Was just reading an article about internet/website/app/phone use in the last couple of months and how things are changing. Largely “more” internet time (includes Neflix, etc.) “less” phone use.
What are you finding you are doing “more” or “less” of in the last several weeks?
MORE
Exercise - it’s an outlet
Baking/Cooking new recipes
Reading of fiction
Listening to music while working
Calling my mom. <3
Stressing about the future
Instagram scrolling for pics of happy places (pick a fav location and see what pics have been posted there - a way to visit but not visit!)
LESS
TV news
Driving!
Spending $$$
I seem to be coming up with more “more” occasions!
More:
-$$$ on food! OMG, my grocery bill!
-Time on local green ways. Lots of walks.
-Laying on the couch, trying to be quiet. Hence, the walks.
-$$$ on books. We’ve been bad… S19 and I discovered the leather bound section of Abe Books. So addicting!!
-Meals together. We’re eating dinner together every night, and the kids usually eat lunch together. We didn’t even do that when S19 was in high school! With athletics and long commutes, it was nearly impossible. Now it’s simple.
Less:
-Spending money, overall. Haven’t filled up the cars in forever. Not out shopping, but an uptick in online shopping. Not paying for private violin either. Doing haircuts myself… etc.
-Social media and online news. I deleted FB, and rarely look at Twitter. I’ll do a quick local news scroll and occasionally read something on Huff, but that’s it.
We’re in a holding pattern right now. Give me a few weeks though, and I will be doing my fair share of helping the economy! 3 1/2 weeks until we close on the house!
More:
Exercising
Cooking
Board Games
FaceTime
Will zoom for the first time this week
Less:
Spending money needlessly
Drinking alcohol
I actually like to drink socially. I don’t like to drink just sitting and watching TV. Sometimes it sounds like fun just To just have a glass of wine while watching TV, but every time it makes me sleepy and I go to bed much earlier. I have to be doing something, sitting out and chatting, being with people, etc. we had a bonfire this weekend and were outside for a few hours listening to music and talking…then it was fun!
@ChaosParent23 I forgot about the grocery money. So. Much. More. Probably double what I normally spend. Husband usually only eats one meal a day at home and my older daughter normally lives at school. Now their both home and she’s the only vegan in the already gluten free household. It’s so expensive!
More
—Time with both kids (they’re home sheltering in place with us instead of on both coasts)
—Time deep cleaning, thanks to S’s energy
—Thought put into trying new dishes and recipes, thanks to D
—Time walking together
—Time sewing, both on the machine and hand repairing
—Take out meals
—Walking and eating dinner together as a family
—Groceries (used to eat out more so didn’t need so many groceries and 4 eat much more than 2)
—Laundry—normally 2+ loads/week with just 1 of us, but with cleaning and sanitizing for 4, 2+ loads/day
—Sanitizing and wiping down the counters
—Showers after any errands encountering people
Less
—Errands—my kids run all my errands and rarely let me out of the house except to walk (very high risk)
—Spending money (very little shopping except groceries bought by kids)
—Travel (all trips canceled)
—Dining out (none as all restaurants are now takeout only or closed)
—Shopping and spending money
I’m eating more garbage. I’m pretty good at not snacking, but with DS home and not wanting to Go to the grocery store often, I stocked up on chips and ice cream. Which is never in the house with him at college. I rarely eat ice cream, so much sugar! Well, guess who has had it the last two days? Just a cup…but it’s still something like 35 grams of sugar.
More -
Exercise, consciously
Cooking/eating at home
Reading
Home projects - cleaning, etc.
TV, but just a little
Online shopping (my husband more than me. He signed up for Amazon prime and is ordering all kinds of stuff. I admit I took advantage of Athleta and Nordstrom sales)
Drinking alcohol (initially - now we’ve consciously cut back)
Less - (or none)
Working
Driving
Shopping (at the mall, etc.)
Eating out
Socializing
Grocery shopping (only online orders lately, and trying to keep them down too)
I’m confused by the comments from a couple posters that they’re spending more on groceries. Unless they’ve suddenly and drastically increased they’re food intake, I’d expect that any increase in grocery costs would be more than equally offset by a reduction in restaurant spending.
Well, for those of us who have doubled our household size (normally H & I only have the kids for visits in December), it certainly makes sense to me that we are having lots more groceries with 4 of us together for weeks).
I think most of us realize our total spending will be lower with cooking and takeout than restaurant bills but I thought we were supposed to put things in more or less columns—correct?
More:
exercising/yoga
Texting family and friends. It’s a constant stream
Texting and talking on phone to my kid
Talking on phone to friends.
Binging TV series
Listening to pods
Walking the dogs
Cleaning - including sanitizing
Washing my hands and face
Laundry
Online shopping for essentials (shampoo, hand soap, bidet)
Less:
Driving
Eating out/eating in
Snacking
Socializing
Playing tennis - none
Grocery shopping. I’m calling order in and picking it up curbside. Easy.
Errands. Not doing any.
Reading books. Can’t concentrate long enough. Hoping when it’s nicer and I can sit out on my deck and read I’ll be less distracted.
Same
drinking alcohol- I’m only an occasional drinker
talking on phone to my mom. She’s 90 and we always talk (and text) a lot.
@sherpa, I suspect many, like us, eat our more so don’t need as many groceries during normal times. (So overall spending less, but spending more on groceries). Also, many kids have come home from college so people are spending more.
More:
Cooking
Sitting - classes are online now so none of that standing and walking through 2-3 hour evening classes 4 nights a week
Bird watching because I can do it through the kitchen window while cooking
Less:
Eating out, including those coffee & donut stops at the campus cafeteria
Driving
Shopping in general
Food costs could be broken down:
groceries
getting take out
eating out
Or lumped together just as “food costs”.
Since “stay at home” we have a local FB group that shares info about local “to go” foods. Restaurants, food trucks, etc. that you can get food to go. According to the activity in that group it would seem some people are doing nothing but eating! Makes me realize how many people rely on take out.
We have just one extra person at home - our grad school daughter - and we are definitely getting/needing more groceries. I’m probably cooking more in-depth with her here.
