treat yourself

by Rebecca Hadfield

When you think about treating yourself, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Is it a day at the spa, a shopping spree, a delicious meal, or maybe just some long-overdue alone time? Whatever it is that gives you a little spark of joy, the time has come to treat yourself!

Treat yourself to something delicious
There are a few schools of thought when it comes to culinary treats. While some people prefer an over the top gourmet experience, treating themselves to a decadent meal or dessert, others take a slightly different approach and fill the fridge with fresh ingredients for a week of healthy homemade meals and snacks. Who says you can’t do both?

If you are among those who like to treat themselves to a night out at a great restaurant, these past few months has made that harder. The good news is, most of our favourite restaurants have expanded their take-out options and many have even added cook-at-home meal kits and upscale grocery items to their offerings, making it easy to recreate a gourmet experience in your very own kitchen.

Being at home more has also changed the way we do our grocery shopping and meal planning. At first, we were all about comfort foods but now that we’ve had enough homemade sourdough to last a lifetime, healthy eating is coming back into focus and we’re stocking our fridges with market-fresh produce and the best of local everything—because local is healthier, right?

Ordering fresh dinner kits, ready to cook meals, and heat and eat dinners is another great way to treat yourself in the kitchen. Not only do they cut down our shopping and prep time, they’ve made skilled chefs out of all of us. Whether you’re preparing dinner in the microwave or on a sleek gas range, you can have an impressive meal on the table in 30 minutes, any night of the week.

Treat yourself to CRAVEable TV
Feel that chill in the air? That can only mean one thing—it’s time to upgrade the TV and hunker down to tackle that list of shows everyone has been talking about.  

Whether your tastes lean toward adventure flicks, quirky indie series, reality shows, or stand-up specials, you’ll experience viewing like never before on a smart TV with 4K UHD technology. Treat yourself to movies with richer colours and four times the resolution, compared to FHD. Plus, you’ll get faster, easier access to your streaming content with built-in operating systems and smart-assistant compatibility.

To help you enjoy the Great Indoors this winter and beyond, we are treating one lucky winner to the 58” Hisense 4K UHD Smart TV above plus a full year of Crave TV. With access to thousands of hours of programming on demand, you can binge as much as you want! Crave offers a massive selection of trending series, action packed movies, comedy classics, compelling documentaries, the best (and worst) of reality TV, and more. No matter what you're craving, it's on Crave.

To enter, visit @dufresnestyle on Instagram and follow the instructions on the contest post. Good luck!

Treat yourself to sleep
If you are up at the crack of dawn every day, the occasional planned sleep-in can feel downright magical, especially if you’re waking up in a bed that feels like a cloud. The next time you feel like giving yourself a little treat, and your schedule allows, set your alarm ahead and enjoy!

To protect your circadian rhythms and make sure sleeping in doesn’t mess with falling asleep at bedtime, try not to sleep too long—sleep experts suggest no more than 60 minutes. We like the strategy of waking up an hour late and then staying in bed longer to watch TV, read, take a deep dive into Pinterest, or reconnect with your significant other.  

Didn’t get a chance to sleep in? Treat yourself to a nap! There’s something so satisfying about grabbing a little chunk of rest in the middle of the day as the world carries on outside. If you have the time, 20 minutes of sleep can do you a world of good and leave you feeling rested and refreshed. TIP: if you find it hard to sleep during the day, you can get the same benefit from taking a break to quietly meditate.

To get the maximum number of ZZZs, try a weighted blanket. Designed to give the user a feeling of comfort and security, these secret weapons of sleep provide gentle, even pressure to the body and will help you drift off faster. Research has also shown that using weighted blankets can help decrease cortisol (one of the stress hormones) and increase serotonin (a “feel-good” hormone). So, not only will you wake from your nap feeling rested, you might even feel calmer and happier.

Treat yourself to easy shopping
Did you know there are three ways you can get a personalized shopping experience and the benefit of professional advice at Dufresne? You can shop by appointment at one of our stores, by phone or online with the help of a live-chat agent, or by speaking to an in-store associate from the comfort of your own home. If you’re treating yourself to a few new things for your home, start by treating yourself to a better way to shop!

By appointment: Book an appointment for a truly personalized in-store experience that will not only make you feel special, it will save you time! When you arrive, your dedicated sales professional will already know what you’re looking for and will be prepared to show you a curated selection of items that they know you’ll love.

Live Chat: Real people are available by phone or online to answer your product questions, make suggestions, and help you complete your transaction. You can also take advantage of our co-browsing feature where an associate guides you through an online tour and address any issues in real-time. Plus, you’ll have access to the same great products and prices available in-store.

Phone: Shop live from the comfort of your home with a local sales professional from one of our stores. You can also see items at every angle and in relation to other pieces via video call, and shop with confidence knowing that your new furniture will look great in your home.

To continue the star treatment, Dufresne offers a White Glove delivery option for furniture, mattresses, and appliances. This option gives you more flexibility for delivery times as well as enhanced service when your item arrives. Your White Glove delivery team will remove all packaging, assemble and set up your items in your room(s) of choice, and reposition or remove old items.

How do you like to treat yourself? Show us by tagging #DufresneStyle on Instagram!