How much have you saved since COVID & what did you buy w/stimulus?

[mumof2]

Nothing much has changed for us really we are spending the same on food, maybe a little more on gas as hubby goes to the hospital everyday for treatment but it still fits into our budget as gas has been super cheap till this week....with chronic illnesses we really don't go out anywhere except for stores etc as I can't handle the noise/lights and it sends my cervicogenic dizziness into overdrive...our budget is pretty much the same every month..we did however update our car (which we saved for)....and no stimulus payment for us as we live in a different country

[LivingAlmostLarge]

I filled up 3x this month but only because we went away. if not we'd have not filled up at all. Eating out since I'm doing the whole 30 now is pretty much nil.

[JBinKC]

How did that happen? Heck, if they raised our property taxes by 75% I would have to seriously consider selling the house. That would be an extra $6,000/year which would be ridiculous.

Reassessment 75% higher of my home in 2019 making the home since I bought it in 1997 valued 9 times higher than what I paid for it over that time frame. I highly doubt I would receive anywhere near what it is assessed at in a sale. The RE taxes now stand at 2800 annually up from 1600 its relatively cheap to New Jersey but then again we get locally income taxed, taxed on vehicles and boats, coupled with a 10% sales tax.

[disneysteve]

As it starts to warm up here, we're becoming much more aware of how truly uncomfortable it is to have to wear a face mask everywhere. Don't get me wrong. I am 100% in favor of the mask requirements. I think they are critically important to stem the spread of disease. However, they will also greatly reduce our travels outside of the house especially during the summer months.

Just this morning, I went grocery shopping, which I do every week. I wore a mask, as I have every week. But it's warmer and more humid today than it has been so far this year. In the store, I was sweating and my glasses were fogged up most of the time. I had to slip them down my nose a bit or take them off entirely so I could see what I was doing while I was shopping (well as best as I can see without my glasses on). And that was INDOORS. I can't imagine doing any outdoor activity with a mask on.

Disney World and Six Flags just announced their reopening plans and they will have a mask requirement, as they should, but that is a deal breaker to me. I simply couldn't tolerate wearing one all day out in the heat.

So I suspect our decreased spending is going to continue at least through the summer even as things reopen. Maybe we'll do some inside air conditioned activities, like a museum or show, but certainly not anything outside where we need masks.

[cypher1]

Just this morning, I went grocery shopping, which I do every week. I wore a mask, as I have every week. But it's warmer and more humid today than it has been so far this year. In the store, I was sweating and my glasses were fogged up most of the time. I had to slip them down my nose a bit or take them off entirely so I could see what I was doing while I was shopping (well as best as I can see without my glasses on). And that was INDOORS. I can't imagine doing any outdoor activity with a mask on.

I knew I wasn't the only one with glasses complaining about fogging up with the mask at stores. Yes, I recognize its a small inconvenience to myself for others in the long run. But when others try to shame me for not wearing a mask alone in my car or outside, I zone out.

[disneysteve]

I knew I wasn't the only one with glasses complaining about fogging up with the mask at stores. Yes, I recognize its a small inconvenience to myself for others in the long run. But when others try to shame me for not wearing a mask alone in my car or outside, I zone out.

You don’t need a mask in your car or alone outside but you will need one at places like Disney World or Six Flags parks. It makes sense because you’ll be close to other people. I just can’t see myself doing it in summer heat.

[QuarterMillionMan]

This past weekend the lifeguards on the beaches of Los Angeles were all wearing masks, myself included (not sure why, lol). The beach-goers were not wearing masks.

[QuarterMillionMan]

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/check-your-junk-mail-4-million-americans-are-getting-their-stimulus-payments-as-prepaid-debit-cards-not-checks-2020-05-27?mod=mw_latestnews&link=sfmw_fb&fbclid=IwAR0PxuHqO2sNYE5OU6nByVIrwPGgjPfsiUzPaDPuO0XTqRhW1nbOhI1DbDs

Stimulus now being issued via prepaid debit cards. This makes more sense getting people to spend rather than save.

[scfr]

We are saving less. I'm definitely not complaining because we have not been hit nearly as hard as so many others, but I've lost approximately $1K in income so far and we know DH's business will be way down this year (don't know yet by how much because he's just entering his "peak season"). Although we have saved on gas and car insurance, we made $380 in purchases that were entirely due to the pandemic: air purifier tower + extra filter, pulse oximeter, 14 cloth face masks, 30 surgical style face masks (and I'm sure we'll be buying more plus replenishing the N95s left over from an ages ago pandemic), seat covers for the car w/ fabric seats so we can wipe them down, extra hand soap and cleaning supplies. And then there's the extra utilities (home more so more electricity & water, plus more laundry) which is hard to quantify. Before the pandemic we ate out once a month. Now we've averaged takeout once a week with decent tips but now we're reverting to our old ways and so I think it's time to do takeout again and help the local restaurants.

Just dropped another $85 on surgical style masks, "filters" for the cloth masks, and hand sanitizer, so pandemic-related spending is up to $465.
I continue to count my blessings and spend without bitterness.
DH had an outpatient procedure this week and a COVID test was a prerequisite. The result was negative.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

Spending more on some stuff and less on others.

[cypher1]

I ended up donating majority of the amount to the George Floyd gofundme, along with some local small businesses that have been destroyed during rioting in the Twin Cities. Continuing to find other charities in my state to contribute to.

[disneysteve]

Spending more on some stuff and less on others.

Is it balancing out or is the saving outweighing the spending?

[Singuy]

We spent our stimulus check on payroll for our part time techs who were out of work for 1.5 months.

[Fishindude77]

Just sent $1,000 of ours to a friend who has been dealing with cancer for about a year now. I'm sure the medical bills are piling up.