sanity savers I plan to purchases
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SELF-ISOLATION SANITY SAVERS I PLAN TO BUY

PURCHASES I PLAN TO MAKE DURING SELF-ISOLATION

I am saving so much money on gas right now it’s not funny. What I’m not saving money on is food. I also have a growing list of sanity savers I have purchased or want to purchase during self-isolation. These may seem practical and frugal, but in reality, it is not my style to just buy things I wouldn’t normally consider a need. That doesn’t exactly seem frugal. But, since I’m stuck at home all day every day with two kids save for lone grocery trips, I’m making a few exceptions this month.

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SELF-ISOLATION SANITY SAVERS ON THE LIST

Here are a few self-isolation sanity savers I’ve got my eyes on that may help you out as well.

KIDS HEADPHONES

These were a necessity! Listening to Zoom sessions. YouTube videos and recorded phonics lessons wasn’t easy with a two-year-old running around. Our daughter’s headphones sent home at the end of kindergarten were no longer working well. The sound only came out of one ear and they were very cheap/ill-fitted.

We have been very happy with these kids’ headphones so far. My daughter loves them and I love not hearing her math songs or whatever all morning. They’re foldable and adjustable, fit well, and have a rope-like cord that is quite sturdy. I highly recommend these if you have kiddos who need new headphones.

MESS-FREE COLORING SETS MAKE FOR SANITY SAVERS BY KEEPING KIDS BUSY

Most mornings while I work on the blog, budget, or various online coursework (I’m using this time to LEARN all I can free online) my daughter is at her desk doing her school work. This means the little man is typically sitting on a chair between us “working” on something. This usually involves stuffing play food in the printer paper tray or stealing paper to draw on with whatever he can swipe off Sissy’s workspace.

This Thomas the Train Imagine Ink Magic Ink Pictures coloring book looks perfect! He’s not quite three, so he loves Thomas and all his friends. The best thing about this set is that the marker has clear ink. The color shows up as he colors the page. This means no marker on mommy’s desk. I’ve been vigilant and only let him use pencils, but I still think I’m just lucky he hasn’t gotten marker all over my brand new desk.

He also likes to color and do things he sees his big sissy do so if they can color together and each have their own supplies that is just icing on the cake.

DISNEY+

This was actually one of the first purchases we made when it was first announced the kiddo wasn’t going back to school. We’d been on the fence since it debuted here in the US, but hadn’t made the plunge yet.

We started our free 7-day trial about three hours after we found out school was transitioning to AMI (alternate method of instruction ie online). It’s definitely been a sanity saver, although one I try to be very conscious of how much it is used.

My husband has particularly enjoyed the subscription, as all his old favorite shows are on there to introduce to our kids.

PURCHASES I’M NOT SO HAPPY TO MAKE WHILE WE’RE STUCK AT HOME

The above items listed were all purchases I was happy to make or will be happy to make later in the month (I’m still on a budget). There have however been a few purchases I have been less than thrilled to make.

SHOES FOR THE BOY

I hadn’t planned on making any clothing purchases while we are self-isolating at home, mostly because no one is going to see us! Why spend the money if we’re not going anywhere, right?

Well, my youngest didn’t get the memo and the last pair of shoes he could still fit into no longer stay on. It’s awfully hard to be a rough and tumble little boy outside when you can’t keep your boots on.

After what felt like way too long searching (with him inserting his opinion every five seconds) at shoes online I ordered these cute Sketchers for him. Later in the month, we will probably order him some rainboots so he can splash around outside.

If you remember from Frugal Isn’t Cheap: Lessons I’ve Learned About Money I am done buying cheaply made shoes to try to save money since they don’t last long enough for the kids to outgrow them. I buy better-made shoes now.

The kiddo also informed me he wants another pair of boots like the ones he has basically outgrown, so we’ve already added the next size up to our growing Amazon list. He also seems convinced he’s getting Thomas the Train bedding.  I should probably do my future Amazon scrolling when he’s asleep!

PLANNED PURCHASES WE’VE DECIDED TO MOVE UP

We have a couple of purchases that were planned we decided to move up to make life a little easier since we’re home all the time now.

WHAT WILL LIKELY BE AN EARLY BIRTHDAY GIFT

We had decided to buy a tablet for our first grader as a 7th birthday gift, but that’s not until June and we could really use it now. She’s currently using my old laptop, which is older than she is and definitely not a touchscreen. She still tries to make it one though.

She also has a hard time with the full-size keyboard and the finicky keys. We had picked out a tablet with a detachable keyboard and touchscreen for her and decided to buy it sooner rather than later since school won’t be back in session this semester. Something like this RCA Galileo should work nicely.

DEDICATED WORKSPACES DEFINITELY QUALIFY AS SANITY SAVERS!

My husband built two desks last month to help us stay organized and on task and they have definitely been sanity savers! Prior to having a dedicated workspace the desktop computer was at the console table in the living room (it worked but wasn’t ideal) and I used the laptop… wherever I was in the mood to work really.

 

WORKSTATION SANITY SAVER
It pays to have a handy hubby!

Now I have a full-sized desk set up with my desktop, printer, and most of my office essentials (still need some down from the attic) and our daughter has a small desk set up next to it with my laptop to do her schoolwork. So we’re working from home together and making the best of the situation as long as required.

The desk situation has definitely made life easier and feels much more organized than if we just took over another area of living space.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? HAVE ANY SANITY SAVERS OF YOUR OWN TO SHARE?

Are you saving money being at home or ordering loads of takeout (hey, you’re supporting the local economy, right?)? Have you scrolled Amazon countless times and ordered a few things out of boredom?

Everybody handles self-isolation/quarantine in their own way. I’m curious how you’re coping and how that is affecting your finances. We are doing alright so far, income is down slightly, but we’re really not spending money on gas or other budget categories like we would if we were out and about.

I’ll be back next week with Meal Plan Monday and more posts. If you haven’t seen it yet, YouTube videos are back! You can watch Quarantine Catch-Up now! Until next time, stay frugal(ish), stay healthy, and stay home if you can my friends!

self-isolation sanity savers

 

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16 Comments

  1. Ironically enough, we just got rid of Disney+ because we were barely watching it, so it was a waste of money for us. Plus whenever someone was watching it ate up ALL our bandwidth, so it had to go. My son decided to have a growth spurt when everything first started and it was darn hard to find him clothes. Our big sanity saver purchase was a new computer for the boy, his old computer was about 14 years old and on its last legs so it was a must. Otherwise, we haven’t been spending too much on anything.

    1. This was pretty much our experience with Prime. We have kids under 10, so we’re definitely getting use out of Disney+!

  2. I like this post! I think it is great that you can plan things out but be flexible if one of your kids needed something etc. I agree, headphones are a must. They kept me sane with music and my siblings could do their work without bothering anyone else. They used to sit in the lounge and listen to YouTube! Thank you for sharing

    Em | http://www.loveemblog.com

    1. Thank you for reading! And yes, when it comes to budgeting with kids you gotta be flexible!

  3. Disney+ has been our best purchase and lots of stickers! We are also growing sunflowers which is exciting for the boys. Some fab ideas thank you for sharing!
    Sarah

    1. It is definitely a lifesaver! Thank you for reading!

  4. I’ve only left the house once in the past 50 days, so I’ve been getting much less healthy food than I used to via Target online. I did recently find a Facebook page of local farmers, many of whom are offering delivery, so can’t wait to use that once we need more food.
    The magic coloring books are really cool. We also subscribed to Disney+, and I can’t wait for all the Marvel shows to come out.
    Thanks for sharing.

    1. Yes! It seems like all the shows my husband hasn’t seen are still under an agreement on some other platform and not yet available. Lucky for me I’m a good 6 or 7 years behind on anything entertainment-related! A local farm that delivers sounds great! Thank you for reading!

  5. We are on a saving mode right now but I would love a take-out this weekend. Also I am planning to buy hair spray that covers my roots and invest in great hand cream for the whole family.

    1. Take-out sounds awesome! And I’d definitely invest in a good hand cream with all the hand washing going on!

  6. amazingly you describe solution to love on dim..your way of writing blog is awsome. i would love to visit again to your blog. stay healthy stay safe

  7. Good morning.
    Sending you my love and prayer today. God Bless you and your family.

  8. Ana

    Definitely some sanity saving purchases! We’ve been spending more on food, too. It’s been a little bit of fun making new meals at home and helping out local businesses with take-out. My son’s birthday is coming up in May so we may splurge on his gift to offset no special outing/party.

  9. Hi there,
    This is my first time on your blog and I am amazed. I am also a mom like you and your blog title “Living on a dime” hits me hard. I am one of those mothers literally living on a dime. One of the main reason too why I am having this blog.

    By the way, I made a challenge to myself to hop and comment to at least 10 blogs daily for 21 days. Your blog is one of those I have chosen to visit. I will be putting your blog link on mine. Feel free to visit anytime you like. You may also leave your footprint by giving a comment.

    1. Thank you Vanessa! I’m so glad you stopped by! Living on a small budget is kind of my jam around here!

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