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Cheap and cheerful January treats

flowers-festival

We all know January can be a bit of a drag. Let’s face it, they didn’t coin the phrase ‘January Blues’ for nothing! However, rather than feeling sorry for ourselves, we’ve decided to share our top treats for cheering yourself up as easily and cheaply as you can.

Get yourself back into the swing of things after all of the festive fun and food by finding the joy in the little things. Here’s a few of ours for inspiration.

Cheer up buttercup!

Our top cheap, cheery January treats.

A bargain bunch of flowers – Becky

“A cheap bunch of flowers instantly cheers up my living room. You can grab a bunch of daffodils or tulips for around £3, from the market or even your local supermarket. The splash of colour is a lovely reminder that Spring is not too far around the corner.”

Minnie Mouse slippers January treats

PJs & Netflix – Jessie

“At the moment, there’s joy in coming home after a long day and jumping into these adorable Minnie Mouse slippers I got for Christmas – what’s more, they are now on sale in Primark for £5!

“If that doesn’t give you something to smile about, then cook your favourite dinner and log onto Netflix immediately because they’ve just released some cracker movies & original series for 2017.”

Here’s some of Jessie’s faves:

Sing Street: a young boy growing up in Dublin during the 1980s starts up a band to escape the school bullies and impress the girl he likes. It’s refreshingly lovely and has a Skins/Misfits vibe.

Victoria: a young Spanish girl moves to Berlin. Some innocent flirting on a night out turns deadly when a dangerous secret is revealed. A gripping thriller which will make you forget all about work!

Mint sugar beauty scrub

Clear your beauty stash – Rhian

“In January, I’ve enjoyed clearing out my beauty items and rediscovering favourites. I started by clearing out my overflowing stash and throwing out things that were out-of-date or don’t work for my skin. It’s amazing what you can discover when you have a clear cupboard. I found loads of free samples from previous CultBeauty and Feel Unique purchases, so I’ve made it my aim to use up what I can and it’s led to some changes in my routine already. Also, a lovely work colleague made a mint sugar scrub as part of my secret Santa present. It has been really lovely and I’ll be asking her how to make my own once this pot is finished.”

Grab a bargain book – Holly

“A couple of bargains I have managed to pick up this January are some really good 99p Kindle books. This time of the year, I have just about had it with the cold dark evenings, so I tend to bury my head in a good book – if they are on special offer, even better! Another way to cheer myself up when the pennies have run low is to invite a few friends over for some very tasty lentil spaghetti bolognaise (super cheap dinner which is meat free and low fat!) and a few classic board games. You can easily feed four of you for about £4.”

Get outdoors post-holiday blues

A good long walk – Deepa

“Wrap up warm and get out into the countryside for a long walk. Then home for hot cups of tea under a blanket and a big wedge of cake.”

Podcasts & Pampering – Sophie BB

“As the ever-growing list for family and friends begin to make Xmas somewhat crippling, our January treat is to be kind to ourselves! Get those 2017 goals in gear and love yourself a little. If your brain needs a bit of pampering, download a list of Podcasts to get lost in. Best bit – it’s free!”

Here’s our top 3 January Janes Download Now list:

  1. Serial: if you haven’t already, do it now! Seriously, right now! You’ll be hooked.
  2. How Stuff Works: Wow the crowd with some real random knowledge!
  3. Call Your Girlfriend: For the love of all your girl friends in all corners of the world! Share 🙂

Winter best bits

Cosy candles – Nell

Taking my Christmas decorations down and returning my living space to normal after the holidays always adds to the inevitable return to work/normal life blues that strike in January. I find a really simple, cheap and effective way to combat this is with tealights. A bag of 30 comes in at a couple of quid and when lit and dotted around a room they give a really lovely warm, cosy glow making the space instantly feel more welcoming.

Disney films January treats

Disney Sing-A-Longs – Sophie

“Cheap treats are top on my list in January when I have a huge credit card bill from Christmas. I like doing a few smug things that make me feel better about myself. First off, trying a few new recipes. The marinated butter bean Greek salad from Hemsley&Hemsley is delish. Second, my local book slash coffee shop is doing a scheme where you donate £3 a month it buys a homeless person two hot drinks, you get a second-hand book and entry into their monthly raffle (the last prize was a CRYSTAL MAZE BOARD GAME yessss). Lots of shops do similar schemes so keep an eye out.

“I attempt to be a social hermit in January, so I hit up my local charity shops for the best DVD bargains. Kids’ films are my ultimate cheer-up, so Aladdin, Lion King and Frozen are top of my list. Nothing is more fun than bellowing out “Prince Ali” at the top of your voice.”

There you have it – a few ideas for cheap and cheerful January treats.

Have we inspired you? Let us know your top tips – @tweetjanes.