COVID-19 Changes…Not Many

Many have said that COVID-19 will change us all forever. The life we knew is gone because of this deadly virus.

To that I respond, as a cheap person, the arrival of COVID-19 pandemic has not changed our lives much.

We never go out to eat much. Our trip to any restaurant, sit-down or drive-through, averages about 1-2 times a week. We used to eat out even less than that. I allow the frequency to increase only after I started to feel more secure with our financial situation, especially seeing that our retirement is in a better place than most.

We cook at home most meals anyway. For a family of five, with moderately to slightly picky eaters, sometimes it is just easier to make food at home to accommodate what everyone wants that day. Plus, it is healthier because we don’t overeat or exceed our sodium or fat intake. Even when we have friends over for dinner, I cook the meal at home. I’m not that great of a cook, but I am resourceful and I can find half-prepared food from grocery stores to supplement my thin portfolio of recipes.

We don’t shop for clothes, shoes, or other discretionary goods very often. We don’t just go to the mall to “hang out”. Going to stores less means less opportunity to be tempted to spend money.

Movies and theaters are special treats here. We simply can’t afford to drop $60 every couple of weeks for the five of us to go see one movie at the movie theater. Our kids know that I am cheap so they don’t even ask for popcorn and drinks anymore. Instead, we have Netflix and Amazon Prime. I do still buy a DVD or digital download once or twice a year, if I know that we will watch that movie over and over.

We choose free parks for recreation. Orienteering is a great mostly free and family-friendly sport for us to get out and get fresh air, in addition to exploring nearby parks in a different way. I’m looking forward to being able to do that again.

As a whole, this pandemic has not changed this cheapskate’s life too much. My hope is that as other families slowly get used to a more austere lifestyle, they may find that it is not so bad to have a simpler and cheaper way of spending your money and time.