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?

I often day dream about this!

I would outsource the following in a flash:
Cleaner
Gardener (tiny garden but I struggle to make it look pretty)
Ironer
Cook for weekday evening meals only (happy to cook at weekends)
Driver

The 2 things I've started doing recently that I couldn't back to not doing (or wouldn't want to) are hello fresh deliveries and a monthly nail appointment.

The hello fresh takes the mental load out of thinking what to make every night, and the nails are just a wee treat but it is easier to look well groomed when your nails are always done.

I'd drop a day or half a day at work if I could. My time is valuable and like you, would be good for MH. Though I'm a low earner. I appreciate many on MN would lose a lot more financially by dropping a day

Cleaner was my first thought.

I am contemplating getting one, this thread has spurred me on!

That’s a lovely idea and sounds like it’s well deserved.

I took on an extra day a week of work and (after years of seeing most my money go on childcare, speech therapy, music lessons) vowed to give £100 to myself, just to spend on lovely things.

We already had a cleaner ( who is a trained florist and loves doing amazing things with the flowers in our garden), and DH is the family gardener, it’s his love. But I’d suggest either of those as a way make life nicer and easier.

So, my £100 is just for me ( like you) and here are some of the things I spend it on:

A Diptyque candle, every two months. The smell ( even when competing with Labrador fart) brings me such joy.
Plants ( normally from a stall at the side of the road)
L’Occitaine bath foam, again only every couple of months.
Cheese from a proper cheesemonger
Emma Bridgewater mugs. I buy two, twice a year and now have a lovely collection.
A private yoga lesson each month
British Museum membership. I love that place and it means I can wander into exhibitions and visit the member cafe if I’m passing.
Too many books, at least enough to send me a bit over budget 😉

I am sure these things aren’t everyone’s cup of tea. It looks indulgent written down, but we work hard and I spend little on hair, beauty etc. And many of the things I love most are cheap or free; walking, gardening, podcasts, cooking, yoga. It’s lovely to have a few little treats to look forward to.

Cleaner all day long!

I’ve been fortunate enough to be able to employ people on and off over the last 20 years (not now though, unfortunately) and the cleaner is the one that’s life-changing. To come home to a clean, tidy, fresh-smelling house is blissful. And if you have someone on a weekly basis then nothing ever really gets too mucky or messy, so you generally feel like you’re always living in a nicer environment.

Plus, as someone else said, you’re directly employing a local person and contributing to their income, so it’s definitely nothing to be embarrassed about.

Probably things a lot of people have but they'd be luxuries for me.

An all singing/all dancing Shark or similar. Despite spending a couple of hundred quid on a Henry and associated accessories, nothing touches the amount of hair my bloody (but much loved) cats produce.

A dishwasher - I'd have to rejig my kitchen to fit one in. I also have limited workspace and I love to cook so having to wash up by hand is the absolute bane of my life.

We actually inherited with the house we bought...we're also not in the uk so not sure of the make. but it is wonderful it's plugged in outside via an outdoor plug and the guide wire is just around the garden. My husband has had to re wire parts and it was pretty simple to do. I don't think you need a specialist to install it.
Honestly we just send it on its way daily and keeps the lawn perfect.
He's also got his own personality and is now named Jeff 😂

I wouldn't do anything regularly but would keep the money for odd breakfast out, take away, cinema trip , bunch of flowers from supermarket etc so I could do these things without worry.

Oh, I think it's definitely going to be a cleaner now after all the replies. Just need to organise it before DH finds out because he'll definitely think it's an awful idea!

I have started to do this once a month just for half an hour.
It is my little indulgence that no-one knows about!!

Dh was v v resistant to a cleaner. Hates having anyone in the house etcetera. But honestly, I think our marriage nearly ended because of the cleaning. I work full time and he works.part time around the dc. I would say I want a cleaner. He would dsay he would do it. He wouldn't do it. Or would do it badly (hes never, for example, wiped down a bannister, the front of a kitchen cupboard, a radiator or similar in his life - he thinks "cleaning" is vacuuming and cleaning the bathrooms... but not mopping them). Or I would have to remind him. Or do it myself. And the resentment built up so massively.

Now we have a cleaner every fortnight. We also have a robot vacuum. We are much happier. And have a lot more sex because I am no longer angry and upset ALL the time!

I've had a cleaner for most of my adult life. We had to go down to a fortnightly clean because of rising family costs a few years back but I've just got a promotion so first thing I thought of was back to a weekly clean!

100% get a cleaner but take the time to find the right one for you. After a few years of good enough we found someone who costs twice what other options have, but is fantastic. Our shabby old house gleams, even with three kids.

Genuinely makes me so happy, every single week.

Cleaner, definitely. I love ours.
Subscription box: cheese, coffee, chocolate...
Flowers every week from local florist, and more houseplants.

Sorry to derail thread but I'm looking at a cleaner- fortnightly or weekly?
Dh is also resistant as he thinks we can keep on top of it. I work ft out of the home, he works ft at hone so does alot of washing, hoovering, we have 2 dc primary age. Hes the same as pp if he hovers he thinks hes 'cleaned' 🙄 so we need a cleaner. Just not sure how often?

I would like to have a brusher of hair!

I have very long hair and love having it brushed by someone else. It's so relaxing.

I also started going for a massage once a month or so. I absolutely love it and it’s definitely helped my sore shoulders! I wish I could have one every week.

Get a cleaner. My DH and I both agree it’s the very last thing we would cut if we had to. It’s so nice to come home after they have been.

A cleaner again! And lots of fresh flowers around the house. I already use a laundry service in winter.

Both will happen when I've bought our next home.

A couple of trips a month to the theatre or live screenings at the cinema.

I'd love a cleaner. I seem to spend all day cleaning my little house, but it never seems to look any different.

A gardener would be nice as well.

I personally found when I had a fortnightly cleaner i stopped doing any cleaning at all and the house looked worse! But if you're less lazy than me it might be fine. I would go for weekly if at all possible.

I have a cleaner and it’s the best use of money ever. Kitchen and bathrooms sparkling, bed all freshly made up, everywhere dusted and cleaned. Amazing. Gives me a massive lift every week.

I'd love a robot hoover. A dig walker because I've got joint problems and although my dogs do get walked, more would be better. A gardener would be nice. A massage now and again for my tight shoulders. More regular osteopath treatments. Salon facials. Nice clothes for yoga. Lovely soft linen bedding. The list is long!!