Has Covid-19 changed your way of thinking about budget or the way you live?

[dreamin_disney]

I work part-time, hubby works full-time and DD (our only child) is a full time college student. She is finishing up her 3rd year.


We’ve been on a budget since dd started college. She takes out loans for tuition and books and we choose to help with housing . This has really helped me learn to budget money better and buy bulk items and split with dd. This came in handy with Covid-19 because a lot of hard to find essential items ( toliet paper, wipes, cleaning supplies) we already had from buying in bulk from Costco/Sam’s . When dd came home she brought all her stuff.

What have I learned..
I’m very lucky and grateful that i’m Still getting paid from my job even though I’ve been off work since mid March and will be off until end of May or longer. Hubbys hours were cut in half but he’s still getting full pay.

It’s always good to have extra (not hoarding) essentials

That I need to get healthy. My pharmacy has been out of my high blood medications for the last few weeks and it’s back ordered. It was supposed to arrive at the pharmacy on 4-10-20 but they said it was unlikely to happen and they weren’t even sure when they would get it I’m also type 2 and have asthma so high risk

That we aren’t ready if the big one was to hit . I live in Ca

That I need to have a big bag of rice and dry pinto beans in my pantry

What has changed

That certain material (unimportant fun shopping stuff) things really don’t matter. There was a lil discount store that I loved shopping at and buying things I didn’t really need. I will no longer be doing that.

I will be cooking at home more and putting the money I save into a special account. We use to eat out a lot.

I tried curbside pick up for groceries and love it! It also will save me money because I won’t be browsing every aisle. I will definitely use it more in the future

My view on life and budget has changed so much. Don’t take life for granted, slow down and enjoy family time, and to make smarter budget spending and decisions

 

[bearzabout]

Everything we loved doing has been affected by the virus. We loved to travel, go to festivals, events, concerts and theme parks, saw 3 movies per week, shopped at estate sales, etc.

We need to find all new hobbies in the future. We are starting with gardening. I’m just starting seeds now and we still need to build 12 raised beds. Thank goodness I stocked up earlier since our governor deemed seeds and growing vegetable gardens unnecessary and banned sales of those items in stores. We will do lots of canning and pickling this year.

We bake fresh bread and love using our air fryer and sous vide machine more than the past. Just got some dole whip mix to try in our ice cream maker.

We learned that material things do matter, and are grateful for the things we stocked up on for a rainy day since we can’t get a lot of those items anymore.

We will save a ton of money by not traveling but miss our adventures every day. It is hard to not think about all we have lost, but also feel terrible for all the people who have lost so much more because of this virus.

 

[dreamin_disney]

Everything we loved doing has been affected by the virus. We loved to travel, go to festivals, events, concerts and theme parks, saw 3 movies per week, shopped at estate sales, etc.

We need to find all new hobbies in the future. We are starting with gardening. I’m just starting seeds now and we still need to build 12 raised beds. Thank goodness I stocked up earlier since our governor deemed seeds and growing vegetable gardens unnecessary and banned sales of those items in stores. We will do lots of canning and pickling this year.

We bake fresh bread and love using our air fryer and sous vide machine more than the past. Just got some dole whip mix to try in our ice cream maker.

We learned that material things do matter, and are grateful for the things we stocked up on for a rainy day since we can’t get a lot of those items anymore.

We will save a ton of money by not traveling but miss our adventures every day. It is hard to not think about all we have lost, but also feel terrible for all the people who have lost so much more because of this virus.

I wish Could grow zucchini and cucumbers. I don’t have a green thumb and with allergies not sure how that would work. Maybe hubby will help me lol! Is there anyway to do an above ground small garden? I don’t know if hubbywoukd want to dig out a section of the back yard

 

[Welsh_Dragon]

You can actually grow quite a lot in a bucket or small container. You will be amazed at what you can grow in one square foot. Try googling ‘square foot gardening’.

https://www.growveg.co.uk/guides/planning-a-square-foot-vegetable-garden/
Have fun.

 

[Dole_whip_doll]

I wish Could grow zucchini and cucumbers. I don’t have a green thumb and with allergies not sure how that would work. Maybe hubby will help me lol! Is there anyway to do an above ground small garden? I don’t know if hubbywoukd want to dig out a section of the back yard

Do you live anywhere that has farmers/ranchers you know that may use molasses tubs? My uncle comes from a family of farmers/ranchers so they are easy to come by. I drill a few holes in the bottom and they work great for container veggies. I don’t know about cucumbers but where I am, zucchini and squash are the easiest things to grow.

 

[dreamin_disney]

Do you live anywhere that has farmers/ranchers you know that may use molasses tubs? My uncle comes from a family of farmers/ranchers so they are easy to come by. I drill a few holes in the bottom and they work great for container veggies. I don’t know about cucumbers but where I am, zucchini and squash are the easiest things to grow.

My daughter and I love zucchini. I like cucumbers.

 

[QueenIsabella]

Not much has changed for us in terms of our day-to-day life. We've always been frugal--rarely eat out, shop second-hand sources when possible, generally living below our means.

Now, we do love to travel--this summer's trips are very much up in the air at this point. I'm not sure what we're going to do for this year, or even next year, if things get pushed out.

As to the gardening--not only does container gardening have potential in small places, but raised bed gardening is also a possibility if you have some yard space. Typically, each raised bed is 4 feet wide (whatever length you want/have room for). These are easier on the knees, and you can do a small bed this year. If it's successful, you could add another one next to it for next year.

Depending on your needs, you could consider tomato plants, herbs, cucumbers (grow them up trellises--use vertical space!), and, of course, zucchini. don't try too much on your first go--see what works for you, take notes, see what you could do differently next time.

 

[Dole_whip_doll]

Not much has changed for us in terms of our day-to-day life. We've always been frugal--rarely eat out, shop second-hand sources when possible, generally living below our means.

Now, we do love to travel--this summer's trips are very much up in the air at this point. I'm not sure what we're going to do for this year, or even next year, if things get pushed out.

As to the gardening--not only does container gardening have potential in small places, but raised bed gardening is also a possibility if you have some yard space. Typically, each raised bed is 4 feet wide (whatever length you want/have room for). These are easier on the knees, and you can do a small bed this year. If it's successful, you could add another one next to it for next year.

Depending on your needs, you could consider tomato plants, herbs, cucumbers (grow them up trellises--use vertical space!), and, of course, zucchini. don't try too much on your first go--see what works for you, take notes, see what you could do differently next time.

You just made me remember seeing the “hanging cucumbers” on Living with the Land!

 

[OrangeBirdGirl]

Nothing from Corona will really change my life when we are back to what will be the new normal. I don't like going to stores so the stores closing doesn't bother me. I like to cook, so not going out to eat doesn't bother us. I guess my main take away is that I won't let essentials like TP get down to the last roll thinking I'll just stop at Costco on the way home and get more. I was down to 4 rolls when the TP shortage hit and I had to pay 3x the price I normally would for TP. So now, when I open my big pack I'll grab another when I'm at Costco. Same with napkins, paper towels, laundry detergent, etc.

 

[Hiitsme]

Try to find plants that will reproduce. A lot of plants and seeds on the market now a days are modified so even if you harvest the seeds you won't get the full plant next year. An example I'll use is the potato. When you plant the potato eyes, a non modified potato should yield decent sized potatoes and you could have potatoes forever (by replanting the eyes), but the typical potato out of your 5lb bag will grow but they will be very small. You can grow potatoes in 5 gallon buckets. Just be sure to put a few holes in the bottom for drainage.

 

[Judique]

I wish Could grow zucchini and cucumbers. I don’t have a green thumb and with allergies not sure how that would work. Maybe hubby will help me lol! Is there anyway to do an above ground small garden? I don’t know if hubbywoukd want to dig out a section of the back yard

These are two of the easiest veggies to grow if you can find the seeds or the plants. I guess it also depends on where you are. Mostly need lots of water. They take over my garden, especially the zucchini. My plan is for cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, peppers, hot peppers, plus herbs in my deck planter. Herbs =basil, parsley, cilantro, rosemary and lavender because I love the smell.

This morning I planted 2 plum trees.

We have a gardening center close by that is taking phone orders and you drive up and they fill your vehicle for you - you aren't allowed to step out. They will also deliver.

 

[loves to dive]

Not much has changed for us budget wise. Thankfully hubby has always worked from home,he is an IT consultant and one of his biggest clients is a trucking company so if anything, he is busier than before. I was gearing up to retire so had moved all my 401K out of stocks and into annuities and savings so that didn't get hit. I was only working 2 5 hour days a week, and that was mostly because my boss doesn't seem to want to shut the company, so my earnings were just going to savings. I did go into the office but 95% of the time it was just me. Now I work from home but still go into the office once a week to pick up mail. I'm thinking this is going to push the boss into shutting down. We weren't big on going out to eat although we did eat fast food about twice a month but don't do that now. I did usually take two WDW trips a year, I had just taken one in Jan. and was thinking of going back to F&G but that didn't happen. We bought a RV a year ago and were taking a trip about once a month in that. We already cancelled a trip we had planned in April to the Savannah area, we were in the process of planning one to the Gulf Shores in Alabama in May, which didn't get planned. We will save money on gas and RV parks from not going on those trips so there is that.

 

[Judique]

Try to find plants that will reproduce. A lot of plants and seeds on the market now a days are modified so even if you harvest the seeds you won't get the full plant next year. An example I'll use is the potato. When you plant the potato eyes, a non modified potato should yield decent sized potatoes and you could have potatoes forever (by replanting the eyes), but the typical potato out of your 5lb bag will grow but they will be very small. You can grow potatoes in 5 gallon buckets. Just be sure to put a few holes in the bottom for drainage.

That probably explains why each year I have a huge crop of onions in my back yard where I tried to grow onions but the deer ate the tops of them all. These are just tiny like a green onion but seem wild and I'm not sure if they can be eaten.

 

[Hiitsme]

There are some "wild" type onions. Yes, you can eat them and yes they grow like crazy all over my front yard. I use the tops in sauces and salads. We don't use any pesticides or weed killers in the yard. One man's weeds is another man's dinner.

 

[dreamin_disney]

Not much has changed for us budget wise. Thankfully hubby has always worked from home,he is an IT consultant and one of his biggest clients is a trucking company so if anything, he is busier than before. I was gearing up to retire so had moved all my 401K out of stocks and into annuities and savings so that didn't get hit. I was only working 2 5 hour days a week, and that was mostly because my boss doesn't seem to want to shut the company, so my earnings were just going to savings. I did go into the office but 95% of the time it was just me. Now I work from home but still go into the office once a week to pick up mail. I'm thinking this is going to push the boss into shutting down. We weren't big on going out to eat although we did eat fast food about twice a month but don't do that now. I did usually take two WDW trips a year, I had just taken one in Jan. and was thinking of going back to F&G but that didn't happen. We bought a RV a year ago and were taking a trip about once a month in that. We already cancelled a trip we had planned in April to the Savannah area, we were in the process of planning one to the Gulf Shores in Alabama in May, which didn't get planned. We will save money on gas and RV parks from not going on those trips so there is that.

My husband 401 and was hit hard but it’s going back up.

I was planning on doing a 10 day family cruise to Alaska at the end of May. I was just watching it and waiting On my daughter. She applied for a summer campus job and in March she would have found out. I guess things happen for a reason.

The university let the students out of their housing contracts if they moved out so I saved two months of housing they’re also refunding some of the student parking passes. The money I won’t have to pay for Apri & May, I will save for the Fall school fees.

 

[e_yerger]

I used to pay my bills at every paycheck, and budget down to the dollar. Anything leftover I would pay immediately to debt. If I got paid on a Friday, normally by OED Monday I would have my checking account balance at $0.

Now I'm waiting to drain to $0 until I get my next paycheck.

 

[smmco]

No, covid has not changed the way I think, but the government has certainly changed my life and not in a good way.

 

[AquaDame]

Sure has... we plum can't do what we used to. We would eat out a couple times a week and drive around on the weekends shopping for our groceries at niche markets. We'd only plan a day or two out since I never knew what I was going to feel like eating from one day to the next. Now we eat what we planned and don't pick up the junk food that we used to every weekend either. We've done takeout a couple of times but its a little nerve wracking so we tend not to.

We also used to drive to different parks and areas to take our dog on a longer walk than just around the neighborhood. That's out now... we only walk her where we can get from the house on foot.

Socially I haven't seen friends or coworkers since early March except on Zoom happy hours. When we speak to neighbors its at a distance. Heck I've only seen my parents once since March 1st and I felt badly about it (they wanted to drop off some Easter ham for us and wouldn't take no for an answer - they stayed in the front yard and we all had our masks on). I havent seen or spoken to my in laws since then as well. It feels weird because we had agreed to a start date to redo the siding on our house that happened to be the week after we were all sent home. So I've been interacting more than I should with the work crew and they've been in the house. Heck, just today we had exterminators in since we appear to have bust the chemicals that were keeping the ants at bay when we messed with everything outside. Whoops! NOW finally we can keep it a "clean zone" with just us inside I hope.

I'm also saving a pretty penny on parking ($15 a day downtown) as well as electricity and gas as we are not driving as much. My car is electric and my husband has a gas guzzling truck - we're both WFH now. Luckily he already had a gaming rig setup in the office so he just unplugged his tower and uses that kit for his work laptop; mine allowed me to expense what I needed to set my desk up.

We may have to cancel our camping trip with friends this June and our trip to the beach may not happen at the end of July either which would save some money. Our October WDW trip is up in the air.

I'm definitely paying more attention to daily workouts (making sure I DO THEM) as well as my diet.

I'd decided to fill one of our 4 planter boxes (12' x 6') with flowers last year but cut it back to just half of that one so I can use the sunny end again. We'll have carrots, celeriac, tomatoes, onions, cucumber, shishito peppers, jalapeno peppers, midget melons, delicata, lettuce, spinach, thai basil, and little decorative type pumpkins this year. We've done most of them before, just the melons, celeriac and pumpkins are new and the pumpkins are just for fun. Prior to all this I had purchased some hardy passion fruit vine as well, which I am not sure about. We'll see how that does too. I pulled up the lingering yukon potatoes to make room for more variety of things - we honestly eat far more rice and noodles than we do potatoes and they should be easy enough to grab at the store as needed. Our strawberries and asparagus have shown up again this year which is always nice too - 2 of my 3 asparagus have died now which is a shame and the stawberries should be giving up soon too. We planted them about 4 or 5 years ago now. I really should double down if I want to make a go of asparagus and get more, but that is not in the cards for this year.

 

[a1tinkfans]

Change our Budgeting, not exactly. We have Always been the type to prepare ahead, have that back up money for emergencies. Always know we could survive without income for up to a year. Weve had to do that. We have however, made changes due to the current buying power. In addition, we ve planned to help family that Will need us to get thru the next few months. Gladly helping.

Changed the way we live... other than imposed restrictions, no we have not changed drastically. We re very Blessed,
we re All together. We’re staying positive and looking to the future and the many good things to come. It will impact us, it has already but we ll get thru it, together.

Stay Healthy All!

 

[Nebraska_Disney]

My wife had her salary cut for the time being, but she had to lay off her entire staff. I was able to take my work home, which was good. We live debt free and we’re putting 25% of our take home pay towards investment funds as well as 529’s for our kids. We have a good 9 month emergency fund that we can tap into if needed. Currently, cut back our budget to accommodate new pay but also not jumping back into the market yet, putting the budgeted funds into savings until we figure out what the new normal is. We have a deep freezer and had 80+ lbs of protein in there and had just stocked up at Sams prior to the crazy situation starting.