But, instead, you spend your days working, catering to the needs of others, running errands, paying bills, filing taxes and completing all of life’s endless obligations. There will always, always be tasks to finish. Putting them off for just a bit won’t hurt. They’ll still be there when you get back.

Check out these simple ways to indulge yourself for free, or even cheap, and enjoy a little ‘you’ time more often.

Movie Marathons or a Television Series

Snuggling underneath a blanket with a bag of popcorn, a few chocolates and your cat or dog, turning on a movie and staying put for a few hours is one of life’s simple pleasures. Do your best to block off one Saturday afternoon a month to spend reconnecting with your favorite movies, watching new ones, or going through a television series on Netflix or Hulu Plus. Watching TV and eating snacks for hours on end is incredibly fulfilling. It’s also nice to be spontaneous and spend time relaxing that you would’ve spent running errands or doing something responsible. The next time you wake to a rainy or snowy Saturday morning, skip your run or morning workout just this once, and enjoy life.

Baking Initiatives

Baking is a pretty time consuming task, and a bit of a luxury. You don’t have 2 hours in the middle of the day to make a pan of cream cheese brownies, right? Maybe not. Stock pile recipes that you’d like to prepare, and then spend an afternoon a month baking with friends, listening to music and sharing the latest gossip. You’ll be rewarded with plenty of delicious treats you can sit around and enjoy with a bowl of ice cream and a good movie. It’s a great, cheap way to spend time with friends on a personal level.

Crafts or DIY Projects

Crafting, much like baking, can be incredibly time consuming. Even for those who enjoy crafting and DIY projects, they often require an entire weekend, tons of supplies and a lot of energy. Choose a craft or project you’d like to complete around the house and then spend the month purchasing the supplies, getting things ready and arranging a weekend you can spend getting it done. Do the project with a friend or spouse for added fun, and buy delicious teas or hot cocoas you can sip on while you work!

Weekend Getaways

Nothing says, “I’m taking some me time,” quite like packing up a bag and getting out of town for the weekend. Pick a close place you’ve always wanted to visit, or a special spot you’ve been meaning to go back to and make it happen! Plan ahead or be spontaneous, whatever suits your style! Whether you travel alone or take a friend, you’ll come back feeling refreshed, renewed and ready to pick up where you left off.

Streamlining To-Do Lists

All of those little tasks you have to complete on a daily basis add up to make for one big headache. Anything you can do to streamline your list of things to do will give you more time to enjoy doing things you want to do. Services like automatic bill pay, online banking, grocery delivery, or laundry service can help save you valuable hours each week.

This year is the year where you should finally learn to carve out time for you. Every now and then, be selfish and lazy for a few hours. When you return to the ‘real world’, you’ll be surprised to find it’s just the same as you left it.

Megan enjoys cycling, blogging on behalf of MyGofer.com and spending time with her adorable Yorkie puppy, Alexa. You can find her on twitter (@thatgirlmegan) or online at www.thatgirlmegan.com

thatgirlmegan

Megan Brown is a social media networker at Slingshot SEO. When she's not at the gym attempting to multitask while on the treadmill, Megan spends her time cycling, cheering on the Milwaukee Brewers, blogging, and catering to every need of her yorkie pup Alexa.

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One day I asked my sister, who is the family Christmas cookie provider every year, what I was doing wrong. She replied with a chuckle, “Kath, you can bake, it’s easy. The difference between baking and cooking is to follow the recipe EXACTLY when baking. Once you master a baking recipe then put your own spin on it.”

Those words stuck in my head and in 2009, I overcame my baking phobia. I started out baking simple recipes followed by a whole lot of reading. In hindsight, those steps were totally out of sequence and resulted in quite a few “just okay” baked goods early on. Cakes, muffins, and sweet breads have been my primary baking focus since that time.

My Top Five Baking Tips for Novice Bakers:

1. Baking Ingredients – Baking is a science and, unlike cooking, requires following the directions specifically. Adding a little of this or a bit of that without understanding the roll of baking ingredients is grounds for baking failure. Culinate.com offers helpful insight and reliable information specific to the science of baking. AP flour and cake flour are not the same. Gain knowledge of flours, leavening agents, and fats before experimenting. Trust me on this fact.

2. Baking Pans – Baking cakes in dark colored pans and glass baking dishes produce darker sides and sometimes even a crusty edge. Shiny metal pans produce a better cake and bake more evenly. One remedy for dark and glass baking pans is to set the oven at a lower temperature. I had success with muffins at a lower temperate but not cakes. To resolve this, I purchased these inexpensive shiny cake pans.

3. Baking Mixes – Start with simple recipes that call for mixes. Using cake, cookie, and brownie mixes in now way constitutes cheating according to my baking friends. In fact, some of the most delicious and beautiful desserts I baked began with a mix.

4. Prepare to Bake – Read the recipe completely, including the ingredient list and the method before starting. Research all necessary substitutions and/or unfamiliar baking terms before you begin. Gather all of the necessary ingredients and baking tools prior to beginning.

5. Budget Baking – Butter is expensive and I, like many other women on a tight budget, substitute butter with margarine often. Many baking sites and cookbooks note butter, margarine, oils, and shortenings are interchangeable. Margarine seemed to substitute well for butter regarding texture. However, I found where taste is concerned the flavor of the margarine matters a lot. In order to obtain a buttery flavor the margarine used must taste buttery. Shortening was not one of my choice substitutions, and oils worked well for muffin recipes. Generally, I prefer to substitute margarine rather than oil in cake recipes that call for butter.

This list of baking tips is the basic knowledge that facilitated overcoming that baking phobia of mine. My hope is that you find these lessons useful as well. Admittedly, now that I’m feeling confident about baking cakes, muffins, and sweetbreads, I’m ready to conquer the pie and pastry arena. With a little luck, perhaps the future will meet the increased expense and inspiration required for my next baking journey.

What’s your baking experience; have a secret baking tip or a story to share?

Related articles

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Kathleen

Hey, there I'm Kathleen. My friends call me Kathy; to my kids I'm Momia. Life has afforded me many hats: Mom, wife, sister, friend, business owner... and most recently a midlife blogger. From college to marriage and babies, in the midst of business and wealthy boomers, midlife retrospection validates this extraordinary journey called life.

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The first day of Fall just around the corner, pumpkin recipes are a popular trend among food bloggers right now. It is amazing what ingredients are paired with pumpkin. Keeping with the trend, this weeks shopping alert will include awesome pumpkin products and recipes finds as well.  A creative pumpkin appetizer that screams fall flavor, Parmesan Pasta Crackers with Pumpkin and Cauliflower, was found on Foodalogue, one of my favorite food blogs. Joan’s culinary and creative talent never ceases to amaze me!

My dear foodie friend Catherine, author of The Living Gourmet, shared her spicy Pumpkin – Tomato soup. Tomato soup recalls fond childhood memories for many. With the addition of pumpkin, I  classify this one as a childhood favorite for adults.

Another classic recipe with a pumpkin twist is this Pumpkin Macaroni & Cheese. The recipe originated from cooking light and includes 2 cups of pumpkin or squash and a crumble topping. 

The breads, muffins, and sweets category proved to be swoon worthy and oh my gosh there was already an abundance of awesome recipes available. My top recipe finds include Dinner, Dishes, and Dessert who offered up a lovely Pumpkin Bread from the food network while Joelen of What’s cooking Chicago served up beautiful Glazed Pumpkin Cranberry Scones. Finally, Mommy’s Kitchen share these yummy Butterscotch Pumpkin Muffins {W/Cream Cheese Frosting}. I have to admit the Glazed Pumpkin Cranberry Scones is my favorite of the pumpkin baking recipes and one I will definitely attempt!

Pumpkin Shopping ~ Cookbooks, Crafts,  and Carvings

Don’t like pumpkins? Shop for funny t shirts! Parental Discretion Advised!!

Kathleen

Hey, there I'm Kathleen. My friends call me Kathy; to my kids I'm Momia. Life has afforded me many hats: Mom, wife, sister, friend, business owner... and most recently a midlife blogger. From college to marriage and babies, in the midst of business and wealthy boomers, midlife retrospection validates this extraordinary journey called life.

Website - Twitter - More Posts

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