A mother certainly wants the best for her children. Tirelessly, mothers dedicate time every day to care for, raise and educate their children. But sometimes, doing everything at the same time is not easy, draining a lot of time and energy. It’s not uncommon for mothers to experience burnout.
To deal with it, many mothers want to give themselves self-rewards. But often, mom guilt as well as the feeling of only thinking about herself appears. It's a shame if the money is used for self-rewards, when it can be saved for children's education funds.
Self reward is important, even for a mother. Self reward is a form of self-appreciation for the various efforts you have made so far as a mother. Thus, self reward becomes an inevitable part of the process of being a good mother.
Self Reward Without Mom Guilt, What Should Be Done?
1. Set aside special time for yourself on a regular basis
One form of self-reward is to spend special time for yourself to do hobbies or simple things. For example, wake up 30 minutes earlier to breathe fresh air while greeting nature and then sip a cup of hot tea in the morning.
You can also take inspiration from certified financial planner Annisa Steviani's self-rewards.
“I like to make time for hobbies. This hobby is whatever we like to do, it doesn't need to make money. We can also get enough undisturbed sleep and exercise such as cycling," said Annisa during the Mother Makin Jago 1st Anniversary event, one of the community events organized by Bank Jago.
2. Join a support network
To encourage each other and ensure that mothers are always practice self care through self rewards, you can join a support network, such as the Ibu Makin Jago who just celebrated its anniversary in January 2023.
This support network can also be a place where you and fellow mothers can confide in each other or share experiences in raising children, managing a family and managing household finances, for example.
3. Don't forget to rest
Another simple form of self-reward is to give yourself enough time to rest. Adequate rest is important to ensure that you as a mother is always healthy so that you can carry out your responsibilities properly.
In addition to sufficient rest time, make sure you also eat on time to ensure that your body is always healthy and doesn't get sick easily.
4. Save money for self-rewards and manage finances well
Of course, you can spend money to reward yourself with something. Annisa Steviani also does it regularly.
“There are times when I entrust my children to my family for a while. So, I have time alone at home. At times like this I like to order my favorite food and have it delivered to me. Self-reward doesn't always have to be us leaving the house, shopping at the mall, watching movies or meeting friends, it could also be people at home (husband and children) who are asked to leave for a while, and we enjoy “me” time at home," said Annisa.
The important thing is to ensure that self-rewards don't use the money that has been allocated for other expenses or sacrifice existing savings. For example, dipping into your emergency savings for self-rewards.
To avoid mom guilt when doing self-rewards, Annisa has important tips for managing finances.
“First, make sure that household income is greater than expenses. You do this by being disciplined in budgeting. Budgeting can be done weekly, monthly or even annually, depending on needs. Start with priority spending and savings such as emergency fund and children's education fund.”
“Then, start setting aside money for self rewards. For self-rewards that require more money and are only done once every six months, for example, you can autosave so that saving becomes automatic," said Annisa.
Save Money for Self-Rewards in the Jago Pocket
To make it easier when doing budgeting, you can use the Jago Pocket. Separate each need into its own Pocket. It feels like separating money into paper envelopes, but it's done digitally for the sake of convenience.
Each Pocket can be personalized as desired. You can have a Self Reward Pocket, Monthly Bills Pocket, Emergency Fund Pocket, all in 1 application, the Jago application.
You can also save automatically with Jago. In the Self Reward Pocket, for example, you can activate the Autosave feature so you can avoid the hassle of moving money to the Pocket.
By doing budgeting regularly, you maintain financial health, ensure that all needs are met properly, including self-reward needs.
For those who are not used to it, budgeting may feel quite challenging at first. Annisa also admits this.
“Making a budget isn't that instantaneous, especially for those who are just starting to try or are still in the early stages. It may take quite a long time to be able to manage household finances well. But, it doesn't mean you can't. Everything is work in progress. The important thing is that we are always passionate and disciplined in doing it.”
Jagoans, make sure you always take the time to appreciate yourself to become even a better mother!
To avoid mom guilt when doing self rewards, you need to also be great at managing money. Don't forget to use Jago and its features.
