Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for HowDoILoveMeCover.jpgI admit, I’m often economical. It’s how I was brought up and also works with my budget. In my DoorMat days I almost always bought the cheapest version of products. It seemed the logical thing to do. Yet I remember visiting a friend occasionally for the weekend. She always had delicious jam for breakfast. Mine was okay, from a discount store. But I loved visiting her because she had goodies I never splurged on.

One day I mentioned to another friend how much I loved the jam and she asked why I didn’t buy it myself. Oh no! it cost more money. My store brand jam was just fine I rationalized. But I thought about it later on, when I’d begun to love myself. Hmmm, didn’t I deserve that jam to have at home? Yes! I did! I actually had palpations thinking about actually spending the money to buy the nicer jam. They had it at a local farmer’s market. But one day I walked down and bought a jar.

The jam was more expensive. I’d always been focused on price and bought the less expensive product, even if I didn’t like it as much. I thought about this when people wrote me that they couldn’t take the pledge to do my 31 Days of Self-Love Challenge because they couldn’t afford it. They felt like their budgets couldn’t handle giving themselves all that love. I used to think that too, until I did the math.

Self-love doesn’t require spending a lot of money. It does mean you consider yourself worth a few more dollars for better products.

Yes, when I did the math I realized that the very yummy jar of fresh jam was only a few dollars more than the one I normally bought. In the past I automatically rejected the higher priced products. Now I know I’m worth the good stuff. And 3 or 4 dollars extra occasionally won’t break the bank! I only eat jam on the weekend so it lasts a while.

The very special bonus is that buying the better product, whether it’s jam or coffee or lotion or a warmer hat or whatever makes you feel good every time you use it so the love continues beyond the initial purchase. Every time I eat the jam, I feel happy.

Think about a product that you buy the cheap version of but know that you’d enjoy the better one more. Buy the better brand!

I remember the first time I bought a non-generic face cream. It smelled nice and felt divine to apply. A friend was visiting when I put it on my face. He laughed when he said I didn’t just put it on, I lovingly applied it. True! Using it made me feel so good, which made me feel more worthy and increased my self-love. For $20 I got a whole lot of love that lasted for months, every day when I put it on.

Find your splurge–a product that says, “I love me!’ and enjoy it! Each time you eat, drink or use it, affirm, “I bought this because I love me!”

Take the self-love challenge and get my book, How Do I Love Me? Let Me Count the Ways for free at http://howdoiloveme.com. And you can post your loving acts HERE to reinforce your intention to love yourself.

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