I spend £8,000 a year on self-love – have I got it wrong?

How much do I love myself? According to my bank statements, it’s quite a lot (but not as much as a few years ago).

- Charlotte Cripps, The Independent

I'm working out how much I've spent in the last 12 months on self-care to make myself feel better and to self-improve. It’s often an uphill struggle to feel I am doing the job properly; either I feel I can’t afford the luxury of pampering and healing myself, or I just don't have the time anymore. Then I forget what self-care really is. Isn't it about personal growth, boundaries, connection, compassion, self-acceptance, and even helping others? If I did that more, wouldn't I feel a million dollars?

At times, though, self-care feels as simple as a good night's sleep. But even that comes at a cost. Magnesium bath salts and supplements cost me £150 a year. Then there were the organic candles (£32 each), the six months on Ozempic (£169 per month), and the psychic (£200). I ditched the weekly massages (that would add on another £4,160 a year), despite at one point feeling like I couldn't live without them due to the stress I held in my body. I have long given up the gym membership, which was £65 a month. It feels impossible to factor it into my life, as a single working mum juggling two young children. I can’t afford a nanny, and my kids are too old to sit in a gym creche.