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.

Also WLI

Get your iron levels tested and if you have ferritin of less than 100 and/or transferrin saturation less than 20%, start iron supplements. For me, feeling weary and weepy are very predictable iron deficiency symptoms. My energy and general resilience dramatically improve when I'm taking my supplements.

This group is a good place to find out more" www.facebook.com/share/g/1Sr2dkhUKC/

I used to bemoan to my husband about being overweight, and that I wished I could just throw money at it to solve it.

Well the Good Lord listened, and gave me Wegovy.

Three years in and four stone down. Hallelujah.

Upper blepharoplasty.

A good massage every few months.

A cleaner (only a few hours once a fortnight) but just knowing she's coming makes us put everything away and do a big tidy up. If we didn't have that then OH's hoarder tendencies would take over!

The occasional Sunday night to myself in a hotel, only something cheap like a travelodge, but I take all my toiletries and some snacks and wine. Have a bath (we swapped ours for a big walk in shower and I miss it!), have the heating on so it's warm enough to lounge in my pjs, listen to an audio book or watch a film, slather myself in body lotion and face masks, have an early night with no one snoring... absolute bliss for under £40! 😆

Another vote for mounjaro. Also laser eye surgery, skin boosters, distance-learning degree for personal interest.

Not so simple as many people can't tolerate iron supplements.

A painter for my hallway. It’s currently white (since we moved in 3 years ago) and filthy from the kids.

There’s 6 doors, 11 door frames, lots of skirting and architrave, stair spindles, ceiling and walls upstairs and down.

I usually paint myself but no way with all the woodwork involved for this.

True. That can be for a number of reasons eg taking the wrong type, being vitamin D or copper or magnesium deficient. But if any of those are your problems, you'll likely find help on that group - they're the world's largest patient advocacy group for iron deficiency so they have lots of experience of different situations.

We have decided to forgo holidays and have some air con installed as I hate the hot weather so much.
it is a luxury. I may even regret it , but I struggled this year. It’ll probably be cold wet summers from now on though !

Sending bed linen out for washing and ironing weekly. Comes back wrapped in tissue paper. Bliss.

Pilates and pottery classes. Not very good at either but both give me periods of time when I have to focus on something entirely different!

Wow this sounds interesting can you give more details ?

Joining a martial arts club( username a giveaway) , training, competition, equipment and books. Very addictive.

If I could I would do this even if meant debt .
Being safe and comfortable at home shouldn't be a luxury. We can all cope with a few hot days this summer was insane.

Unfortuntly our neighbors are too close to us to do it .😥

What are skin boosters ?

Every 4-6 weeks I go for some kind of relaxing treatment e.g. massage, Indian head massage or reflexology. It's done wonders for me.

Improving your creature comforts pays off in mental health, too. It doesn’t have to be expensive.
When we were in our first house with stone walls we struggled to keep it warm. We should have kept a fire going all the time (not possible) or kept a minimum thermostat (too expensive for our church mouse budget). We used to sleep in jumpers and hats!

I must have been traumatized because 25 years later, having moved several times, we have a whole-building heating system for 15 families which keeps us toasty warm and I STILL get a frisson of pleasure as I walk into a warm home.

Could you invest in a phone app to switch on the heating 30 minutes before you’re home? And add cosy equipment for areas that feel chilly. A heated throw? One for the bed? Thermal curtains? A bathroom heater or towel radiator? Cute and cozy home wear and a warm waterproof coat. Embrace the HYGGE,

Some people swear by weighted blankets that give you a virtual hug and calm you down after a hard day. I’m intrigued…

Gardeners. I've currently got them doing an hour or two every other week in an attempt to make my garden look as nice as when we bought it. I like to look out and see a nice, reasonably tidy space, with green plants and seasonal colour.

Next will be a cleaner. My DP & I agree that we would give the house a really good once over and then decide about how easy it would be to maintain things or if we needed a cleaner. Plan was a decision would be made at the beginning of October, after spending September doing the big clean. It's yet to happen and it's wearing me out to look at the mess we live in. But a cleaner won't be able to do much with the amount of clutter we have so we're still stuck.

I hope the air con isn’t too noisy and we won’t have it on overnight at all. The man said it won’t be any noiser than a fan. I am hoping it doesn’t annoy anyone , but I doubt it will. It is a luxury , but the government doesn’t charge vat on it ( yet!)
I just hope it works , but the summer was hell for me.
cars have air con and nobody tends to think of that as a luxury now!

Getting a cleaner. Absolutely the best money I spend.

I've not got an official weighted blanket, but we recently changed our duvet and the new one is so much heavier than our previous one. It (almost!) pins me down in bed and I have never slept better!

Spa membership at an exclusive place where children aren’t allowed!

Time away. I wouldn't really call them holidays but last summer, whilst a lot of medical things were going on in my life, instead of getting on the plane for an hour there and back, or the train for four hours there and back - being at the hospital or the doctor's for examinations or treatment straight off the transport in the clothes I stood up then rushing back, exhausted and more ill than ever, I decided to book a hotel for the night before and maybe even the night after.

Whilst I was there, I'd eat well, sleep in comfort, see a few new faces. Breathe a different air.

I'd come back so much more capable of dealing with things. Now it's my routine whenever I have to attend appointments.

I like my time away - being a kind of accidental tourist, if you will - and it's made me appreciate home more when I get back. I get to feel a bit of small scale homesickness.

I've also realised that my small village, (which can feel a bit claustrophobic at times) does actually care about me and I'm nicer to people when I've had a break from them.

I didn't even stay a stranger for long at my Home From Hospital Hotel Number One because it's quite an eccentric family run place. The reviews on TripAdvisor are all either,

"*** Wonderful. What a special place! Fantastic restaurant and breakfast buffet. Management and all staff so friendly and helpful. Great ambience. Charming. I cried when I had to check out."

Or,

"* This is the twilight zone. The decor alone gave me a migraine.The night I stayed there was some kind of horse and pony club annual dinner dance with raucous behaviour and inflatable flamingos in the pool.

The shower had a built in radio. I had no idea whether I was turning on the hot water or Benson Boone. Never again."

Of course, I'm of the five star point of view.

So my advice, OP, is to take a bit of time out. Somewhere where nobody would expect you to be. Might just be for a couple of days or even hours doing something with completely different people.

If you're feeling a bit lonely or stuck in a rut, being in a different environment where nobody has any preconceived ideas about you can make you a bit more extroverted. Then you can apply your new found confidence to, "Real Life" and your job search.

It opens up sides of you that you'd forgotten about by being in your current rôle.

Also, I found that when I come back from being away, I'm motivated to de clutter or clean the places I turned a blind eye to because I see them with fresh eyes.

I’ve just spent quite a bit of money on a whole new skincare routing - I’ve gone all in on one brand. My skin is dry and sluggish. I’ve got some bits running out, so thought it was time to jump. It means I’m doing some self care everyday, and taking time for me. It’s also spending money on me.
It’s not going to make me less anxious about weird stuff, or make my back not hurt (sciatica), but it feels like an investment in me.

I was going to add my free option is walking, I’m trying to help my back, so a very early morning walk is doing that, and I am enjoying that. By my maths the free discounts the skincare spend by 50%, so I’m winning! 🤣