by Sally Treadwell

AAAARGH! If I hear one more grim report about saving my pennies I’m going to hurl a shoe right through the TV screen.

There’s a reason why lipstick sales go through the roof during a recession. Life is no fun when we’re all clanking around weighted down with gloomy thoughts. Sure, we all need to live within our means, but lighten up already! Think of small extravagances as being like the fun-size chocolate bar that makes a diet bearable.

After a month of diligent exercising (you are exercising, right?) and months or even years of putting your own needs on the back burner, as moms so often do, you deserve to feel pampered and fabulous.

But pampering doesn’t have to cost the earth. Here are a few ideas for nearly-free treatments, as well as all-out splurges (or terrific gift, Dad).

Scrubs quite literally lift off dead skin and leave you with blissfully soft, smooth skin.

Nearly free: make your own scrub by mixing equal measures of sea salt and grapeseed or almond oil. Add a few drops of a favorite essential oil and massage the mixture all over yourself while standing in the tub. Rinse off and allow the remaining oil to soak into your skin while you snuggle in a warm toweling robe and relax for 20 minutes or so, preferably while listening to calming music like the adagio of Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto.

Semi-splurge:: Envigorating Rose Petal Valentine Pedicure with leg massage at Steel Magnolias in Senoia. Last 45 min to an hour! Only $18.

Massage is a wonderful way to relax, to heal the body and mind and to lower blood pressure.

Nearly free: Learn massage techniques from books, videos, or even YouTube. Make sure the room is warm enough for bare skin to stay comfortable; then grab a favorite bottle of massage oil, lower the lights, and take turns giving massages with your sweetie. Don’t forget to massage the scalp, hands and feet. Bonus: one study showed that people who give massages have less medical problems and stress than those who get them, so take your turn giving as well as getting!

Semi-splurge: Massage Envy’s healing massages begin at a mere $39/hour and you may even be able to pay for them out of your Health Savings Account.

Splurge: Ici Paris’ Healing Stones Massage ($90) uses heated basalt stones to relieve muscle tension.

Perfect, softly colored nails give you a lift all day as you go about family or professional tasks.

Nearly free: Host a manicure party for your friends—each person brings their own manicure tools to avoid the need for sterilization, but everyone gets to takes a turn sitting back while someone else does her nails. Experiment with wild colors and tricky French manicures while giggling over a glass of wine.

Splurge: For delicious decadence, try the Chocolate Spa Pedicure from Ici Paris with a chocolate mineral foot bath, chocolate scrub, mousse mask, and butter cream massage.

Add sparkle to your complexion with rejuvenating and refreshing face masks.

Nearly free: While it’s true that you can make a clay face-mask out of kitty litter (just mix with water and essential oils), that doesn’t sound like much of a treat. Instead massage your face with a scrub made from 1 TBS honey, 2 TBS finely ground almonds and ½ TBS lemon juice. Rinse and moisturize with an avocado mashed with a little almond oil. Leave the masque on for as long as possible. And yeah, cucumber slices over the eyes really DO reduce puffiness.

Splurge: Rejuvenate the skin on your hands and face and even reduce fine lines with a state-of-art laser treatment at Laser Regeneration in Tyrone.

Bottom line—you’re a woman as well as a mom. You don’t have to act like Paris Hilton, but little beauty indulgences here and there can put the swish back in your hips and give you the fillip necessary to be a great wife and a fun mother!