The state of New York had been in quarantine for 3 whole months. The city that doesn’t sleep, had officially been shut down. I guess everything is subject to change. Not being able to leave the house except for grocery shopping and taking walks here and there forced me to adjust to my new inside life.  I have learned somethings and am still learning many things. Here are some things I learned about finances during a pandemic:

1. I don’t need to buy specialty coffee.

I have a confession pre-pandemic, I was sort of a coffee snob. This meant that I would drink certain coffee brands as a status symbol and look down upon others who did not carry the cup with that status symbol. I know. I know. My thinking was screwed up. This was by no -means something I indulged in everyday but when I did, it made me feel proud and some what superior. So guess what happened when I couldn’t get to a local or national coffee retailer. I MADE MY OWN, insert gasps. Guess what? I became a pro at it! I don’t own a coffee maker, so I use an instant coffee and a French vanilla creamer and presto, I’m at my own café. As the months got hotter, I started making ice coffee and have perfected it and no I am not tooting my own horn- ask my neighbor.

2. I can make comparable food to restaurants.

One thing I started doing during the pandemic was cooking more, why you ask? Because I had to: restaurants were closed. I started ordering food from a meal planning service because I wanted to brush up on my cooking skills and because I wanted to explore a different range of foods. I have since stopped my delivery service but  I still gained a valuable experience, one of the recipes I received was a burger with onion jam and garlic mayo. I know what you are thinking onion jam and garlic mayo? Yup, who knew? It was delicious. In my opinion, it rivaled popular quality fast food chains and I made it myself. With time and effort I can create delicious restaurant worthy meals at home. This was something, I really didn’t put a lot of effort into pre-pandemic.

3. I still need to be on a budget.

I don’t drive and my local pharmacy became my go-to for last minute food items, beauty items, and hygiene items. I have spent a lot of money in my local pharmacy because of convenience. After getting an estimate on how much money I spent on the month of June alone, I realized I had to be more intentional about my spending, if I wanted to see my dreams of a full emergency fund,  my first vehicle and home ownership manifest in my near future. But I had to stick to a plan, I can’t be random about how I spend money. I need to be intentional with each dollar according to my unofficial mentor Dave Ramsey.

Going into the next season of my life I hope to carry these lessons with me. Am I saying that I won’t ever buy a cup of coffee or eat at a nice restaurant? No. I am saying it needs to be intentional and purposeful. If I don’t have to incur random expenses then why would I want to?

A lot of times eating out or grabbing a cup of coffee is part of our social experience: it is how we connect to loved ones and friends, but we can change that narrative. For example, instead of going to an ice cream shop, my friend and I decided to watch a movie at home and have mini- cupcakes. I made ice-coffees for us and even made her son a little-latte. I was able to still enjoy the company of my friend without busting my budget. It can be done, small changes add up to a bigger future. I hope everyone is safe and doing well. What financial lessons has the pandemic taught you?

Talk to you soon,

Gelayne