To ask what your best investment in yourself has been?

[HeyItsPickleRick]

Come on mumsnet, creep my lifestyle!

Inspired by the personal stylist post - I’m wondering what is the best thing you’ve bought for yourself?

Mine has 100% been my peloton and all the dumbbells. First exercise I’ve ever stuck to!

A women's pelvic floor physiotherapist. It was life changing. Worth every penny and the initial embarrassment.

It was when I accepted that I had enough money to stop worrying about every penny that I spent. After years of hard work saving for my retirement, I was unable to really enjoy it because I still had the mentality that I needed to save mt money for the future - yet I was in my future! I still looked around for cheap options when I needed to buy things and tried to cut down on my grocery bills, not wanting to dip into my savings even though it had always been my plan to do so once I retired.

It took a talking to by my sister to convince me that I had more than enough and that in fact I was very comfortably off! I had not really added everything up and considered what my future needs were likely to be.

I now enjoy my life, don’t think about every purchase for days before committing and am able to treat my children to decent presents, meals out etc. I even booked a holiday to visit my sister in Australia without agonising over the price and spending hours looking for the cheapest price which might be very inconvenient!

Mind you, I still enjoy a bargain, I cannot quite forget the years when the mortgage rate went up to 15% and we almost lost our house! So when I got 25% off a pair of shoes this weekend, I was delighted!

@NamechangeforLCJ I'm in the 'worth enduring' camp. Am still on top dose of a WLI at the moment and only 7 months in to doing it so not that long a perspective yet. My weight before made me unhappy and frightened every day so that's one of the big changes.

Education, education, education!
Reading - I have a whole life outside my career which is so incredibly personally enriching & fulfilling. It connects me with other people with similar interests & it's my 'roman empire'

As for the argument that it's society who subsides higher education opportunities- that may be so - but that also opens it up to all. There's literally nothing stopping that bus driver from signing up to a course either!

I have invested years & years of my life to learning & absolutely steadfastly believe that we can never be done learning.

You were talking about how little you paid in the 90s - a completely different time in terms of personal cost of going to university. That’s what I was responding to. Whether or not it’s partially funded these days, students are typically still investing circa £50k in their education - you can’t say they’re not.

I quit a toxic career.

It was a random Tuesday afternoon, and I was sat in yet another meeting telling me everything I was doing wrong - despite the fact I was working myself to the absolute peak of my ability, doing very long hours and ruining my health.
I sat there listening to this all, and then it suddenly dawned on me, I didn't have to be, and I gave my verbal notice there and then.

I'd say within about 3 months, my mental health was the best it was ever been. 7 years on, I'm continuing to be happier than I ever was before.

Not a purchase, but a decision. To never have another relationship. My QoL has hugely improved without a partner. Literally life changing. Happiness. Peace.

Hwi is obsessed with people making their own decisions about further education, in 2025, it seems.

My poor DC will have to continue livng with me and commute AND take out a loan WITH a full grant.

Not like my uni experience at all. In 1990.

Yes, that IS a sacrifice.

Anyway, I am loving the ideas on this otherwise positive thread!

I love this. What was the reaction when you gave verbal notice?

EMDR. Paid privately.
After years of stuff which never helped, including CBT, it changed my life.

A personal trainer, she helped me loose 5 stone in 18 months and become so much stronger and fitter with it. I have lost weight previously but never really gained the full health benefits that I have from using a PT.
I think it’s the confidence of knowing I am now fit as well as a better weight, for some reason I find being able to lift very heavy weights very empowering!

Weight loss surgery ( gastric bypass) it was transformative in every aspect of my life.

Ah I also get Botox and fillers but I’m loathe to mention on mumsnet! Fillers got rid of a little bump in my nose I didn’t like.

Invisalign braces, sorted out my very crooked teeth and no longer have pain in my back teeth and jaw, easier to clean, less aging, smile more.

This is amazing and have also looked into this as I’m aware of the life changing benefits. Would you be happy to share? 😊

In similar position and would love to hear more about this too

University. I don't think it affected my career much but on a personal level it transformed me. I did it for the love of it. It was very expensive, but I never regret it.

Regulating my nervous system and resolving generational trauma through Dr Nicole LePera.

theholisticpsychologist.com/how-to-do-the-work/

So weight loss injections, new make up more adapted for my age, my teeth completely re-done, therapy, hypnotherapy- so happy I did it

Recommendations for varicose vein surgery please 🙏🏻 this is something I would like to do for me.

But it is THEIR investment too. They didn't go for free, they didn't get an extra few years of their working life added on to make up for it, they invested in it.

Just remembered - giving up smoking. Probably over 20 years ago now. I must have saved £thousands since (nicer to think that than work out how much money I must have wasted!) and I feel so much better. Now on to tackling the alcohol...

Leaving aside health and education, getting my colours done, having an excellent hairdresser and good quality, well fitting shoes. At 64 I don't need to hide my feet.

An investment in me by the state and an investment by me in my future. And now my high taxes support those bus drivers pensions and healthcare. What's your problem with that?

Same. Men can’t stand it though, they try and tie me down as they can’t stand to see a woman be free, happy, independent, confident..
nah thanks, don’t want a mans moods and anger spoiling my life again. If I want a cuddle, sex, date night I know where to find it