Saving Money

Coronavirus Spending Changes

My state, much like virtually every other state in the US, is locked down due to the coronavirus. All non-essential business are closed, and people are told to stay home. This environment has caused major coronavirus spending changes.

Here are some of the way the COVID-19 pandemic has altered our spending:

Vacation Canceled

Our annual vacation to Florida was scheduled for the last week in March during our daughter’s spring break. As the date approached, it became increasingly obvious we were not going. Luckily for us, the condo we had rented offered a full refund due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This put a large chunk of cash back into our bank account.

Entertainment Spending

Movie theaters, comedy clubs, micro breweries, salons and comedy clubs are all closed. Plus, our state is under a shelter in place edict from our governor, therefore we can’t leave town either. All of this means our entertainment spending is way down..

Gym Membership

Gyms have been closed for about 3 weeks now, and will continue to be closed in my state until at least the end of April. My health club is not charging members for the time in which they are closed. Plus, I ended up buying enough home gym equipment with cash from our entertainment fund to enable me to do everything I want to do at home. We’re canceling our gym membership, reducing our monthly bills by over $150.

Dining Out

Spending on restaurant meals has decreased significantly. We do still get food from restaurants, but since it has to be take out we tend to not buy appetizers or desserts and cannot buy alcoholic drinks. Also, the food we do order are more pizza and burgers because entrees from more expensive sit down restaurants tend to not be as good after a 20 minute car ride home. We do want to continue to support local restaurants as much as we can, and we tip more generously than one would normally do for take out. It’s important to realize service industry workers are not getting their usual tip volume.

Grocery Bill

Our grocery spending is up, as we’re dining out less. I’m also buying more expensive food as I try to make different meals or fancy up a meal here and there to add a little fun to quarantine life.

Liquor

Since we cannot buy alcoholic drinks at restaurants, and we’re stuck in our house, we’re buying more liquor. I miss some of my favorite drinks at bars, but it’s certainly much cheaper overall to drink at home.

Online Shopping:

With other brick and mortar stores closed and the edict that we go out of our home only for essentials, we’re ordering much more online. This includes hair care products since salons are closed.

Our overall spending is down significantly. We’re using this as an opportunity to pump up our emergency fund. While both my wife and I have jobs that continue to need us during this time, we have no idea what the future holds.

How about you, Clever Friends, what coronavirus spending changes have you noticed in your own life?

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Check out additional clever articles below:

• What Is The Correct Tipping Etiquette For Take Out?
• I Save Money by Spending A Lot On Groceries
• How Much Cheaper Is It to Drink at Home?

Brock Kernin

Brock is a software engineer by day and personal finance blogger at night. He is a fitness junkie and enjoys grilling and smoking meat. Married with two children,  Brock strives to improve his skills as a husband and father, and is always on the lookout to stretch his family’s budget as far as he can.