Toss pillows ~$9.99 ~ World Market (congratulate yourself for snazzing up your body by snazzing up your house)
22. Picture frame ~ $5.00 ~ Ross (save the picture for when you achieve your goal!)
23. This one is exclusively for Ms. Liz Custer - - - - TEAM EDWARD STEEL WATER BOTTLE ~ $4.99 ~ Ross
24. Four 12oz mugs ~ $5.99 ~ Ross
25. Used camera ~ $19.00 ~ Amazon (Yes! USED CAMERA for under $20!!!)
26. Timex Sports Digital watch ~ $14.99 ~ Target (and it wasn't ugly, it was water resistant, and something else - - - I tuned out when the guy was talking)
27. Kiss My Face Cleansing Mask ~ $9.94 ~ CVS (Make a spa day at home! Also, I'm not advocating Kiss My Face brand.  It just happened to be the one I saw for $9.94 so don't get mad at me if you try it and don't like it)
28. Personalized cosmetic bag ~ $15.95 ~ http://www.personalizationmall.com/
29. Personalized golf ball set ~ $18.35 ~ http://www.personalizationmall.com/ (thought I forgot about the men-folk, didn't you?)
30. Relaxation cd ~ $10.18 ~ Target (+ Mr. Bubbles and that is a great night if you ask me)
31. Dry Erase Board for the fridge ~ $8.50 ~ Office Depot (write down your goals, your progress, the date that Glee comes back on TV!)
32. GEL BIKE SEAT ~ $11.99 ~ Target
33. Polka-dot terry towel wrap ~ $16.99 ~ Target (get ready in the locker room without having to worry about your towel falling and maybe/ possibly screaming in embarrassment)

Whew!!!! Ok, that's 33.  Since I just turned the big 3-3 last week, I feel that's a good number to stop on. 

Just a few ideas to show you that you don't need an entire new wardrobe to congratulate yourself on trying something new OR to motivate yourself to do it. 

Oh yeah, If anyone's wondering if I would "keep it real"  with $20 Me Gifts if/when I hit it rich, the answer is . . . .HELL TO THE NO SUCKAS!!! Right after I moved on up to the East Side to a deluxe apartment in the sky, I would hop on a private jet just to have lunch some country where only rich people seem to be allowed to go (Ibiza, St. Tropaz perhaps?).  And after a few months weeks days hours, when I had forgotten my old, simpleton life (where I had to - what's that word again?? Bu. . . Bu . .oh yeah! BUDGET) I'm sure I will think it normal to buy a brand new workout wardrobe every time I needed motivation to go to the gym . . . just like Lauren Conrad.



** Now of course, I can't find the issue with Lauren Conrad on the cover. It must have fallen behind something after I threw it across the room after having to read about her 3 book publishing deal.  But I think it was the January 2008 issue