I’m not going to lie to you guys, this last week has been tough for me. The husdude and I are in the middle of moving and adulting in ways we have never adulted before, plus we both got sick this week. Between work, packing, getting sick, and adulting, I feel like I’ve barely had time to sleep, let alone do the self-care thing. Which, I guess, is why it’s been on my brain all week.

I’ve written about self-care before, but one of my favorite (and adult-y) ways of performing self-care is with thoughtful retail therapy. Specifically, I love buying little things that will make me smile (“spark joy,” for you Marie Kondo fans) but that I’ll also use in my self-care exploits later.

It’s a self-care one-two punch, if you will – self-care now, self-care later.

A word of caution: please don’t wreck yourself. If you’re on a budget, a splurge here and there won’t bankrupt you, but know thineself and know thy limits. Here are the little things I like to splurge on when shopping for self-care items:

Table of Contents

Candles

Row 1: Etsy | Etsy | Target | Target // Row 2: Nordstrom | Etsy | Barney’s New York | Anthropologie

I am low-key at my most basic in the candle aisle at Target because I love me a scented candle.

There’s something about lighting a candle and relaxing on the couch with a good book or giving yourself a mani-pedi. I like to think of these little hygge bombs as an investment; a more expensive candle tends to not only burn longer, but have a stronger, less synthetic scent.

For extra relaxation during your self-care session, opt for scents like lavender, jasmine, vanilla, and pine, which have mood-boosting and relaxation properties. Scents like musk, sandalwood, coffee, or bergamot will add an extra cozy, home-y vibe.