What little luxury would you like in your life to make life easier or more enjoyable?

[confusedlots]

After a few years of being very careful with money for a few reasons (including major expensive house renovations and redundancy), we're now coming out the other end, and although we don't have loads of cash to throw away by any means, I'm definitely now of the mindset that life is for living and enjoying now, whilst also being sensible about it.

So I've decided to put some money aside each month for something that I could never have justified spending money on over the past few years. Up to around £100. Something that will make my life easier or bring me some joy.

My first thought is to get a cleaner. I hate cleaning, but feel so much calmer when my house is clean and so the thought of having someone clean bathrooms, kitchen, clean floors etc feels like such a luxury.

Other thoughts are a flower subscription or hello fresh or similar.

And yes I know we're going through a cost of living crisis, but we have been so careful with money for the past few years and just surviving, and I feel this is necessary now for my own mental health.

So let me hear any other ideas for what you would spend the money on?

A cleaner is the best gift you can ever buy yourself.

Do you have one? Is it as great as I have built it up in my head?

DH would be horrified at paying anyone to do something you can do yourself, so I have learnt not to have these conversations with him as I just end up getting annoyed (hence chatting on MN about it instead). But I think a cleaner is top of my wish list at the minute!

A diy type person who’d be able to do various house and garden jobs but finding one who’s reliable and doesn’t turn up with his “business partner” ( and charge £25 ph x 2) seems to be impossible round here.

Oh I hear you! Thankfully for me DH is pretty handy (he's involved with a lot of the house renovations and just gets on with all that side of things that I don't really understand) but he has no interest or great ability in cleaning 🤣

Your ideas sound wonderful OP. Fresh flowers in the house are joyous.

I might hire a gardener for a few hours a week and grow my own cut flowers and veggies. Only have a small garden so it would have to be well planned.

I would like to get an electric bike, but I can't justify the expensive. I'd like to look stylish and un-flustered cycling UP hills!

As I was mowing the lawns today in 35c heat I thought a Gardener would be nice. We used to have one but he stopped coming without explanation. It takes a load off to not have to think about the outdoors. And they did a good job with the edges too. Sigh.

i don’t like a cleaner although I could do with one as I don’t like people doing something when I’m not. Irrational, just makes me feel uncomfortable

Absolutely this. And that they would just do the work needed so I didn't have to tell them 😂

Recommendation to those who don't have one - robot hoover. Simply fantastic.

Get the cleaner. Also flip your view on cost of living - you would be giving an individual (rather than a faceless company) more work during the crisis, which would be a great thing!

I would like regular massages. What bliss that would be!

I was in a similar position last year and went for a fortnightly cleaner and monthly beauty treatment treat. The cleaner has changed my life!

I wouldn't do the flowers subscription thing. Its really bad for the environment and pretty wasteful. If you want a cleaner you can always try it for a couple of months and see how you get on.

A cleaner is a fantastic idea.

For me, I get huge joy from art. I have some pieces that my husband made, and three other things I have bought from local artists, and they give me pleasure every day. Total cost for the three was about £600 including framing.

Another vote for the cleaner. Life changing!

1. A cleaner
2. Gardener - I love beautiful flowers and a colourful garden but haven't a clue about actual gardening. I'd also love someone to keep on top of the weeds for me 😉
3. One of those family carriage bikes - just got back from the Netherlands and am very envious of those bikes with the carriage at the front 😄

Get a robot lawn mower honestly they are wonderful!

I live in London and would love a galleries subscription if there is such a thing that word across galleries- I often want to see the exhibitions that are 20£ plus a shot.

A robot hoover, life changing!

I have a cleaner. She comes every week for a frankly random amount of time between 1.5 hours and 2.5 hours. I have a small, two bedroom house, but in that time she cleans everything, changes the sheets if I want her to, hangs a load of washing out if I'm out and will rotate round big things like cleaning the oven or the washing machine. Costs me about £100 per month.

I ummed and ahhhed about it for literally years and I have never regretted a penny. The other benefit for me is that I am quite untidy, but this forces me to at least do a fairly decent tidy up before she comes so the house never turns into a total tip.

@swedex I am debating getting a robot lawnmower as I quite like the interesting bits of gardening but hate lawn mowing. Which one did you get and how did you go about getting it installed?

The other luxury I have bought is my electric bicycle. It was a lot of money for a bicycle but it's been totally transformative - I have had it for just under 3 months and it has replaced around 600 miles in the car already - I have only cycled about 400 but the main car routes I take are longer than the equivalent cycling routes. My understanding is that it will take about 1500 miles that I would otherwise have driven to offset the carbon of making the bike and then given I have a 100% renewable tariff I'm into making carbon savings. It's also been great for my health as I cycle so much further.

For me it would be someone to do all the washing, ironing, folding, etc. It would free me up to do other things.

Although a gardener might be good too...

I don't know how much you've struggled over the years, but my BIL&family have (literally just milk in the fridge situation, no lunch for adults and struggling to put a proper tea together).

He came into some more money, paid mortgage off and now enjoys being able to have some nice food - they had streak the other night, go out for a meal with his wife and being able to go out - he's joined a skittles group so has a hobby and me time, as well as coming over to us and going out for a drink (something he could never do in the past). He's really happy and relaxed now. Whatever you do though, enjoy.

A cleaner would be great. I love how it feels when the house is all nice and clean and swishy but the very-nearly-crawling baby makes achieving that difficult.

@CosmopolitanPlease Massages are a great idea. I've never had one but ache all the time so would love to see if that would help.

Maybe for making life easier I'd buy a new household item every few months. Replacing our bastarding vacuum would be first on the list. It's one of those pull along, tipping over, getting caught on every sodding corner ones. I bloody hate it. A nice upright or stick one please. Then I'd get new kitchen knives. Then new saucepans.

For making life more enjoyable I'd probably spend it on trying out some new things I'd like to have a go at. Workshops/lessons/taster sessions etc.
Failing that, it'd go on books or plants because they make me happy.

If you get Tate membership you don’t pay for exhibitions, whoever was talking about art. Unless I misunderstood you.

Flowers: get good high-end indoor plants or flowers, less catastrophic than cut flowers and beautiful.

For me if would be more childcare, so I could sit in a café by myself with a good book.

Another vote for a cleaner!

I've tried a Hello Fresh subscription and that didn't make much difference to my life, and regular flowers / massages wouldn't be for me either (although I like them occasionally).

For me personally, the other little 'luxury' I enjoy is buying ebooks at full price rather than waiting ages for a 99p deal.

I think a cleaner is the obvious coffee. I hate it, i don't like people in my house and I do a fine job, but twice in my life I've needed helped and having a cleaner during those times was one of the things that got me through. I plan to have I've when I'm old.