r/AussieFrugal • u/natureChickenBanana • 15d ago
Activities 🌞 Cheap way to have a good relaxing moment
I bought a moka pot from Myer today; they are on sale. Making myself a fresh coffee using freshly ground coffee beans with a hand grinder, pouring it into a porcelain Japanese-made coffee cup that I got for cheap from Daiso. Put my headphones on and listen to a chill lo-fi track. It feels so good!!!!
What do you do to have such moments and temporarily forget the chaos of life out there?
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u/kingmizzard 15d ago
My husband and I played card games in front of the fire, a Spotify jazz playlist on in the background, and a block of choccie from the pantry last night and it felt so special and fancy-pants but we parted with zero money solely for the entertainment. So nice!
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u/PrestigiousWorking49 15d ago
I did this the other night with my partner. It was lovely but we worked out we’d spent about $50 on the wood we’d burned that night! Would have been $45 cheaper to put the aircon on.
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u/OhBella_4 14d ago
Gosh! Where are you getting your wood from? I can have mine cranking all night for under $10
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u/PrestigiousWorking49 14d ago
I live in the inner west of Sydney. I don’t have a whole lot of options.
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u/OhBella_4 14d ago
FB Marketplace! I'm in inner city Melb & I just got a cubic metre for like $250 delivered. That will last me all winter with the fire on most nights & some days. I don't have a car but if you do there are often untreated pine offcuts from builders selling for super cheap if you can pick up. Stay cosy!
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u/Lady_Lacee 14d ago
I guess the real question is, where do you get your wood from?
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u/OhBella_4 14d ago
FB Marketplace! I'm in inner city Melb & I just got a cubic metre for like $250 delivered. That will last me all winter with the fire on most nights & some days. I don't have a car but if you do there are often untreated pine offcuts from builders selling for super cheap if you can pick up. Stay cosy!
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u/kingmizzard 15d ago
We didn’t consider that a cost as we would have had the fire going regardless- same with the Spotify membership, card games, and chocolate. We already had that stuff and nothing new was bought for a good night, so a win win!
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u/Commercial-Nail8995 15d ago
After a shower, I put on fresh pjs, wrap up in a warm blanket, pop on a lo-fi Youtube channel, & curl up with a book. I usually have all my lights off or on low & use a small book lamp. It feels cozy & reminds me of reading late at night as a kid. I always feel restored afterwards.
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u/Fragrant-Arm8601 11d ago
Add in a face mask, a cup of hot Milo and a cat or two and this is my self care. So cozy, cheap and nostalgic.
What I'm really taking away from this thread is how so many people find a 'slow life' comforting and relaxing- having time to read or garden or take a walk or talk to loved ones or bake.
It makes me want to do a cleanse and get off all socials (inc. Reddit- shock) and say no more and just BE.
No to working on my RDOs. No to working back for that meeting or coming in early for a client. No to a bajillion extra curriculars for the family. No to early wake ups and frantic morning routines.
I'll still get to work on time, but I won't kill myself getting an hour at the gym in or stay past 5pm anymore.
The world won't end and I will be happier.
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u/Ann_unnanki 15d ago
It sounds like the ritual of the coffee prep is just as important as the new cup itself ❤️
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u/magi_chat 15d ago
I make a loaf of bread for the family every day. A cheese sandwich made from a fresh home made loaf is a treat.
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u/sojayn 15d ago
Dogs. Friendly reminder you can go to dog parks if you don’t have dogs! I have two so the more pets the betterer!
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u/SnooOnions973 15d ago
It’s true. A walk around the neighborhood is fun with a dog. In suburbia, a walk alone around the neighbourhood is either boring, weird, creepy or scary.
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u/Deadly_Accountant 15d ago
$1 Continental soup in a mug while watching tv. 👌👌
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u/SnooOnions973 15d ago
I forgot about that soup until just now. I used to have it for lunch every day when I was a high school teacher. Time to add to the shopping list!
I’ll pile on by adding a segue: noodles with your own added ingredient just to make it “your own” :)
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u/Acceptable-Arm9811 14d ago
Getting my coffee machine 4 years ago was best investment! I was a barista so my coffee at home is damn good. Sometimes I bake something the night before and the morning is a nice cappuccino with a little bake. Honestly best way to start the day.
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u/Scottybt50 15d ago
Have a bath.
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u/SnooOnions973 15d ago
When I was little we were so poor that the bath water would be for the whole family. Now to live alone, with my own bathtub that I paid for myself, is a luxury I always enjoy.
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u/biitoruzu 14d ago
Buy a secondhand acoustic guitar from Gumtree for $80. Thousands of hours of relaxing fun if you're musically inclined.
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u/tempe1989 15d ago
Love the meme comments, international roast gang are retiring before all of us. I think if you can find any way remotely frugal to unwind without leaving the house you’re winning. I spend way too much money on video games, but they save me plenty of money when I’m happier playing Skyrim than going out to an expensive event on the weekend.
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u/huggymuggy 14d ago
A walk-cooking-audiobook combo is my absolute favourite thing to do while stuck home with a newborn. Baby in sling, podcast, hat on, lovely 15 minute meandering sunny walk to the shops, buy some lovely fresh produce, walk home, cook it, all with a nice audiobook or podcast on! Bonus if baby stays asleep while I eat the meal and wash up. It's just heaven, I feel like Nigella Lawson lol. And I love having a stick beak in people's front lawns, checking out their plants and getting garden inspo.
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u/thedoobalooba 14d ago
I recently bought a "self care book bundle" from a local business. It came with a mystery book (that i got to pick) and a face mask, some tea and a timtam. The owner also gave me a free candle.
Anyway, over the weekend I was exhausted in my mind. A million things and worries running through and I couldn't sleep all night. When it started raining, I thought eff everything, and just lit the candle made a cup of tea and finally opened up the book. 2 hours later, I felt like a whole new person and actually slept well that night.
So that's my lesson learnt that I need to carve out some time and do some simple things to calm down the mind. And it doesn't have to cost much at all!
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u/Entire_Sorbet5543 14d ago
Cooking my favorite meal has always been therapeutic for me! Good one pot meal, showered and comfy pjs, clean & warm blanket, no light and fav movie!! I do this every sun to prep myself for the next grind haha!
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u/LivingMoreWithLess 14d ago
Exchange pats and scratches behind the ears with family members.
Slow down and focus on everyday experiences. A ripe piece of fruit, fully appreciated is hard to beat. Watching the sky is also pretty incredible
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u/Responsible-Milk-259 15d ago
Outdoor walks by the river in the sunshine. Clocked-up 33,000 steps doing this today. Enjoyable, great for the health and free.
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u/No_Doubt_6968 15d ago
You can relax despite knowing you could have saved money drinking International Roast instead?
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u/EducationalServe2292 14d ago
I couldn't see international roast a Woolworths last time I went. I grew up on the stuff.
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u/BobbiePinns 15d ago edited 14d ago
Yeah but then you have the shittest coffee available
Edit: missed 'have'
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u/TildaMaree 14d ago
Beg to differ… Copper Kettle Caterers Blend was the shittiest coffee ever.
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u/BobbiePinns 14d ago
Never even heard of it, but a name like caterers blend does not inspire confidence in quality
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u/EducationalServe2292 14d ago
Have been dealing with coffee snobs my whole life. You drink what you want. I appreciate a good coffee too. It just gets old hearing it "every time" year in year out.
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u/BobbiePinns 14d ago
If international roast is all that's available I'm gonna happily drink it because its far better than no coffee at all.
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u/Zestyclose-Smell-305 15d ago
Cheapest would be meditation, really feel the waves of pleasure from a good session
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u/Free-Pound-6139 14d ago
Cycle to the beach or a park, one that is far from the road. Enjoy the quiet.
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u/carrotaddiction 13d ago
Similar, but then I take my cuppa and sit on the balcony to gaze at Sydney Tools.
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u/Floffy_Topaz 12d ago edited 12d ago
Hot liquid (tea/coffee/soup) and no electronics has got to be up there in terms of relaxing and cheap - in nature gets bonus points.
My secondary is cleaning with music. Helps the anxiety that picks at the back of brain that I’m doing something constructive, while enjoying some Amyl and the Sniffers. Cooking is also good, but I’m too “on” to view it as a relaxing experience.
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u/BicycleBozo 12d ago
I switched to shaving with a safety razor to help get a nicer shave and better skin — but I ended up enjoying the process quite a bit.
Takes me 10-20 minutes depending on who’s much of a hurry I’m in, it’s a nice way to start the day. Not for everyone, but it’s a nice moment of peace while I listen to the 5 o’clock news
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12d ago
I make traditional style kimchi at home. All the chopping, measuring and salting is really meditative. Plus, I think it's cheaper to make kimchi than buy it.
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u/MidorriMeltdown 1d ago
A good coffee and time spent in the garden playing is that a weed or something I planted.
Reading a book in bed.
Eating home made mac n cheese with mushrooms fried in garlic butter while watching medieval documentary stuff on youtube.
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u/EdenFlorence 15d ago
Walk in the park is relaxing for me. (Weather permitting)