Should I get a second job in order to afford Mounjaro?

[AppleJuiceAvid]

Currently work 9am to 6.30pm during the week and weigh over 25 stone. I'm not eligible for weight loss medication on the NHS, but cannot afford Mounjaro or Wegovy privately. What second jobs could I apply for in order to pay for Mounjaro? Currently work in an office environment and lead a completely sedentary lifestyle. My weight is so high that I struggle to walk and have left hip/pelvic pain that gets worse when walking.

In July 2024 I weighed 26 stone 9 pounds. Just over 2 years on and I've lost 13 stone. BMI is now under 30. I have approx 2 stone to lose to get to a healthy BMI.

Mounjaro has definitely changed my life (and probably extended it).

That said, mounjaro isn't a miracle cure. I still have to make healthy choices, walk regularly, life weights at the gym, and calorie count. But mounjaro makes it all so much easier which I think is particularly important when you have a lot to lose and know it'll be a longer journey.

So personally based on my experience I'd say its worth doing whatever you can to afford it - though perhaps look at the cheaper options such as wegovy or tablets first because if they do work for you then it'll save you a lot of money in the long run.

I would urge caution about going into debt to afford WLI. To lose the weight you're looking at around 2 years on the medication, and then you'd want to consider whether you would want to continue taking the medication for maintenance or for a period of time to adjust to coming off the medication. It's not a short term or one off cost, you'd need to be budgeting for an ongoing expense.

I think you will be surprised at how much money you save by being on Mounjaro.

Go back through the past two or three months food and drink expenses including takeaways and eating out. Don’t forget alcohol, plus any taxis you had to pay for as a result of drinking.

Most users find they go right off alcohol so it’s an additional saving if you drink.

Before the prices went up I was actually better off financially when using WLI. Now I’m worse off but nowhere near the full cost of the pen. I reckon the medication costs me about £25 a week on average.

Probably because OP has already considered all of their options, and is asking about how to afford WLI, not for some patronising comment ‘eat less, move more’ style.

Posters are giving OP the respect they deserve rather than being condescending, it’s not even that hard.

I have to jump in though and counter those saying you save so much money. I definitely have not saved lots of money on food since WLI: I still have takeaways (just better options), I still go out for coffee and I still spend as much weekly I just buy must better food. Almost 2 years and 9 and a half stone down it’s worked amazingly for me and I would sell a body part to get my prescription filled at this point (jokes, obvs) - OP any extra work will get you the money but look out for the tax implications first

In your situation, without going into debt, I would be looking to make weight loss medication possible. I'd be looking at my outgoings and doing anything I could to find the savings. I'd cancel any TV subscriptions, hack my mobile phone contract back, not eat takeaways, not go to the hairdresser, not get my nails done etc. In other words, any discretionary expenditure I could get rid of, I would.

I say this because I've used WLI and think they are amazing. However, they can potentially be a long-term commitment, so you need to think about finding that money every month for a while. I believe that the Wegovy injections and tablets are cheaper than Mounjaro, so it might be worth considering them.

I would see this as such a massive investment in your future self, it really is worth it.

Hi OP, 👋
I haven't RTFT just your replies.
I'm sorry to hear your in pain with you hip/pelvis when walking, that is debilitating. 🫂

I would honestly go back to the GP and see about options and get a second opinion?
May I ask how tall you are?

If you are a certain BMI you may qualify for gastric band surgery?
Is this something you have considered?
Or do you solely want to focus on WLI? 🤔

Failing the GP, then I'm afraid it's down to budgeting for paying privately.
But if you have your sights set on monjaro, then I would honestly see which expenses you could cut down on to save for it. 💰

As another PP said, look at such things as subscriptions and possibly renewing cheaper contracts for phone, electric, gas etc, just to save a few extra pennies, as it all helps! I would be frugal and turn everything off when not at home (except the fridge as we trust the fridge) 😆

Maybe download a budgeting app, (I swear by FUDGET (the free version)to keep track of your monthly incomings/outgoings, and then you will have a realistic view of your finances and see where you need to cull. 🙏

I think getting an extra job may put more pressure on your body, but if you can tolerate it, then possibly a shift on a weekend as either a bar staff lady or a carer role maybe on the cards? Unless you can offer your services as an admin role on a weekend as a flexible work (like book keeper or accounts) iyswim? 😇

I hope you find the answers you seek and best of luck to you OP! 💕
@AppleJuiceAvid

I am a big believer in just...going for things and working out your life around it. I scrimped and saved to pay for personal training sessions that were realistically out of my budget, but the benefits I gained of exercising regularly meant that I was more confident, working more efficiently in my day job because I had more energy, gained the confidence to start a small business on the side, saved money on other things that I wasn't doing any longer now I had improved my lifestyle...and so on. I loved the effects of the exercise so much that I found ways to make it work. But I had to take that first step and just plunge into it. Once I was hooked on the endorphins and results I had the motivation then to make it work financially.

You best bet it's to check the price comparison website either Monj.co.uk for Mounjaro or igovy.co.uk for wegovy. If you check the discounted prices for first time customers the cheapest Mounjaro is £94 for the first month with New Health, but the cheapest Wegovy is £49.99 with The Family Chemist. What I did was just keep switching chemists every month to get the first time discount- always go through Monj or Igovy to get their discount. Hopefully this will make it more affordable for you.

Personally for me, I started mounjaro but when the price increase happened last year I actually stopped for a few months. When I started again it just didn’t have the same effects as the first time around .

so I’d say make sure you can afford it financially before starting and know you’re able to stay on it long term to get the best outcome.

I used monj to price compare and like others switched pharmacies every month to get the cheapest price. Z

It's not just a high BMI. To get support on NHS you have to have many conditions.

Part time telesales.

What a good idea. I'm sure that no overweight person has ever thought of that.

I did this! I work in an office 8-5. Then took on a cleaning job for 2 hours in the evening! I looked at it as getting paid to exercise which also funded the MJ.

Oh my thats embarrassing for you.

Then you need to go through your GP. Drugs can adversely interfere and inter-react with other drugs.

Do you know anything about WLI? If OP doesn’t qualify on the NHS, which she has already said she doesn’t, going ‘through GP’ isn’t an option. The prescribing pharmacist is responsible for ensuring no interactions between medication takes place. Of course OP can research this themselves prior to contacting a pharmacy. It’s odd that you think anyone would just be prescribed WLI regardless of other medications taken though.

First few months on Wegovy are under £100. You can get discounts and swap providers.

You can stretch jabs from 4 weeks to 5 weeks.

You will save on food and alcohol weekly

Can you afford the first month to see if it's for you? And then a second month if it works? You might find just a few months is enough to lose a couple of stone and then you might feel better about your food and be able to move more.

Embarrassing? OXO just cured obesity and we were all lucky enough to see it! It's amazing no-one came up with it before but all the big fat fatties needed to do was stop being so thick and lazy and start eating less and moving more.
Next up, depression. I bet if they stopped bumming people out and smiled a bit more they'd be just fine.

Wegovy is cheaper, it peaks at £45 a week with Bolt. I’ve been on it for 9 months and tbh I’m no financially worse off as I eat a lot less and don’t really drink anymore.

You don't, some doctors/consultants have flexibility over perscribing. If the OP had a full check up, it would be rare at 25 stone to not have high blood pressure etc, then the pain she's in, would qualify her. Unless her GP is exceptionally strict. I've been offered it, I have raised cholesterol and I'm a lot lighter than the OP.

@Ponoka7 your GP is more than flexible if they are offering you Mounjaro at a lower BMI and without 4 out of 5 of the necessary conditions. It’s extremely unusual for a GP to suggest that’s a possibility.

it’s extremely unlikely that the OP has T2 diabetes or obstructive sleep apnoea or heart disease without being aware of any symptoms. A check up if one is available to her is always a sensible idea but I think it’s holding up extremely false hope to suggest that there’s a chance the OP might be able to access Mounjaro on the NHS.

You need to have 3 specific weight related conditions, diabetes, high BP and kidney disease or similar. It's not just bmi related

Wegovy do a pill which is cheaper than the mounjaro jabs, from what I've seen.

And less effective, it appears, so that's something else to weigh up.