A Month of Quarantine Purchases
Lately I’ve resumed my oldest and most comforting hobby of keeping a journal. In it, I decided to track what I’ve been purchasing since I began working remotely in quarantine almost one month ago. I’ve tracked my purchases sporadically throughout the years, and I find that it reveals a lot about what’s happening in my life and what brings me pleasure and comfort. Keeping a running list of purchases also encourages me to be a little more mindful about how I’m spending my money. At the start of quarantine, I set an intention to use what I have and limit “shopping as self-care.” Let’s see how I did! In this list I have not included anything I’ve budgeted as a necessary expenditure (for me right now, this includes groceries, rent, utilities, medication, and donations).
3/8 Trust Exercise by Susan Choi, an e-book to read on my Kindle. I have a lot of trouble falling asleep when I’m anxious, and reading until the point of dozing off is the best remedy.
3/11 Two 2-lb hand weights and resistance bands. I made this purchase right after we suspended our gym membership.
3/14 Hair scissors. I haven’t had a proper haircut in almost 6 months, but I did have my first quarantine hair trim at Salon Chris (aka my boyfriend cut my hair in our bathroom). All went well, so I booked another appointment and chopped off even more!
3/14 A crochet kit to make a sweater. I opened it and soon realized that it is way above my skill level (I am a knitter, not a crocheter)! This will possibly be a spring break project.
3/17 A gift card to my favorite local consignment store to spend later.
3/20 A t-shirt from Monogram Studios. It has different types of pasta on it, an homage to one of my favorite foods. This brand makes my favorite t-shirts, and they are all made in LA. I’m spending more time in t-shirts than ever before, so I’ll wear this a lot.
3/21 Hand cream, lip balm, shampoo, charcoal toothpaste, brow pencil. Each was purchased to replace something I had used up completely.
3/21 Wine delivery from our local wine shop.
3/26 Leopard print slippers. My feet are usually freezing, but I don’t wear socks in our house because I live with a very furry German Shepherd, and they end up covered in fur by the end of the day! I have been wearing an old pair of Uggs as house shoes for the past year; slippers were on my wish list for a long time.
3/26 Barre3 online monthly membership.
3/29 A butt cushion for my desk chair where I now spend eight+ hours a day. LOL, but worth it.
3/30 Another wine delivery from our local wine shop.
4/2 Another noodles-themed t-shirt, from BeetxBeet. Okay, this definitely wasn’t necessary. But I know I will wear it often, and I feel good about supporting a small business.
4/3 A cloth face mask from Hedley and Bennett, and some paper filters. Maybe this is a necessity?
These purchases feel like indulgences, but carefully considered ones that I will enjoy and use thoroughly. One thing on my wishlist that I refrained from purchasing, besides a couple of t-shirts, was new loungewear. I’m trying to “use up” my old loungewear, most of which is from when I had a major surgery almost three years ago. The sweats I’m currently wearing are ripped at the waistband, but still functional for days of hanging out at home! We will be in quarantine here in Seattle for at least another month, and I plan to continue tracking my purchases. It’s my spring break this week, which means more time for creative projects. My goal is the same: to use what I have — old yarn, books on my shelf, half-filled notebooks — before purchasing anything new.