Using personal loans for treats and self-care may seem a little decadent under normal circumstances, but considering the current situation, the way people are spending their money is beginning to change. When faced with up to a year in isolation or lockdown scenarios, people need to make sure they can keep their morale. Though we always encourage responsible borrowing and would never recommend taking out a personal loan when you know for a fact that you will not be able to afford it, the current situation means that many people will need to turn to lenders to make sure they can afford to pay for everything they need to get through this difficult time. This is Asteria’s guide to using Personal Loans for Treats and Self Care.
Good Quality Food and Drink
When restaurants, bars, street food traders and pop up kitchens are all closed, the importance of eating well at home becomes paramount. Food often provides a focal point for couples and families, offering a break from the mundane, every-day tasks that define the rest of our lives. Using a personal loan to budget for a few high quality or luxury food items could be a great way of making sure you’re still able to enjoy a little pleasure during this difficult period. Ordering fresh vegetables, good quality meats and exotic spices means that you can still create restaurant quality meals, providing you are willing to take the time to learn a few cooking techniques. Similarly, though drinks at home is never quite the same as meeting friends in a bar or restaurants, placing a bulk order of good quality wine or craft beer could be a way of making sure you can still enjoy a little luxury, even in these unprecedented times.
Health Products and Medicines
Health is a concern for most people in the Philippines and making sure you treat your mind and body with kindness is essential. As gyms are now closed and medical appointments have generally been massively reduced for the foreseeable future, using a personal loan to pay for health-related costs makes sense. Home use physio tools, vitamin supplements and skin care products should be seen as an investment, rather than an unnecessary luxury. Though it won’t feel the same as going for a massage in person or getting pampered in a salon, stocking up on everything you need to provide yourself with the next best thing means you can still enjoy a few enjoyable moments in the midst of the chaos unfolding around the world.
Entertainment and Fun
Entertainment has never been more important and though personal loans would usually be earmarked for things like new cars, home repairs or holidays, now that many of these things are technically out of bounds, using a portion of what you borrow for your entertainment budget may be a sensible option. Spending time cooped up alone or with only the people you normally live with for company can be extremely challenging and having the right kind of entertainment to keep you occupied makes things much easier. Buying a new console, subscribing to a few new streaming services and making sure you’re stocked up on things like games and movies might sound a little bit self-indulgent, but in these unusual times, this strategy can be a great way to try and fill the void that has been left by the lack of actual social interaction.
Exercise
Keeping fit is important and people around the Philippines often use personal loans to pay for things like gym memberships, spin classes and to cover the cost of equipment such as running shoes or appropriate workout clothes. Now that gyms are closed and seem unlikely to open again for some time, using some of your personal loan to cover the cost of things like weights, press-up boards, pull up bars and other home-based fitness gear is a good option. Exercise releases endorphins, the chemicals in the brain that regulate our mood. Though the old mantra “you can’t buy happiness” is still largely true, you can certainly use a personal loan to help you to feel a little better about yourself. Health and fitness classes are available online, as are things like yoga, dance sessions and fat burning cardio workouts. Rather than telling yourself that you can’t afford these things, it could make sense to see them as a long-term investment. When the lockdown is eventually over, emerging from your home fit, healthy and well taken care of is definitely preferable to the overall damage that can come from things like prolonged periods of inactivity or excessive consumption of fatty foods.
Mental Health
The global impact of the covid-19 outbreak on mental health cannot be underestimated. People need human contact and unfortunately, for many, this has been completely removed. This means that things like counselling, antidepressants and other medicines will need to be considered as an essential, rather than an optional extra. For those who are looking for personal loans in the Philippines, choosing to use a portion of what you borrow to pay for the cost of maintaining good mental health is a good strategy to avoid spiralling into serious depression or worse. Online counselling is available worldwide and doctors may also be able to recommend approved professionals who you can work with. Earmarking some of your personal loan to cover several sessions of talking therapy or a years’ worth of repeat prescriptions is one of the most sensible ways to use a personal at the moment. Though you won’t see any financial return directly, good mental health means that you are able to work more effectively and enjoy all of the other elements of your life to the full.
Summary
Ultimately, personal loans are there to help people pay for the things they need, even when their incomes won’t quite stretch far enough. At times like these, the way personal loans are used will be quite different to during periods of economic stability, but providing you can find a way to pay back what you have borrowed, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with treating yourself and enjoying a little bit of self-care.