New poll sparks debate on how much mums should spend on themselves

A new poll has sparked a huge debate with British mums on how much they should spend on beauty treatments, with the vast majority of British mums spending nothing on themselves.

A poll commissioned by NetVoucherCodes.co.uk found that out of over 3,500 mums asked, 57% do not treat themselves at all, and focus all extra income towards their children and the family.

This caused a debate between parents, as many mums advocate spending money to get beauty treatments to help with mental wellbeing. A large proportion of respondents (30.10%) spend between £1 – £30 a month on themselves.

The results have also revealed that mums who did spend money on treatments mainly focus on their hair, eyebrows, eyelashes and nails.

NetVoucherCodes.co.uk asked over 3,500 British mums how much on average they spend on themselves each month, with some mums admitting they shell out more than £150. However, the majority of respondents do not spend more than £30 a month.

A spokesperson for NetVoucherCodes.co.uk said: “Since lockdown began, millions of Brits have had their daily lives and routines changed, and self-care has become more important than ever for mental health. This has prompted us to understand where people’s priorities lie.

“The poll has sparked a lot of debate amongst mums and parents, and “self-care” has become a hot topic with everything going on at the moment.

“Becoming a parent changes your life. Your whole world becomes about keeping another human being well fed, well slept, well burped, and in good health and happiness. So, it is not unusual for that all-important me-time to take a back seat.

“There seems to be a split between mums that do, and mums that don’t spend money on themselves. This divide has generated a lot of responses with the majority saying that they put all money towards kids and family, and don’t treat themselves.

“But there is a strong argument from mums that do say they meet the kids and family’s needs but then it is really important to treat themselves too.”

Raising children takes up a lot of time, energy, and headspace for mums, so how do British mums strike the right chord between self-care and childcare?

One mum said that she spends “About £50 a month on eyelashes £70 on hair every 10 weeks-ish, £20 on eyebrows every 8 weeks and gels for my toes as and when I can be bothered! I used to spend nothing and I find I’m a much happier person if I feel a bit more me and a bit less frumpy mum.”

Another unnamed mum said “There’s absolutely nothing wrong with mums spending money on treatments though, it’s amazing what a difference it can make to how someone feels, having nails or eyebrows done and mums deserve to feel good when they spend all their time looking after others!”

But the majority of mums don’t spend a penny on themselves, and everything they have goes on the kids.

One mum responded by saying “Having a shower and washing my hair is a treat for me… the rest of our money goes on bills and the kids. Mainly the kids, and mainly on things they don’t need, but I love making them smile.”

Some respondents even criticised other mums for spending money on themselves, which prompted some measured comments such as “See as long as your kids are looked after, it shouldn’t matter what you spend on yourself. If it makes you feel good then on you go. Motherhood isn’t a competition. You’re not a better mum cause you say you spend every penny on your kids. Why are mothers nearly always made to feel guilty for doing something for themselves?”