How I Romanticize My Life Without Spending a Thing
Because beauty has never been about money, just presence.
Life Has a Way of Moving Too Fast
Sometimes it feels like life is just flying past me. Like I blink and it’s another week, another season, another year gone.
I used to feel lost in it all—like I was watching life happen from the outside, stuck in fast-forward with no way to slow it down.
But somewhere along the way, I realized: the only way to stop feeling lost in the current… is to stop.
To truly stop.
To look at the tea in your hands. The way the sun filters through your curtains.
The way your child’s hair glows in that exact golden hour.
That’s the moment everything changes…when you decide to stop rushing and start savoring.
To treat your life like it’s your own movie—because it is.
And the truth is, we get to romanticize our lives any time we want to. That’s the joy. That’s the fun. That’s the free happiness we forget we always have access to.
So What Does It Actually Mean to Romanticize Your Life?
It doesn’t mean buying fancy candles or chasing some perfectly aesthetic routine. Romanticizing your life means being with your life. Fully. Intentionally.
It means turning the volume up on the small things that are already happening. Slowing down enough to see the beauty that’s been there the whole time.
It’s choosing to light a candle before you fold laundry—not because you have to, but because it makes you feel good.
It’s putting on music while you do the dishes, wrapping up in your favorite sweater just because, or stepping outside to feel the breeze even when everything feels chaotic.
It’s not about perfection—it’s about presence.
About making the ordinary feel sacred. And once you start… it changes everything.
This is how I romanticize my life every single day… without spending a thing
These are the 6 main things I do every day to truly appreciate the beauty of my life.
1. I Light a Candle Like It’s a Ritual
Not because there’s a guest coming over and I need it to smell good. Not because I cleaned the whole house and I want it to feel fresh. I simply light it because it’s 8:00 pm and the sky turned soft and I want my space to match that energy.
Because I love the slow lighting of the wick and watching the flame ignite and flicker softly.
Lighting a candle makes me pause, breathe, and remember: I’m allowed to slow down. I am allowed to just be.
2. I Narrate My Life in My Head (Yes, Really)
It sounds extremely silly, but I’ll whisper things in my mind like:
“She poured her coffee slowly, feeling the morning settle around her.”
It helps me step out of survival mode and back into awareness. I become the observer and the main character all at once. Like I’m living in my own book. Because I am. And it’s mine to write.
Try it and see what I mean!
3. I Romanticize Cleaning, Too
I know. Cleaning? Really? But honestly it’s one of my favorite things, especially if you have kids and find yourself having to constantly clean.
Instead of rushing through dishes, I’ll play a French café playlist and light incense. I’ll wipe the counters like I’m preparing a sanctuary, not scrubbing a chore list. I’ll fold laundry and think of all the places we will go wearing these clothes, and how special it is that I get to watch it all.
Romanticizing life isn’t about adding fluff—it’s about making the necessary feel sacred. Because honestly… it is. And the moment you let yourself and your mind realize that, life becomes so much more special.
4. I Dress for the Version of Me I’m Becoming
Even if I’m staying home.
Even if I’m exhausted.
I’ll wear the sweater that makes me feel like a poet, or the flowy dress that makes me feel natural and free the way I “want to be”, or the earrings I always save for “something special.” Because this life—this ordinary Tuesday—is special enough.
We don’t have to wait for the right moments. The right moment to be authentically you and enjoy the things you love is right now.
5. I Romanticize Motherhood Through Presence
This one is special and so important. When the kids are loud and the day is long, I find the softness inside the storm. This one isn’t always easy – but the thing is, we have full control to choose this every time.
I watch how the sunlight hits their hair.
I look at how tiny their hands are holding their food, or a toy.
I listen to the way their voice says their tiny little words and vow to remember it forever.
I whisper things I want them to remember someday.
I remember that I’m the soul of this home, and I deserve to feel enchanted in it too. Because this life IS everything.
6. Make Your Morning Coffee or Tea an Experience
Make it carefully, intentionally. Speak love into the water. Hold the mug. Smell the steam. Feel the warmth. Let it be slow. Really taste it. This is your small moment for you. You don’t have to rush it. Enjoy your moment, even if its for 2 fully present minutes.
20 More Ways to Romanticize Life (That Won’t Cost a Thing)
Sometimes it’s the tiniest shifts that bring us back to presence. If you’re ready to add more beauty to your everyday, here are some more simple (free) ideas to try:
– Drink your morning coffee or tea slowly, by a window.
– Open your curtains and let the light in with intention.
– Write a letter you’ll never send.
– Read poetry out loud to yourself.
– Take a walk and notice five beautiful things.
– Put your phone in another room for an hour.
– Play soft background music that makes you feel something.
– Rearrange one corner of your home with love.
– Sit with a blanket and do absolutely nothing.-
– Wash your face slowly, like a sacred ritual.
– Make a snack look beautiful on a plate.
– Breathe deeply while waiting for the kettle to boil.
– Sit outside and feel the wind or sun on your skin.
– Whisper kind things to yourself in the mirror.
– Speak a memory out loud so you don’t forget it.
-Dance in your kitchen while dinner cooks.
-Spray a scent you love on your pillow.
-Lay in bed and trace the patterns of your thoughts.
-Water your plants while saying thank you to them.
-Watch the way the sky changes and say, “I was here.”
You Have Everything You Need Right Now
Trust me, I know. I used to always have the thought of “if I just had ____ things would be so much better.”
But the truth is, you don’t need more. You just need presence. Your LIFE is the more. Every tiny moment.
The moment I took ownership over the fact that this crazy, joyful, painful little life really is mine all mine to enjoy, my life changed. Romanticizing life is never about perfection. It’s about awareness. It’s about creating pockets of beauty in the middle of chaos. It’s about choosing to see your life again, with soft eyes and a slow heart.
And the best part? It’s all already yours.
If you’re ready to bring more presence into your day, you might also love my 10 Things To Declutter post that dives into different items to part with to feel less overwhelmed at home. We deserve to live presently and exist in a space we love. I hope this post inspires you to hold onto the beauty in your own life, one small moment at a time.
Much Love,
