Good ways to spend money to improve your life?

[Quattr04.]

The OH and I have been discussing this lately, what are the best and most effective ways you can spend more money an improve your life, either though gaining back time or just making life more enjoyable?

I initially said a 4 day week, but then i came to the realisation that I do actually enjoy my job, and it doesn’t make much sense to drop 20% of my salary plus the pensions etc to have a extra day to then do chores, it’s makes much more sense to carry on 5 days a week, but get a cleaner to do the cleaning and ironing which are both things I cannot stand doing

Food is always the best quality we can find, usually
Delivered or from the farm shop where it’s actually enjoyable to shop

Pensions are maxed out so other savings will be going towards bridging the gap between giving up work when I want too and private pension age

Salary sacrifice a car instead of running one privately, tax saved, no MOTs to worry about, less admin buying insurance and road tax every year

Living life to enjoy it with trips, buying nice quality products, not skrimping etc

Even smaller things like replacing our current air con unit with a new quieter model as the current one is very loud

What other ways could life be optimised and improved by spending a bit extra?

[cptsideways]

Buy a boat & actually enjoy life

[CHLEMCBC]

https://www.motorcyclenews.com/bikes-for-sale/

[DeuceDeuce]

A dog

[RedWhiteMonkey]

DeuceDeuce said:

A dog

Each to their own but picking up steaming piles of st isn't my idea of life improvement.

[GiantEnemyCrab]

Cleaner
Chef
Gardener
Dog

Eg save yourself time (aside from dog!)

[md_ph]

Buy time - be that a cleaner, gardner, handyman - anything that takes up your time doing menial tasks that you can pay from your income will allow you to use your time in a much more efficient manner.

[ChocolateFrog]

Holidays and travel for me.

[Bill]

Quattr04. said:

I initially said a 4 day week, but then i came to the realisation that I do actually enjoy my job, and it doesn t make much sense to drop 20% of my salary plus the pensions etc to have a extra day to then do chores, it s makes much more sense to carry on 5 days a week, but get a cleaner to do the cleaning and ironing which are both things I cannot stand doing

Depends if you have kids, wife and I have a day off together in the week. Sometimes there are jobs that need doing but we always make sure we do something fun together for at least a couple of hours.

[smifffymoto2]

Pay off your debt.

[cliffords]

Quattr04. said:

The OH and I have been discussing this lately, what are the best and most effective ways you can spend more money an improve your life, either though gaining back time or just making life more enjoyable?

I initially said a 4 day week, but then i came to the realisation that I do actually enjoy my job, and it doesn t make much sense to drop 20% of my salary plus the pensions etc to have a extra day to then do chores, it s makes much more sense to carry on 5 days a week, but get a cleaner to do the cleaning and ironing which are both things I cannot stand doing

Food is always the best quality we can find, usually
Delivered or from the farm shop where it s actually enjoyable to shop

Pensions are maxed out so other savings will be going towards bridging the gap between giving up work when I want too and private pension age

Salary sacrifice a car instead of running one privately, tax saved, no MOTs to worry about, less admin buying insurance and road tax every year

Living life to enjoy it with trips, buying nice quality products, not skrimping etc

Even smaller things like replacing our current air con unit with a new quieter model as the current one is very loud

What other ways could life be optimised and improved by spending a bit extra?

What about doing things for others . Supporting some people less fortunate than yourselves. Taking the focus off being self centred and materialistic. Giving can be and is in my experience, a fantastic way to improve your own life .

[hammo19]

Donate any spare money to charities that mean something to you and do volunteer work.

[Tim Cognito]

RedWhiteMonkey said:

DeuceDeuce said:

A dog

Each to their own but picking up steaming piles of st isn't my idea of life improvement.

Other bonuses include not being able to go anywhere unless your dog can come.

[Spare tyre]

I like being outside walking around woods, beaches etc

I also enjoy not caring what the time is

With a young family it’s tricky

[Sporky]

Tim Cognito said:

RedWhiteMonkey said:

DeuceDeuce said:

A dog

Each to their own but picking up steaming piles of st isn't my idea of life improvement.

Other bonuses include not being able to go anywhere unless your dog can come.

I'm fine with people not wanting a dog, but I have two, and I can confirm that I can go places without them, and that I spend only a tiny proportion of my time picking up poop.

I think it's down to identifying things you like doing and things you don't, and seeing where money can reduce the latter (as you already did with work and cleaning respectively).

[mooseracer]

Interesting one. I'd say buying time is probably the best - as others have said.

[gt40steve]

Private health care. That can really improve your life.

[Red9zero]

ThingsBehindTheSun said:

Tim Cognito said:

RedWhiteMonkey said:

DeuceDeuce said:

A dog

Each to their own but picking up steaming piles of st isn't my idea of life improvement.

Other bonuses include not being able to go anywhere unless your dog can come.

Plus having to go for long walks in the pissing rain, having a filthy, dirty, smelly car because you put your dog in it after trips to the woods, potential for massive vet bills and a house that stinks of dog as soon as you open the door.

I am sure I have missed other benefits.

I quite like walks in the rain. I have the proper wet weather gear, as does our dog, and it keeps my daily exercise going. He has a bed / seat in the car that is regularly washed, but if we are going to the woods, we will take my old Landie anyway. There will be massive vet bills (his annual check up is this Thursday, so probably £250. He has had both ACL's done at £11k total). We keep our house clean, and the dog goes to the groomers every month (another £75). He comes back smelling like a tarts handbag

I am sure there are plenty of other benefits, and also plenty of downsides too. Would I change anything ? No, not in a million years.

[ARH]

For me it was the opposite. Not spending money on stuff I don't really need.

This enabled my to give up work at 55.

Yes i no longer drive around in the likes of a Jag XKR, or have 3 holidays a year. But i have no stress, can do as I wish, have no money worries and best of all only one holiday a year, for 365 days.

[NoTreadLeft]

Red9zero said:

I am sure there are plenty of other benefits, and also plenty of downsides too. Would I change anything ? No, not in a million years.

They are expensive, leave hair and dirty footprints everywhere and they tie you down, although there's an ever increasing number of places where (smaller) dogs are welcome. But I 100% agree: from a health & happiness perspective nothing else comes close. Paying your cleaner to stay another hour or two will mitigate a lot of the downsides.