Being from a no fun state

[pblack]

I definitely need to stop watching HGTV for ideas, haha! So far this year we have:

• Paid off all remaining student loan debt (roughly $14k)
• Saved up enough money for our November vacation that is no longer happening. Some of this money is now going to home projects but majority is being saved for when we decide on/are able to vacation again.
• Updated the mantle above our fireplace
• Bought a new freezer for our garage (replacing a 30+ year old hand me down that still worked and went to my SIL)
• Finished up the rock landscaping in our backyard
• Painted 3 out of 4 master bedroom walls...need to fix a hole on the 4th wall before I can finish painting it.
• Organized our garage....and will be reorganizing it again this weekend
• Replaced the handles on our kitchen cabinets

I may be missing a thing or 2, but I know that a lot of this wouldn't have been accomplished if I wasn't working from home right now.

 

[lanejudy]

I was looking into Vermont to see the fall foliage

Things could chsnge by October, but at this point you would need to quarantine to come to VT from NJ (there’s only 1 county in NJ that wouldn’t need to quarantine). VT restrictions change weekly so keep checking.

 

[halfpintpeggy]

a no fun state means you can’t go anywhere and have fun. Can’t go to Florida. 14 day quarantine when you get to Florida. There’s like 34 states once you get back there’s a 14 day advisory on quarantine. Have you ever been to the New Jersey shores? They suck. At least the ones I have been to. Wildwood, ocean city, Atlantic City, Avalon, and a few more down that way. Don’t know if they have any good ones or not central or north. Heard there’s a good Nudist beach up north.

Seriously?!?!
Cape May is an incredible treasure, & the Anglesea section of North Wildwood has terrific beaches! Stone Harbor, Avalon, Sea Isle & many others aren’t too shabby either - sheesh!

 

[halfpintpeggy]

most of the people who love the jersey beach probably don’t get anywhere good. Might be all they know.

Ohmygosh!
We’ve been all over the Caribbean, beaches in Europe, beaches up & down the east coast as well as many on the Gulf coast. Love them all! But there’s nothing like the seafood of the mid Atlantic, & I’ll take certain Jersey beaches over any of them.

 

[halfpintpeggy]

SSShhhh, don't tell the whole world! Move along folks, nothing to see here. Borrrrring!

That is our fav too. It's great if you're not into boardwalk/rides/casinos, etc. It's so peaceful and set up perfectly for a day trip. We were considering a B&B that we love in Cape May (Queen Victoria) but it's not cheap. We're on the fence about staying overnight anywhere at this point and whether it's worth it with so much uncertainty in the world. The day trip works well for us; we can pack a cooler with some Primo hoagies and not have to stress about whether restaurants with outdoor seating can accommodate the demand.

Our 25th wedding anniversary is in October. I was looking into Vermont to see the fall foliage but I'm losing all urge to travel. The good part is that we are saving more $ than ever.

Ds20 decided last spring to attend welding school and by coincidence Discover sent us a special offer/blank check for 0% for 12 months so I am making great progress on saving up the amount needed to pay back. I should have it by the end of October.

Next up, attacking our mortgage.

I hope you all find a new (or old) happy place.

Our favorite B&B in Cape May is the Angel of the Sea, it’s wonderful! We’ve gone twice so far this summer, heading back in September.

 

[Tattylou]

Massachusetts- still a no fun state or not? Idk. Feels more fun than it did back in the spring when everything was closed and it was cold out! We've been going to the beach and lake a lot. My kids are playing little league, so lots of baseball games and that's fun. So nothing is costing much and it's been nice being outdoors. Heading to Cape Cod in 2 weeks to spend 5 days in an ocean front cottage- can't wait...and it is still cheaper than a vacation I would probably have taken in non-covid times. I'm ok with not being able to do much indoor stuff right now bc it is summer.

 

[tvguy]

Massachusetts- still a no fun state or not? Idk. Feels more fun than it did back in the spring when everything was closed and it was cold out! We've been going to the beach and lake a lot. My kids are playing little league, so lots of baseball games and that's fun. So nothing is costing much and it's been nice being outdoors. Heading to Cape Cod in 2 weeks to spend 5 days in an ocean front cottage- can't wait...and it is still cheaper than a vacation I would probably have taken in non-covid times. I'm ok with not being able to do much indoor stuff right now bc it is summer.

Some sort of youth baseball maybe, but shouldn't be Little League. As of the last update of July 23, Little League is still shut down. https://www.littleleague.org/player-safety/coronavirus-update/faqs/#general

 

[TwoMisfits]

Massachusetts- still a no fun state or not? Idk. Feels more fun than it did back in the spring when everything was closed and it was cold out! We've been going to the beach and lake a lot. My kids are playing little league, so lots of baseball games and that's fun. So nothing is costing much and it's been nice being outdoors. Heading to Cape Cod in 2 weeks to spend 5 days in an ocean front cottage- can't wait...and it is still cheaper than a vacation I would probably have taken in non-covid times. I'm ok with not being able to do much indoor stuff right now bc it is summer.

Yeah, that's my biggest worry for late fall and winter - if we still can't go inside much, but you really can't be outside (or outside amenities, like pools and mini golf, are closed). Summer has been as good as it could be with all our outdoor amenities open and with the weather perfect for swimming for over a month...

As for what we did - we got a new car in late May before everyone in and near cities realized they might like one (b/c we were replacing a 16 year old car that was gonna need 4 new tires and I wasn't putting any more money in). We got a new stronger and more energy efficient HVAC that could run virus filters in early June (b/c our 40 year old one broke) before everyone realized they might like a new one, too.

Somehow, in my silver lining of the year, my timing for big purchases during Covid has been great b/c I got incredible deals on both that can't be found now.

And this fall, I'm dropping $600 for my daughter's last 2 driving lessons and then her behind the wheel to get her license. $1000 overall (since we had 4 prior pre-Covid 1-on-1 lessons) to get her certified and it will be the best $1K I ever spent, b/c she had a phobia driving, gave me anxiety sitting in the car with her...and a driving instructor not only got her driving, but got her confident. I couldn't have ever done this, and that's worth all the money...

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Things could chsnge by October, but at this point you would need to quarantine to come to VT from NJ (there’s only 1 county in NJ that wouldn’t need to quarantine). VT restrictions change weekly so keep checking.

Really? I’m surprised; NJ covid numbers are super low lately.
That is a good point though. People should check if quarantine is necessary in both directions before making plans and again before leaving home.

 

[Tattylou]

Some sort of youth baseball maybe, but shouldn't be Little League. As of the last update of July 23, Little League is still shut down. https://www.littleleague.org/player-safety/coronavirus-update/faqs/#general

Idk pretty sure it's little league. Well we have an AAU team and that is not little league..... I thought their other team is little league.. maybe it's just town baseball, which I foolishly thought was little league. I don't really know!!
Either way, kids are enjoying it lol

 

[tvguy]

Idk pretty sure it's little league. Well we have an AAU team and that is not little league..... I thought their other team is little league.. maybe it's just town baseball, which I foolishly thought was little league. I don't really know!!
Either way, kids are enjoying it lol

How are they dealing with social distancing and are they having to wear masks?

 

[jerseygal]

Really? I’m surprised; NJ covid numbers are super low lately.
That is a good point though. People should check if quarantine is necessary in both directions before making plans and again before leaving home.

Good point, quarantine rules are constantly changing. Havent had a chance to check, but chatting with someone at our pool yesterday, he said that Florida has lifted the quarantine from the tri state area.
What is NJ and NY waiting for? IF the numbers are so low and the coronovirus is under control, why not open some restaurants 50 percent inside like down here in Florida?
Feel SO SORRY for the owners of restaurants in NJ and NY. How are they possibly going to survive?
How long can these states go without imploding? SO MANY are leaving NJ and NY for many reasons, high taxes have always been the case, but this situation has put the icing on the cake. Heard that many wealthy business owners and residents are leaving NY in droves. In fact, the Governor Cuomo has said that if they come back, he will cook them dinner or buy them a drink.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/cuomo-be...ome-back-to-save-the-city-ill-buy-you-a-drink

 

[Dakota731]

How are they dealing with social distancing and are they having to wear masks?

My grandkids are playing baseball and soccer and doing swimming here too which has been fun to watch. I haven’t seen any social distancing from kids or spectators but it’s outside and so far there have been no issues.

 

[cbeeindisney]

SSShhhh, don't tell the whole world! Move along folks, nothing to see here. Borrrrring!

That is our fav too. It's great if you're not into boardwalk/rides/casinos, etc. It's so peaceful and set up perfectly for a day trip. We were considering a B&B that we love in Cape May (Queen Victoria) but it's not cheap. We're on the fence about staying overnight anywhere at this point and whether it's worth it with so much uncertainty in the world. The day trip works well for us; we can pack a cooler with some Primo hoagies and not have to stress about whether restaurants with outdoor seating can accommodate the demand.

Our 25th wedding anniversary is in October. I was looking into Vermont to see the fall foliage but I'm losing all urge to travel. The good part is that we are saving more $ than ever.

Ds20 decided last spring to attend welding school and by coincidence Discover sent us a special offer/blank check for 0% for 12 months so I am making great progress on saving up the amount needed to pay back. I should have it by the end of October.

Next up, attacking our mortgage.

I hope you all find a new (or old) happy place.

Do it! We stayed at the Queen Victoria with a package and we LOVED it! I do agree that it would be something that you need to really want if you are debating staying overnight someplace right now. But definitely for the future, Queen Victoria is a must! Their breakfast is amazing!

 

[mjkacmom]

Idk pretty sure it's little league. Well we have an AAU team and that is not little league..... I thought their other team is little league.. maybe it's just town baseball, which I foolishly thought was little league. I don't really know!!
Either way, kids are enjoying it lol

Our town is little league, just saw a heated Facebook post from a woman freaking out that there are little league games going on, and according to the responses, games have been going on since July. My friends’ sons were at lacrosse tournaments yesterday, my daughter just left for today’s soccer games (club, but the varsity teams have captain’s practices every morning).

 

[tvguy]

My grandkids are playing baseball and soccer and doing swimming here too which has been fun to watch. I haven’t seen any social distancing from kids or spectators but it’s outside and so far there have been no issues.

Strange since those are all shut down in many parts of the country.

 

[mjkacmom]

Strange since those are all shut down in many parts of the country.

No indoor dining, no gyms, no bars but sports are allowed.

 

[TwoMisfits]

Strange since those are all shut down in many parts of the country.

Lots of places have given all 3 a go, although maybe not with the "reckless abandon" policy that the previous poster mentions.

My area has all of them, but with social distancing for free swim (and still limiting overall attendance to the pools), and with distancing and health restrictions (and team limits) for the sports. Now, the sports are not being run as school programs - those are still shut down through December. But, they are being run by the county government programs and the private programs both giving them a go. The county has even restarted swim lessons with limited size groups and the lesson givers wearing a mask and shield in the pool (not sure how that works, but they are working with it).

We have a creative saying here "don't say no, think of how you can say yes...and then see if that actually works"...it's been a relief to have that kinda thinking in place since late May...

 

[tvguy]

No indoor dining, no gyms, no bars but sports are allowed.

Wow, that makes NO sense.

 

[tvguy]

We have a creative saying here "don't say no, think of how you can say yes...and then see if that actually works"...it's been a relief to have that kinda thinking in place since late May...

We don't have that saying here, but that would fit the mindset here for a time. And all it did was cause record spikes in covid-19.