What have you thrown money at to improve your life?

[Gottodosomething2026]

I'm a bit low at the moment and I was wondering if anyone has thrown money at things to make their lives better or easier. I don't have tons of money to throw at things but I have a bit that I could use. I'm stressed, my job is hard (currently job hunting), I'm lonely and generally a bit worn out and weapy.

Unlimited membership for reformer Pilates

Yes, I got laser hair removal and it massively improved my life!

Oh and frozen chopped onions! I think maybe you can buy ready fried ones too.

A private autism assessment for DS2 and a private dermatology appointment for DS1 followed by private prescriptions for medication for acne. I suppose they improved their lives but obviously that also improved mine.

Please feel free to add a picture of your orange boy! :)

I'm stressed, my job is hard (currently job hunting), I'm lonely and generally a bit worn out and weapy.

My PT and gym membership help with all of the above.

Mounjaro, going on more holidays.

I'm not sure of your budget.

I would suggest moving your body - getting fit and strong really helps.

Have the odd hibernation day if that suits you. Duvet, nice snacks, films, books, bath, naps whatever.

Plan and book a holiday if that's in your budget - something to look forward to.

Get out of the house. A walk etc, be in a green space.

Set some SMART goals. Write them down. Places you've wanted to visit, things you've wanted to try and work on it/ save for the big ticket items/dreams e.g. £50 in a 'going to Japan fund' - just made a dream something real and you are now actively working on rather than something you 'might' do in the future one day.

I used Spire Healthcare but that was more to do with proximity.

When I moved here at first, I threw money at my kitchen to make cooking easier and more enjoyable! I love cooking now, especially since my dishwasher means that I don't have to do all of the washing up afterwards. I still keep throwing money at my house to make it a more practical and nicer place to be.

I pay for someone to do the cleaning to help me keep on top of it (I work long hours, and have pets), because when my anxiety goes up, everything else comes crashing down. A tidy house helps a bit.

At the moment, I'm throwing money at anything that might possibly help to alleviate the severity and frequency of my migraines.

What would perk you up, OP? Job hunting is hard and demoralising, especially when you're trying to do it on top of working already. I work in farming, and though beauty salons are not our usual haunts, quite a lot of women that I know through farming get their eyebrows and nails done, or go to spas. It just makes them feel a little bit better about themselves. I prefer books, or experiences to do something different (e.g. I have just booked an event in London, a place which I suspect to be the absolute antithesis of where I live in rural Wales!).

Buying fewer but nicer clothes, only buying on Vinted or using smaller, sustainable labels that don't mass produce. Window shopping has lost its interest for me and it means you don't impulse buy as much. Plus your clothes are better quality. Also I get items I really love mended rather than throwing them away if they get tears etc.

Self care/quality of life stuff:

• LED mask (seems to make my skin brighter/feels like a treat)
• (Very) occasional massage
• Treadmill walking pad (from FB marketplace) for watching a TV show and getting steps in when it's horrible outside
• Fancy water bottle. Stupid but it means I actually drink water
• Flowers pretty much weekly for myself. Just cheap supermarket ones!
• A Kindle (off Vinted)
• Good vibrator
• New pyjamas. Don't need to be expensive - the Primark 'boyfriend' jersey pyjamas are so comfy and soft and are about £15, I love them

House stuff:

• Air fryer & rice cooker - do most of my meals between these and it's much quicker and easier than using the oven. Failing that, there are always offers on the first few months of Hellofresh which would remove the thought behind cooking and it feels like a treat
• Cleaner (don't have any more but I used to have 2 hrs a fortnight and it was well worth it)
• Someone to come in and give the carpets a proper clean. So boring but they smelled and looked great and it made me happy for weeks

A one-off but I paid a solicitor to do probate for late DH's estate. It was the final thing and I knew I could do it, but by that stage I had had enough. It was granted in a week.

A nice house to live in
A nice new car, just a skoda nothing fancy
A cleaner
A gardener

Thats it really - those are the things that have really improved my life. Without them I'd just be living in an ok house with an ok car but those things have definately helped and I'm glad I spent good money on them.

I don't really bother with clothes - I mean, I buy supermarket and high street stuff but I'm not interested in high end fashion which saves me a lot and I don't see how that would improve my life.

I identified lack of time as the source of my stress weepiness etc. so I create more time - cleaner, gousto meal boxes, Claude AI subscription to deal with emails and life admin basically I put money into freeing up time for nicer things.

Basics like knickers, bras, teatowels charging cables, scissors etc. I never quite seemed to have enough before and was scrabbling to find things/wash things through.
Also meal box delivey...not every week but once or twice a month.

@spritzwiththat if you have time I would love to hear more about how you use Claude so effectively to manage your admin and emails. Sounds like a superb idea.

A SAD lamp for this time of year.

@Shteeni recommend the Claude 101 course to get started. I have Claude connected to my email etc. use scedhuled tasks to give me a summary each day of what I need to know from kids schools etc. when planning trips away it gives me all the details in one doc with reminders for things to confirm etc. I just played around in it describing what would help me and have reached a happy place. The summary of emails is the best as so much stuff comes from the schools - Claude reads all the parent comms and tells me info, actions etc.

If you can afford it, extended time off work - either unpaid leave / a sabbatical, or having a gap between jobs.

I was desperately unhappy in a job and it was severely impacting my mental health. I had planned to take unpaid leave but then my doctor signed me off for anxiety/burnout so I have stepped away for a while on sick leave. I plan to take unpaid leave after the sick leave ends.

Waking up every morning and being able to focus on my wellbeing - rebuilding my self-esteem and professional confidence, calming my nervous system down, etc. has been great.

OP also said

What have you thrown money at to improve your life?

Laser hair removal and joining a gym

Extended Depth of Focus Intra Occular Lenses - no more glasses or contact lenses!

Make up and perfume. Lots of joy!

A tumble dryer. I'm still paying it off though. I don't really have money to throw around or even save at the moment.
BUT If I did, probably driving lessons.