I’m sitting here in my back room, watching the multitude of birds flitting in and out of my bird feeder, thinking about the lessons I’ve learned from the ongoing pandemic.  It’s been a long couple of months in isolation from friends, family, and the normal daily routine of what I call “life” (and it looks like we may be in for an up and down summer as infection rates rise and fall), but I have a few takeaways.

I Used to Spend A Lot More Money on Frivolous Things Than I Thought I Did

Sure, I’ve got a budget.  I like to think I’ve got a handle on my finances, but until I couldn’t spend money out and about (on dining, entertainment, and who knows what), I didn’t realize how much I was spending on these things.  In place of my normal routine, I’ve rediscovered the simple joy of reading a book, gardening, cooking, taking a walk around town in the early evening, or just sitting on my covered porch.  I’m slowly working on my LEGO town.  Although I ditched cable TV a long time ago (300 channels and I watched maybe four of them), I am  fully utilizing my Netflix, Hulu, and Disney+ subscriptions (with three other ladies in the house, sometimes I can’t even get on due to our subscription limit). Staying “in” turned out to not be as bad as I thought.

The Family is Together Again

I’ve got a nineteen year old college student and an upcoming senior in high school roaming the house again.  At this stage in our lives (and under normal circumstances), my wife and I would barely see them – as they are out and about on their own young adventures or away at college charting their own course.  Sure, you may catch one home for dinner from time to time – but both of them?  Night after night?  And it’s not a holiday?  Unique – to say the least.  Sure the “closeness” of family sometimes leads to ruffled feathers, but to have the house full of family one last time?  Priceless.

Wow – Dining Out is Expensive

I’ll be honest – my grocery bill has skyrocketed – not only from the limited inventory at the store (and subsequent increases in prices of some items), but the mere fact that I’m feeding four people again instead of two or three.  Factor in that I’m also trying to cater to my plant-based diet, my wife’s (mostly) vegetarian routine, and the fact that I’m still trying to serve “real” meat to my daughters – it is not only more expensive, but more time consuming in the kitchen.  Still, on the occasions that we have ordered take-out, I do encounter a little sticker-shock.  $35 for three pizzas?  I can make double that at home for that price – with top-shelf ingredients.  $52 at Panera?  It was just soup and sandwiches.  A full sushi take-out order?  Yikes!  That was a week’s worth of groceries right there.  At least when I hit the supermarket it’s a one-time charge that should last me for a few days (and that includes feeding the cat).  Dining out has always been my “Achilles heel” when it comes to finances, but even my wife gets upset now when we do get something out and she states halfway through the meal “you can do this better at home”.

I’ve Been Extremely Lucky

I’ve been fortunate enough to keep working throughout this entire crisis, so my finances haven’t suffered – unlike many, many other Americans.  My friends and family are safe and healthy (which is hard to believe, as keeping a sixteen year-old teenager reigned in during a pandemic is like trying to keep track of a caged weasel).  As restrictions continue to relax and folks are allowed to mingle more and more, I hope that luck continues.

What lessons have you learned from the pandemic?  Drop me a line in the comments below!