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.

Having a cleaner and taking taxis.
Also good-quality meat from the butcher, and a twice-weekly milk/eggs/butter delivery

Cleaner, meals out, exercise.

Every month I pay subscription to a skin specialist/aesthetics place. That includes a couple of sessions of Botox, money off things like filler if wanted, micro-needling every four months, skin boosters twice a year, etc.. Definitely makes it more affordable than big lumps

Two things: I’ve spent a fortune on getting my teeth fixed.. for years I’ve struggled with saving them etc and in the end I have most of molars extracted. I’ve invested in implants and bridges and it’s taken 2 years and a lot of time, pain and money but it was the best thing I’ve done for myself.
second is I’m going to buy a flat so that all the rent I’m paying now will go into a mortgage. It’s a longer story but if I had the money I’d invest in property.

That all sounds wonderful but I can imagine most of it is out of most people's budget.

I don't have a disposable income that allows for a regular cleaner but I will treat myself to an occasional service wash at the laundrette. It comes back beautifully folded and the socks are in pairs, which lifts my spirits.

Mounjaro. I means I don’t have to use constant willpower to stop me gaining weight.

I've got nice throws (only cheap ones) and twinkly fairy lights in my lounge at the moment because I hate this time of year when it's so grey. They cheer me up.

I'm also about to look for someone to come and clean the oven really thoroughly. I'll never do it, and its pretty dreadful.

OP do please go and speak to your GP about how you are feeling. Lots of easily treatable things can cause you to feel stressed, low and weepy (thyroid issues, low Vit D, B12/folate & ferritin for example) but even if there are no underlying causes, they may be able to help with medication that makes things feel more manageable for you

Reflexology always makes me feel blissfully relaxed and less stressed, as does acupuncture. However, both sadly out of my budget now.

Qigong is good for stress, and is very uplifting. There are lots of 10 min routines on TikTok.

would a hair cut give you a boost? Hairdressers are also used to people chatting about all sorts, you could maybe get some things of your chest-a problem shared and all that. Not everyone has someone they can do that with in their lives.

Buying extra annual leave, up to the maximum number of additional days my employer allows. The resulting improved work / life balance & extra holidays make a real difference to my quality of life. Of course this is expensive, but my mortgage is paid off I have no debts so I can afford it.

Also, when you get into your mid 50s you realise that life is for living, and it’s not a dress rehearsal.

Setting up a small home gym. I bought a rower, weights, and a basic reformer that I put up on bed risers and already had a couple mats. I can roll out of bed, feed the cats, and workout. Because the equipment is right there, I use it. As a result, I feel better and sleep better. I get the endorphins going after 20 minutes of an intense workout.

Which sport please? Looking for suggestions!

Holidays. We've always got a holiday booked and I always look forward to them. As soon as we get back we book another.

I pay for a window cleaner. He comes every couple of months. Not something I could do myself and not a necessity. But it makes me happy.

To make life easier a cleaner , dog walker , Gusto boxes . Take the pressure at home off so you come home to some quality me time

Robot vacuums for each floor
£5.99 bunch of Lidl flowers every 10ish days
Fancy health club membership
Audible and actually all the audiobook subscriptions as well as Libby - I get through a LOT of audiobooks
a fancy latte from Starbucks or Costa once a week

We are all different. Here is mine.

mounjaro, got my weight back down and now stay on a low dose to maintain, I’m back t8 healthy again and like my appearance,

good quality food, we eat fresh and healthy and mainly m and s or Waitrose.

gym, I’ve a home gym in an out building, it’s my little sanctuary. I go in there, music on loud (ear buds) and work out, the gym has all the equipment, it’s not pretty but it’s mine,

lovelh clothes, I enjoy getting ready, putting something beautiful on and going about my day. Everything is high quality, fits well, is flattering and I feel good in,

my hair, i colour myself but see a hairdresser regularly , it’s long and curly and I spend money keeping it in good condition,

nice events with my family, good holidays, tasting menus at Michelin star restaurants or good restaurants and good wine,

my home, it’s decorated as I wish it, and gets a lot of unsolicited compliments. It’s comfortable and pleasing,

my cleaner, I don’t wish to do more than maintenance, she comes in once a week and does a proper clean,

bedding, we have a super king, with a fantastic mattress we got last year with a good goose down duvet, thick hotel pillows and Egyptian cotton bedding.

nice shower gel and moisturiser, something I like the smell of, and that makes me feel happy

not sure if any of these will help you, but if you wish to chuck some money at it, these are my things,

It does depend on your tastes & interests but equally - might a few surpises be a good thing?

I may have found this through the thread on here about beauty Advent calendars, I'm not sure, but I've only very recently become aware of the Beauty Drop from Liberty of London. You get £300+ of beauty products (?) for £25pm & when I looked the first three months were discounted to £20pm. For this you get four curated seasonal discovery boxes across the year. You get a few other perks as well.

I haven't signed up yet, not done it before so can't vouch for it. But ... Liberty of London can't be too shabby. It sounds like it might be fun.

Childcare. We’ve consistently made really expensive childcare choices but it’s definitely made my life easier and DC have had childcare that worked better for them, ie, we kept a nanny until DC were 4 and then did private after school nanny rather than aftercare. Now paying for aftercare full time even though we only really use it for 30 mins a couple times a week so we have it if we need it. Kept DC at private school through year 1 because it was a better fit (Montessori). Probably cost us more than £150k versus cheaper options but no regrets.

I have a dog walker who covers the days I work and also looks after the dog and my cats when I go away. I recently engaged a cleaner while I was recovering from surgery and will keep her on after recovery. I have loved having a cleaner and wished I’d done it sooner

Triathlon! I’m the slowest in the pool and the slowest runner, but it’s been amazing and I only started in May. Mine has really good coaches that tweak my swimming a bit at a time, so I’ve really improved and become more efficient, and you can dip in and out of swim and run sessions as life gets busy or quiet. I even did a spring tri at the end of August at the age of 54!

There are people who do the whole Ironman thing, and some who just want a coached swim lesson, and everyone in between, and the age range is massive. I am sleeping so much better, even if my hair now looks like straw!

The thing I really liked about it (which almost brought me to tears) is that everyone in the club who took part in the event stuck around until everyone had finished. I’m single, no kids or family, and am used to having nobody to “show up” for me, so I was really moved that they did.

Creatine and protein powder. Mix with greek yoghurt and a 1/3 of a bottle of your favourite smoothie every day for breakfast (or dinner!). Delicious, cheap and it will help your energy levels.

Retiring at 54

Private healthcare .... that is what I have spent money on.

Mounjaro and a gym membership. Best things I’ve ever done.