I don’t know if you’ve heard, but there seems to be a virus spreading across the country. I have some real, uh, opinions about the response to this that I won’t share today because we try to keep it light here. But suffice to say that you should be looking to Thomas Pueyo and other serious journalists to get a grip on what the real response to this pandemic should look like.
Starting on Tuesday of this past week, everyone in my office was ordered to work from home for the foreseeable future. This is the first time almost any of us have worked from home, so it’s been a learning experience. Most of what we do can be done on our home computers by remotely logging in.
As someone with social anxiety, this has been great for me. I can work at my pace, without any distractions. Free from all that jibber jabber, I can concentrate, listen to whatever music I want, and be a happier employee. Is it just me, or whenever co-workers have a discussion or talk on the phone, does your brain immediately start following that narrative instead of the work in front of you? The office is a place of constant distraction.
Working from home has upset my routine a little. I am used to taking the bus to work, fitting in a good walk before start time, getting in another walk by the river at lunchtime, and ending the day at 10,000 steps. Now, it’s like I have to figure out when and where to walk if I want to exercise at all, and making myself do it. Plus there’s the impulse to sleep in later since I don’t need to commute. I’m trying to get up early enough to walk, shower, make breakfast, and then sign off at the end of the day because that’s what all the longtime WFH-ers are telling me to do. You have to make it feel like a workday.
Bathroom currently
What’s especially weird timing is that we’re in the middle of having our bathroom remodeled, and after New York’s PAUSE went into affect this weekend, I’m not sure our guy is coming back! He seemed a little rattled by this shutdown. Marge and I are fine if he’s working here while we’re also working from home, so we’ll see. But right now, we have bathroom stuff in our office, an old toilet on our back porch (see above), and a stripped bare bathroom.
(And yes, I know it is a personal finance sin to not remodel a bathroom by myself. But the alternative is having an out-of-commission bathroom for a year or two as I slowly work on it, which is not as appealing as having it done and over with. Plus, isn’t it good that I’m putting money into this hard-hit economy?)
Aside from working at home, of course, our society is being upended in all kinds of ways. And it seems to me that those of us practicing the frugal lifestyle are better suited than anyone to deal with this catastrophe. I didn’t realize we were practicing for a pandemic, but, well, here we are!
We naturally stockpile
Jealous?
As I’ve mentioned before, every year we seem to get a free 3-month membership to BJ’s in the mail. I use this time to stock up on non-perishables like paper towels, soap, and most importantly, toilet paper, at a great price.
Pantry stuff in the office
Our pantry is usually overflowing with paper towels, and the bathrooms have stacks of toilet paper in them. This isn’t because I’m some kind of prepper. It’s just because I hate shopping, and the less often I have to buy things, the better. If I had the space to stock a lifetime’s worth of toilet paper, you’d better believe I’d buy a thousand rolls at the best price possible. I love being able to pull something out of storage instead of making a trip to the store. We probably have enough soap to last another year (or two?), enough toothpaste to last at least that long, and enough paper towels to get us to December, when we make our BJ’s trip.
Drive As Little As Possible
With all non-essential businesses closed, there’s not many reasons to leave the house. There is very little traffic on the roads. Since I take the bus to work most days, or ride my bike, I do very little driving. Sometimes my car will just sit for a week in between grocery store visits. The fact that so many other people are leaving their cars idle is a boon for the environment and, ironically, for people’s health.
Don’t Go Out To Restaurants
We typically only go out to eat for special occasions like birthdays. It’s been years since we ended our weekly takeout meals. And I can probably count on one hand the number of times I’ve bought lunch at work in the past 15 years. Almost everything we eat is cooked at home. That includes breakfastlunchanddinner. So no changes in behavior here!
Solitary Activities Only
Please! You don’t have to tell me twice! I learned at an early age that team sports were not for me. Solo recreation, or with Marge, is the only way to go. I’m happy to just go for a walk around the pond and listen to podcasts. Heck, I even went to Norway by myself and hiked the mountains. I have been making it to the park regularly for walks in the woods, which is also good for the mental health these days.
We even have a home gym with a treadmill, weights, a mat, exercise bike, and tv for exercise videos. So if we truly had to stay indoors for weeks on end, we could easily stay active.
No Gatherings
Whenever people invite my to events, I get a thrill out of saying “no.” I do go sometimes, but if it doesn’t sound fun, I skip it. I’m perfectly fine staying home, and I honestly like not doing things I’ve been asked to do. We’re living in the Golden Age of television anyway, people. You’ve got shows to catch up on! Have you even seen The Righteous Gemstones?
No Hugging Or Shaking Hands
I’ve never been touchy-feely person. Neither has Marge. I don’t know if there’s been a slide over the years into more hugging as a greeting, but I’m not into it. Well, who’s the dumb one now? All you huggers are gonna be looking for ventilators soon.
Changes
But that doesn’t mean we’re not making some changes. I really do feel awful for the hourly wage workers out there. The safety net in this country doesn’t just have holes in it. It’s old and torn, and all but the lightweights will fall right through it. We’re about to see the biggest spike in unemployment claims in history. I don’t know if people are aware of the economic calamity about to hit, but it is going to be bad. The fact that people don’t even have guaranteed sick leave to take time off if they actually caught the virus is just the beginning.
My little contribution? We’re going to start ordering takeout again, and tipping well. The restaurants have been ordered closed and are only allowed to sell takeout. If I want to make sure my favorite restaurants survive, I have to support them. Frugality is great, but to some extent, you have to support the things you like. You have to participate in the economy. I went to our favorite Turkish restaurant Saturday night, when it is usually full, and it was empty except for the one guy who was taking orders and cooking. One person in the whole place! I encourage you to help out the small businesses you like.
Birthday records
Another change? More treats. I don’t think we’ve ever lived through such anxious times in my lifetime. You have to find the things you enjoy. So even though we have a Sodastream, I am buying Coke again. Since it’s almost Easter, I’m buying Cadbury Mini Eggs and Reese’s Peanut Butter Eggs. And even though I cut back to weekends only, I’m drinking coffee every morning again. For my birthday, I ordered a bunch of records I had my eye on. Never has a time called for those little indulgences so much.