Well, that escalated quickly… Who would’ve thought on March 1 that we end the month cooped up in our homes because of a global pandemic?
Shops closed on March 16, with only grocery stores, drugstores, pharmacies, gas stations, and suppliers of vital importance remaining open. Until then, I spent more than enough money, but for a good reason — our anniversary. I also panic-bought books — a few Jessica Fletcher Murder, She wrote mysteries, to be more precise. But let’s start at the beginning, shall we? Because this Low Buy March was special.
A reason to celebrate — our anniversary
Wonderguy and I celebrated our 5th anniversary in early March. Reason enough to spend some money on my favorite man. We usually agree on only getting a small gift for each other — a book and a little surprise — on our special day. This year we startet with a limit of 20 Euros, with Wonderguy gradually raising it to 50 Euros over several days. You know this feeling when you agree with someone on a certain monetary limit concerning gifts and they raise it so you feel pressured to exceed this sum, otherwise you feel like a letdown?
Anyway, I did my best to find some nice but also useful things and a good book. And finding the right book for Wonderguy is a challenge of its own because he is a refined reader and we don’t share the same literary interests. But thanks to sheer luck and a bit of patience, I found a beautiful Japanese novel. To my relief, he’s already read it by now and found it quite interesting and good.
Apart from my anniversary spending, some washi tape, and a bookstand for reading and editing papers and books, I fared pretty well. Until lockdown hit home.
Panic buying for beginners
When the situation started building up, I was sick at home and Wonderguy did most of our shopping. While I wondered why he suddenly started buying several packages of rice and noodles, I didn’t fully realize in which direction we were heading until he told me that entire aisles at the supermarket were empty and toilet paper had become a rare commodity. With lockdown around the corner, we realized we had to adjust our shopping habits a bit since we usually go to the supermarket two (me) to five (Wonderguy) times a week. Being ordered to stay at home as much as possible to protect ourselves and others, we had to level up our organizational skills to not run out of food and other necessities.
Shopping for groceries and toiletries once a week is, of course, doable — but also more expensive, at least at first glance. What we usually spend at the supermarket over a week now became obvious with just one trip to the shops. Believe me when I tell you, I was taken aback by how much money two people with no sophisticated culinary standards, no kids, and no expensive allergies could spend just on food.
It took me some time to realize that this was probably less than what we usually spend on groceries when out shopping two to five times a week. Therefore, I decided this could be a good time to observe WHAT we actually need in a week and get a better feeling for what we spend our money on in the food department. In the end, there might be some savings potential when using a well-organized shopping list instead of intuition and (a lack of) memory. Moreover, this is not only a matter of money but also sustainability. Shop responsible — all/most of the time, even at the supermarket.
Except for anniversary gifts — and Murder, She Wrote books of course…
All my Jessicas…
Being sick the week before lockdown, I didn’t understand what was really going on until Wonderguy started buying cat food and groceries in bulk. Realizing that the world as we know it might come to a halt for at least a time, I suddenly felt the powerful urge to surround myself with all the familiar coziness I can get, including books. This meant I had to get those Murder, She Wrote books I hadn’t ordered until now — even in my Low Buy March.
When searching for it on Amazon, I realized that a) my book budget for March would only allow me a certain number of Jessicas, and b) that her ‘co-author’ Donald Bain had died and she had a new ‘collaborator.’ Reading some reviews on Amazon and Goodreads, I’m already dreading the moment I have to switch from Bain’s to Land’s Murder, She Wrote books. I can only hope I like it because, frankly, what would I do without Jessica? Wonderguy suggested I should start rereading my old Jessicas, but… but, well yes, but that’s not the same. Not when knowing that your favorite cozy mystery series is butchered by someone who doesn’t respect the fact that Cabot Cove is the most murderous place to live on this planet, and Jessica is the only one who can save us all…
Long story short, I spent my book budget on cozy mysteries; I spent a decent amount of money on my favorite person on the planet, and I (we) spend way too much money on groceries. Otherwise, it was a quiet month, apart from all the outside noise. Since I assume April will be another lockdown month, I’ll hopefully save some money — provided that I learn to handle my groceries better. And I actually should do both, because my company introduced short time because of the Corona crisis, so I won’t get my full pay for several months. Thus, saving a bit of money would be great.
Hope you’re all safe and healthy! Take care of yourself and others, stay inside, and keep going (though not literally unless your profession or special circumstance demand it) 🙂