Oh, how life is different in the midst of a global—craziness—pandemic.  How the most superficial of our consumer activities change so drastically, causing a dramatic effect on our acquisition of goods (and services).

Are we essentially reduced to being beggars locked in our own homes?  I’ve learned to be thankful—so very thankful— that items arrive at my home for consumption.  Often the items are not my initial or primary choice, but that’s OK.  Beggars Quarantiners can’t be choosers, or can they?   

There have been times over the past four weeks of quarantine—social isolation, lockdown, introversion activation…actually, my almost normal daily lifestyle—where we’ve wanted something and it’s just not really possible to get the item or service.  We have learned to shift and pivot to make do with the available options presented to us. 

We have learned to pre-plan our purchases even more so than we normally do.  This allows us to build in the shipping/delivery delay that seemed to be significant in the first month and lessoning with recent orders.

We have learned to select a backup item, just in case the initial item is unavailable.  For example, if we want organic bananas or avocados, we add a few conventional items to the cart.  We end up with either none, one or the other, or both…quarantiners can’t be choosers.  It’s all good.  We’re happy with any items that arrived (I am now the owner of two jars of a strange-tasting Sunflower Butter product— quarantiners can’t be choosers).

I needed an outdoor spa repair.  It sounds quite superficial but sitting in hot water for a few minutes does good things for a person, for a soul.  [see: 28, 34, 59.60, 63].   Luckily, I was able to find some techs and an electrician who were working—said they were SUPER busy right now—to come over and do service calls.  They all made good money providing 6, 12, and 36 minutes of work at my home.  I was able to get service and in a few days and a trip to Lowe’s, a working 300-gallon happy zone.  I didn’t realize how much not having my standard routine of super-zen time (“commute time”) changed my daily routine.

So, this all leads me to the thought of trying to figure out a safe plan and process to help support the businesses that support me.  A way to pull together ideas to help the business that we’ve supported, and enjoyed for years and years.  

As the stay-at-home orders transition to limited-release protocols, not everyone will be in a financial position to pay for goods and services.  There have been so many salary impacting decisions that flowed so deeply into the supply chain that it will take time for everything and everyone to get back onto a balanced footing.  We are planning to do our part, to identify those businesses that we use, and get into a safe (masked) action to engage in transactions.  Interestingly, one of the first actions will be bringing my mom’s dog to the groomers for her nail trimming.  Sounds superficial, but not to the groomers, or to our “good-girl.”  This is assuming the groomers can survive their shutdown.

If you’re not already, plan, and support those who you care about, as soon as you can, safely.  If we don’t, they may not be available for us in the future and the “quarantiners can’t be choosers” may shift to a “post quarantine options may change forever.”

*** Nothing in this article is to be construed as financial advice.  I am not a financial planner, nor do I pretend to be.  You should always consult your own professional when seeking advice.