How much money are you saving being at home?

[DawnM]

I honestly don't know.  I know that I am not going out shopping and am trying to make do with what we have on hand as much as possible.  I want to say I have only spent $200 on food in the last 4 weeks, which is very low for our family of 5.  We normally spend about $800.

I think we have saved over $300 in gas so far.

I have not shopped for other things like I normally do, but no real numbers on that.  

And we haven't been out to eat, which is usually about $300/mo.

I am sure there is more, but that is what I have thought of off the top of my head.

[maize]

Only gas money really. We can't afford to eat out and I rarely go to stores other than grocery stores. My kids' activities have mostly moved online so I am still paying for those.

I've probably spent more money on Amazon orders than I do in an average month.

Edited April 8, 2020 by maize

[marbel]

Other than gas, I don't think we've changed our spending much. We are spending more on food that we had been with our kids away at school, but they received food/housing refunds so that all evens out I guess. We didn't eat out before this. We did buy some computer stuff to facilitate my working at home but not much really. Oh, our utility bills will go up with the kids back home. 

[Acorn]

Gas is much less. I usually spend $40 a week by driving to work and kids’ lessons. Groceries are higher with the curbside shopping, everyone home all day snacking, and no coupons or store sale prices. 
Eta: Educational expenses will soon be higher. My kids have minimal online assignments from public school. Which is exactly as it should be. However, both of my accelerated learners have asked for enrichment resources. 

Edited April 8, 2020 by Acorn

[BlsdMama]

I’m not sure but at least $300 in gas. DH did grocery shopping so the concept of “budget” kind of went out the window. 😉 

We don’t do much eating out but DH and I skipped a date, so $60? I’m not running kids to classes so skipping my Goodwill afternoon on Fridays - probably 4 x $50 - total $200/month. 
 

But, we’re home. We’re knocking out projects left and right. The special order door so it fits my wheelchair was $200.  The delivers of craft supplies for the kids -$100. The Catan board game I had sent to DD - $45. DS school cancelled his meal plan. He should expect a meal credit in May. Until then? Sending $200/month for food currently. 
 

It’s a wash. 

[marbel]

Just now, Acorn said:

Gas is much less. I usually spend $40 a week by driving to work and kids’ lessons. Groceries are higher with the curbside shopping, everyone home all day snacking, and no coupons or store sale prices. 

Oh yes, I'd forgotten about the extra cost of groceries due to deliveries!  Yes, that is going to add up.

 

[Hilltopmom]

I think I’ve spent more. At the start of this I ordered new bikes (usually something we would only buy at garage sales), scooters, outside disk swing, plasma car, tunnel, and trapeze bar for swing set. Also some new building toys to pull out when we need something different one day.

Weather is turning nice though and they are getting outside daily to use it all so it’s worth it!

eta- oh, and after taking a few years off, I signed us back up for a local CSA this summer. 

Edited April 8, 2020 by Hilltopmom

[Ottakee]

Groceries is about the same. We are eating home more but also using up stuff we had here....but that will need to be stocked up again the future.

Gas is less, likely $20 or more a week in gas savings.  

[MrsMommy]

We've definitely saved on gas...I went almost a month without putting any in the tank, and even then, it was only about $30! And since I'm not stopping at Target just whenever, I'm saving money there, too, but I don't have firm numbers on it. I have spent a bit more on groceries...I'm only shopping once every 10 days to two weeks, and I'm trying to buy a few extra meals' worth of food every time I go, so that's an added expense. My online ordering might be up a bit, too, for household supplies, because when I find something we need that's actually available, I'm buying more of a bulk size than I normally would, so that's more expensive, too.

[BarbecueMom]

Food and toiletries/household stuff are about the same - we can’t get delivery or pick-up in my area (pick-up goes through Shipt or Instacart, which I can’t use due to my address), so no fees or tip, but I’m also not sale shopping.  We never go out to eat because of allergies and being completely grossed out by others preparing our food, so that’s the same as usual - $0.

Much less on gas and activities. $3.58 in gas in the past four weeks, and that was for the lawn mower.  We were refunded for the cancelled soccer season, not being charged for April swimming, and not being charged for our April YMCA membership.  If the baseball season is cancelled, we’ll probably be donating those fees to the association for field improvements. And I haven’t signed the kids up for summer golf league or any camps because who knows if they will even happen.

I did buy several new release books that we would normally wait for at the library.  My 6yo took off in reading, to the point where he’d be blowing through a library stack per week, and I’m running out of school-related library checkouts, so I may be spending more on books if our personal shelves and the Kindle Unlimited selection don’t hold us over.

[fairfarmhand]

Food is about the same. Not much gas though. Any savings has been eaten up by other projects thought. Things for the kids to do, stuff for my dh to upgrade the house. 

[Jenny in Florida]

It sure feels like we should be spending less, given that we're barely driving and aren't spending on entertainment like we usually do. However, we did spend some money to get ourselves set up to be and work at home more comfortably. And I suspect we're spending some of what we would normally have spent on my husband's lunches and our commuting and such on extra groceries and delivery costs. I was just looking at our bank accounts to see where we stand, and I don't feel like there's any more money in there than there would normally be.

My husband will be furloughed in about 10 days, though. So one of my projects for after work today is to start going through expenses to see where we can make cuts.

Edited April 8, 2020 by Jenny in Florida

[Sherry in OH]

I don't think we are saving money, just spending it differently.

For example, dh isn't eating lunches out so that expense is gone, but he is eating at home which affects the grocery budget.  Actually the grocery budget is shot - more meals and snacks at home, more expensive substitutions for staples, spurges ...

 

[Jaybee]

I don't have figures. Gas is definitely down--I don't miss the running around for school and practices, etc. Food is at least the same, if not more, with everybody home, due to more snacking. I've had a few online orders--haircutting supplies, which are expensive for good quality; an iron skillet I'd been planning to buy but went ahead because was afraid the price would go up when I read the plant had closed. I haven't added it up, but the take-out ordering has gone up. We're trying to be careful, but we do really really want to get something from outside more often. It's a hard impulse to fight, lol!

ETA: Oh yeah, I forgot about not getting haircuts until I read that below. That's a good bit of savings which should cover the initial purchase of the grooming equipment. And the grooming equipment will continue to give...

Edited April 8, 2020 by Jaybee

[Jenny in Florida]

1 minute ago, Sherry in OH said:

I don't think we are saving money, just spending it differently.

For example, dh isn't eating lunches out so that expense is gone, but he is eating at home which affects the grocery budget.  Actually the grocery budget is shot - more meals and snacks at home, more expensive substitutions for staples, spurges ...

 

 

I was just thinking about the whole lunches at home thing, and I realized that one of the reasons we're not seeing a decrease in spending for my husband's lunches is because he's just replaced a quick trip to a fast food place with frozen/packaged meals he can prep quickly at home. So instead of spending $4 at Taco Bell, he's spending $4 on an Amy's frozen tamale meal.

I pack my lunch every day for work, anyway. And I'm eating pretty much the same stuff at home that I would normally pack.

Hence, no savings for us there.

[mlktwins]

We are not spendng on gas - and we were running all around 6 days a week.

We used to eat out a lot, but not at all now.

I’m not getting my hair cut for awhile...that is $60 a pop.

Grocery costs have gone up with higher costs, no coupons, delivery fees, service fees, and tip.  But I am buying for 3 families with each order and we are splitting the extea fees and tips.

I stocked up on some crafting supplies for me (happy Mother’s Day and Happy Birthday to me 😁).

We will get a few things for my twins’ bday in June. They want more workout equipment for the basement and the stuff we already have is coming in handy now.   Other than that, we are not spending anymore on things other than groceries and necessities...for a long while.

ETA:  My DH has been working from home for 3 years now and my boys are home with us most of the time.  Increased consumption of things hasn't changed much because of this (i.e. food, tp, etc).

Edited April 8, 2020 by mlktwins

[ScoutTN]

We've spent less on gas, more on groceries. More on Amazon and movie rentals. 

Four camping trips missed, from March through May, so about $80 saved there. 

All in all it's a wash.

 

 

 

[hjffkj]

Nothing. What we've saved in gas and the occasional restaurant, we've spent on extra snack foods and some booze. The booze is more so because I haven't had any since DD was born and I've been enjoying some of my favorite drinks. 

Plus, I've purchased a few things on Amazon to entertain us that I wouldn't have usually gotten.

At least I'm not spending more

[MysteryJen]

Other than savings on gas and the meets/trips, we are still near the same amount of spending. Groceries are up- as college son came home. We elected to keep paying for teams- I don't want our coaches to lose everything. Plus- the coaches are doing zoom drylands and check-ins- I think that is work.

dd2 is spending less as her social life went virtual.

 

[TheReader]

really only gas money. 

We kept our son's fencing club fee going, and his co-op classes are still going, so we're still paying for all of that. 

Oh, ha, a big one -- dS19's college refunded the meal plan balance and housing prorated amount for any kids that moved home, so that actually saved us our final payment *and* netted us a refund on top of that. 

I've spent a bit less on groceries, but not a lot less, because at the same time I've been stocking up, but this coming month should be much lower. 

On the other hand, though, DH has still gone to the hardware store & nursery and bought wood, plants, etc. for various projects (mostly before the stay home orders went into effect, though he has gone back for lumber twice).  

 

Edited April 8, 2020 by TheReader

[sassenach]

A good bit. My commuting expenses are about $55 a week and since classes are at home for the rest of the semester, that’ll be about a $600 savings. My family members are eating out much less. I’m guessing that we’re saving at least $75 a week between all of them. And gas, of course. Outside of my gas usage included above, we probably spend $20 a week. 
 

So maybe $150/week-ish. 

[hippiemamato3]

Just from DD not figure skating, we are saving about $800 a month. But - we are spending more on entertainment, groceries, books, take out, etc....so, really not saving much. 

Edited April 8, 2020 by hippiemamato3

[Soror]

We are saving on gas and school lunches for ds (I can feed him more cheaply at home). We've had some Scout events cancelled. 

Groceries are more due to not shopping at Aldi's as much, as they don't have pick-up or delivery where I live.

We rarely eat out anway, so that is not any different.

WE've spent some on house projects but that was planned.

[KrissiK]

Gas money, definitely. Usually we rarely eat out, but I am committed to doing take out for the local restaurants on Fridays, so I guess you can say we are reallocating our resources.  I am spending much more on groceries because I am not shopping at Walmart. The local grocery store is significantly more expensive than Walmart, but it is also not the nightmare Walmart has turned into, so I have been shopping there instead.

Edited April 8, 2020 by KrissiK

[mommyoffive]

We are saving tons.  

Ballet school is over $1200 a month

Rec dance for a few of them is over $100 a month

We are not going through dance and pointe shoes as fast, or leos, tights, and shirts.  I don't know monthly how much that saves.  Lets say $50-$100. 

Voice and violin is online- but payed for by their charter school.

Driving to dance 7 days a week was over $100 a week

Dh drove 2 plus hours to work every week.    $30-$60 a week in savings.

Dh eating out at work $30-$200  a month

So over  2k a month in savings. 

 

We are not spending more at all.  Grocery and the like is the same. 

We haven't bought anything either. 

 

 

[Ali in OR]

Saving on gas and eating out, but that was usually just pizza, so saving only $100-$150 month on eating out I would say.

I will look closer at our grocery numbers--I need to clean out a month's worth of receipts from my purse. My gut feel is that we're spending a lot more. We have college kid home, so 5 people eating all of their food at home. Plus as others have noted, there are no specials or sales, and I've done a few trips at the closer, more expensive store to avoid the crowds at our usual bigger, cheaper store. We'll get a refund for dd's college room and board, but that's a different bucket to me. It won't go to my grocery budget, it will help us pay tuition next year.

We've spent some money on hobby/entertainment stuff. New sewing machine, books (another $12 on kindle books yesterday), clarinet reeds, art supplies, fabric order. I could see us paying some money to watch some movies at home (so far we've been watching dvds we own)--I would like to see Emma. We don't have Netflix or anything like that. I would guess that so far we are either pretty even or I've spent more quarantined but it will begin to even out.

[SKL]

Not a ton yet.  The kids' school tuition is my biggest non-tax expense, and that isn't getting refunded.

Definitely saving on gas, but I have a fuel-efficient car.

Most of the "activities" my kids would be in this spring were either already paid up (no refund) or very cheap/free.

We may be spending less on food, but not much less.  We still order restaurant food at least once a week.  Need to keep the restaurants in business!

Taxes might end up being less, and for us, that is a big deal.  Unfortunately it means less income, but you asked about expenses.  🙂

[math teacher]

We are saving gas money for sure. I only drive in to the school an average of 3 days a week instead of 6 days a week. I'm not going to the donut shop at all, so that's better for my pocketbook and my health. We were eating out about twice a week, but now-not even pick up. 

[alisoncooks]

Yeah, whatever gas money we're saving, it's being spent on groceries. I'm spending $60+/week more on groceries than usual. (How?!? *sigh*)

We always take the girls to GWL in May for their bdays. I suppose that's $400 saved...though it may shift to Christmas. 

We signed up for a class in May ($240). Haven't heard anything about it yet... And if summer camps are cancelled, that's another $300 saved. 

ETA: anything saved is a good thing. DH's job can only pay if they receive enough donations. Now is not a great time to work for a nonprofit. 

Edited April 8, 2020 by alisoncooks

[vonfirmath]

I think our food costs have been much. I've had two over $100 grocery trips in the last three weeks and I don't normally spend that much at the grocery! OTOH... I am going less often so maybe it adds up?

 

[Meriwether]

We've spent more on groceries. I always have some in the pantry, but with a family of 7 we could be quarantined for a long time if a sickness passes through the whole family. I am trying to get a bit more each time we go than what we actually need. It is tricky because I won't take anything that is low in stock in case someone has an immediate need. So some things I am buying are more expensive. I am also buying more snacks. Our family can eat a bag of chips in one sitting. I don't usually buy chips, but if they add a bit more fun to a family movie or game night.... So I am buying enough snacks to get something out a few times per week. It is all adding up to 50-100 more per week, at least. Eventually we will eat it down, so we will have some lower shopping trips in the future. 

Gas is way down. We are spending about $20/two weeks on gas. Dh has to drive almost half an hour to work, and he has to work in the office every other week. He can drive my vehicle which gets better gas mileage, since I don't have anywhere to go.

Those two things balance each other pretty well, but we are spending way, way more right now than we would if life was normal. I have already spent more money at the local game store than I would otherwise. For my son's sake, I really want him to stay in business. I will continue to spend money there during this cards, since he is selling gift cards now. And we will pay a year's tuition to the dojo this month (for 7 people, plus adding Jui Jitsu for Dd10). We will also purchase a number of things that we may or may not have purchased eventually. Ds13 wants to mess around with a kama form while we are home, for example. Most of our extra spending is focused on keeping the two local businesses most important to us doing well.

[SKL]

If summer camps are cancelled, that will presumably be significant saving - assuming they refund the fees.  So far only one has announced that it is not happening, and I had not yet paid for that one.  It was on the cheaper side anyway.

Honestly I hope they go forward with summer camps, although I am less and less optimistic about this each day.

[sassenach]

10 minutes ago, SKL said:

If summer camps are cancelled, that will presumably be significant saving - assuming they refund the fees.  So far only one has announced that it is not happening, and I had not yet paid for that one.  It was on the cheaper side anyway.

Honestly I hope they go forward with summer camps, although I am less and less optimistic about this each day.

My dd works camps all summer and it will be a bummer if she doesn’t get to do that. She’ll lose about $2500. 

[Arcadia]

Gas - save $35 per week though gas prices has drop so more like $28 per week for work commuting.

Food/groceries - break even or spend more. We are buying comfort food like shrimp gyoza, dried mangos to replace eating out and we are also buying the more expensive options if the cheaper ones are sold out. 

kids activities - tennis for this spring session is cancelled so that save us around $500

internet hotspot - we top up $15 for more data from March onwards in case xfinity/Comcast has an outage. Kids exams are online at scheduled times so it’s safer to have a backup internet provider. 

I spent $130 on a replacement blender. My husband was waiting for sale but after a few weeks of shelter in place, he agreed that we should just buy. I also spent $50 on a wok. My pan is good for single servings while I could stir fry three to four servings using my wok. 
We spent on potting soil, herbs and some pots. We normally buy gardening stuff in summer so it’s just brought forward expenses. 

[Kanin]

I'm not sure... definitely a bit on gas, and I'm not impulse buying at the grocery store. I went into stock-up mode and bought "essentials" so I don't have anything junky. I may have made a mistake on that one!

[CAJinBE]

I don't think we are saving too much. Dh still has to go to work 50% of the time. We still have the university expenses and rents for our girls apartments at school even though they are home. We are paying more for groceries at home, but we would have been paying for their food at school anyway. We haven't gone to a movie, but we've watched plenty on iTunes. So maybe we have saved on a few restaurant meals out but that's it. I'm still buying airline tickets in hopes of someday returning to the US. We didn't spend a long weekend in Rome (I was going to go with dh for business) so I guess there is that savings. I would much preferred to spend that money. 

[Laura Corin]

Petrol money for sure.  Makeup.  We pretty much always eat at home anyway, so that hasn't changed. 

[mommyoffive]

27 minutes ago, SKL said:

If summer camps are cancelled, that will presumably be significant saving - assuming they refund the fees.  So far only one has announced that it is not happening, and I had not yet paid for that one.  It was on the cheaper side anyway.

Honestly I hope they go forward with summer camps, although I am less and less optimistic about this each day.

 

Yes.  Replace that with summer dance intensives, but it will save us thousands and thousands of dollars. 

[AFwife Claire]

We are definitely saving on gas. I used to have to fill up my minivan twice a week with all the running around we had to do.

For groceries, our second oldest son is back home from college, but the difference between feeding 11 and feeding 10 is not really that huge.  I had spent a lot more money in January and February stocking up because we moved in November, and my pantry stock had gotten very low.  But now I'm mainly going out for milk and fresh vegetables/fruit once a week. And like someone else said, I'm not stopping in places while I wait for a kid to be done with a one hour class, so I'm definitely saving on random things!  

I feel like I'm using my food more efficiently too. Since I'm home all the time, and not scrambling around, trying to get dinner on in a rush, I'm using left-overs more effectively, and not wasting anything.  I'm remembering what I have in the fridge/freezer better too, since I made a detailed list and am keeping up with it. I forget how organized I used to be, when I used to be home so much more, before I had so many older kids with different needs and interests!

I spent time unpacking some boxes I hadn't gotten around to, and I found 3 new puzzles, which was a tremendous bonus because we had already finished two 1000 piece ones, and there weren't any available anywhere to order!  So that saved us money!  And we had planned on buying a trampoline but didn't jump on that soon enough, and now those are gone too. We did have to buy another chromebook because too many kids needed to be online at the same time.

Since track season is cancelled, I assume we'll be getting our "pay to participate" fees back.

Edited April 8, 2020 by AFwife Claire

[prairiewindmomma]

Not a penny. We are spending about $500/month more. I just went through receipts yesterday. 
 

Our gas expenses are already quite low. We saved only about $80 last month. Groceries, item per item are up 15-100%. Many of the generic items we normally buy are not available so we bought name brand. The only eggs available were the high end organic ones, etc. That accounted for about $400 more in spending last month. The other $100+ was from items we had to order on amazon that are not available in stores. I paid a premium there as well.

[ikslo]

Nothing, but we already started stocking up for hurricane season, too, so there’s that.

Any gas savings for me got eaten up by all of DH’s extra food shopping trips.

And we had to get the AC serviced.

[lauraw4321]

It's basically a wash. We had one kid activity actually not charge us - the others either already have charged us or are continuing to. We aren't driving, but food costs are higher. I've had to order a lot of supplemental school materials because what the district provided wasn't really helpful at all. I'm continuing to pay my cleaning lady, and our piano lessons switched to Skype. All of our bike riding has meant that one of the kids bikes conked out, so we had to get a new bike. So yeah, it's a wash.

[Tap]

I am going backwards.  I am off work, unpaid, for 12 weeks. I am on FMLA to care for my special needs daughter when her school closed. I am not unemployed so I can't get unemployment. I am trying to figure out what to do for her in the summer, but until the SIP is lifted, I don't have any options to find care. She is 13 so she can't go to regular day cares or kids camps set up in the area specifically for healthcare workers due to Covid 19. (they cut off at 12yo)

I have more groceries because dd isn't eating at school (free lunches), dh isn't eating on the road (paid by employer), and ds is eating at home all the time. Dh usually travels for work and is gone 5-6 days, he is coming home each night right now, and working from home during the day some. He can't watch dd for more than a couple hours. My grocery bill has gone up by probably 25% if not more. 

Gas bill is down, but just slightly. I usually grocery shop on the way home from work, but now I have to drive to those stores. Dh drives a company car, so he doesn't pay his own gas.

Heat is on all day, instead of having times when no one is home. 

Water bill is higher since dh is home daily.

It is costing us thousands each month.

Edited April 8, 2020 by Tap

[Carrie12345]

I’m not sure. I know I’ve saved money in gas and little “extras” from our usual travels, but I’ve also gotten some extra staples whenever available, paid higher prices to replace some unavailable options, and bought a whole lot more snacks! There’s also been some expense for making a larger garden. And dh grabbed some beer and wine, which we might not have otherwise. (We tend to do that every 2 or 3 months or so.)
And we got a live TV subscription to be able to check in on live news.
And I ordered more fabric for masks.
We do have a refund coming for Hamilton tickets, but I’d like to replace those someday.
 

[historically accurate]

I'm guessing we're a wash here. I haven't sat down to really figure it out yet.

I am not driving much, so lots of gas money saved. DH is going in 1-2x per week instead of 5x. We are not visiting the doctor, so money saved there too. We're probably just delaying that expense though.

Groceries has been very high compared to normal. I am normally a very careful shopper with a strict budget. When nothing is in the stores, you take what you can get, so I'm paying a lot more for groceries. I'm buying more convenience foods so if I or someone gets sick, whoever is left standing can easily feed themselves and any one else. I've also taken getting my brother's groceries; it doesn't make sense for him to go to the store when I can watch closely and catch a pickup time. So buying for 6 instead of 5 (two of whom often purchased lunch out). We did try out the free school meals today, and I think we'll pick those up occasionally as it was a nice break from the norm.

I bought face masks for my own family, my mother, my aunt and uncle, and my brother. I don't sew at all, and my DD who sews tried and failed on mask making, so I purchased for everyone. 

We've purchased some craft things that we normally wouldn't have if we weren't stuck in the house - Diamond Dotz, books (we are normally heavy library users), fabric, etc.

So far, all of our subscriptions and kids' activities are not issuing refunds. 

[catz]

I feel like I'm spending a fortune.  We are using delivery/pick up grocery options at more expensive stores. We've ordered a bunch of stuff.  And my a bunch I mean household staples.  The only "fun" purchase we've made in the past month is Animal Crossing and we're going to count that as mental health and recreation right now.  LOL.  

BUT we usually eat out multiple times per week and are driving a ton.  So we are probably spending less but it's just been more concentrated into these online orders I'm executing.  

[Joker]

I don't think any. None of us here worked outside the home before the virus so nothing has changed there. Prior we were eating out about three times a week but the money saved there is now going towards grocery delivery. I've been tipping the shoppers quite a bit so we might actually be spending more. We're saving on gas since we're not driving to see ds at college (we're video chatting and texting instead) but it's not that much.

Our biggest savings would be that we had a NYC trip planned next month and ds was supposed to study abroad this summer. So we had saved for all that but we're not touching any of it since we hope to eventually do those things.

[Emba]

Definitely saving on gas for 3 or more trips to town each week - no TKD, no co-op, church services, etc. Saving by not paying for DD’s taekwondoín.

Less eating out, but we’ve gotten takeout a few times. More money on groceries because the boys are eating lunch at home. This also means more loads of dishes run. More money for groceries because of buying more expensive options as the cheap ones were sold out. But more cooking from scratch, so groceries may be a wash.

i spent more ordering some things online that I would have bought in person normally- nephew’s birthday gift, coffee, medications. I’ve bought things for entertainment that I might not have normally- toys, activity books, rented a movie online, craft supplies.

id say overall we’re saving but I have no idea how much. DH is still working (agriculture) so all those expenses/income remain the same.

[ElizabethB]

1 hour ago, AFwife Claire said:

We are definitely saving on gas. I used to have to fill up my minivan twice a week with all the running around we had to do.

For groceries, our second oldest son is back home from college, but the difference between feeding 11 and feeding 10 is not really that huge.  I had spent a lot more money in January and February stocking up because we moved in November, and my pantry stock had gotten very low.  But now I'm mainly going out for milk and fresh vegetables/fruit once a week. And like someone else said, I'm not stopping in places while I wait for a kid to be done with a one hour class, so I'm definitely saving on random things!  

I feel like I'm using my food more efficiently too. Since I'm home all the time, and not scrambling around, trying to get dinner on in a rush, I'm using left-overs more effectively, and not wasting anything.  I'm remembering what I have in the fridge/freezer better too, since I made a detailed list and am keeping up with it. I forget how organized I used to be, when I used to be home so much more, before I had so many older kids with different needs and interests!

I spent time unpacking some boxes I hadn't gotten around to, and I found 3 new puzzles, which was a tremendous bonus because we had already finished two 1000 piece ones, and there weren't any available anywhere to order!  So that saved us money!  And we had planned on buying a trampoline but didn't jump on that soon enough, and now those are gone too. We did have to buy another chromebook because too many kids needed to be online at the same time.

Since track season is cancelled, I assume we'll be getting our "pay to participate" fees back.

Maybe we could set up a puzzle exchange/book exchange!  If you let them sit in your garage for a few days, there should not be any infection concern.  Also, maybe board games and card games.  We are good, but if they kids were younger I would have liked something like that during this time.

[I talk to the trees]

5 hours ago, maize said:

Only gas money really. We can't afford to eat out and I rarely go to stores other than grocery stores. My kids' activities have mostly moved online so I am still paying for those.

I've probably spent more money on Amazon orders than I do in an average month.

This is pretty much my family too. I wish I could say that I am putting away a lot into savings right now, as that would be a lovely silver lining to this gray cloud, but I am not!