To ask how you are economising

[contentedsoul]

We’re all going to be affected either personally or close friends/relatives

Just wondered if you’ve all started cutting back and how extreme

Heating not been on for 2 days
Still have hot water
All lights not needed switched off
Hallway, lamps etc
Airport flask filled first thing (holds 2 full kettles) lasted all day
I’m on a mission to cut back to the bones - not spending anything except bare essentials.

Thank god winter is almost over - had it been before Xmas... what with Xmas shopping, heating etc etc

I've actually been spending more. I live well below my means normally (save 1/2 my salary) so now I feel so bad about all the local businesses that might go under. I've been buying take-away food from local cafes and restaurants, and ordered a Mother's Day bouquet from an independent florist when normally I'd just send a card.

I haven't been buying lunch in the office every day though.

@BeijingBikini that’s really lovely of you.

It's just really sad to see my town turn into a ghost town - the reason it's so nice in the first place is because of all the independent cafes, restaurants and boutiques and the livery atmosphere on the weekend. Some are already closing for a month. I'm staying in apart from to buy food - I know we have to socially distance and be safe but I also don't want all the business owners here to go bankrupt or be up to their eyeballs in debt for years after this

Boris has sort of done the worst thing possible - we could have had a 3 week lockdown like China, then strict borders with 2-week quarantine on entry. But instead we might have up to a year of these restrictions, which will kill off a lot of jobs and livelihoods. I wonder where the government will get all this bailout money from - borrowing or printing?

Well our favourite cafe has closed. So that's quite a lot saved in takeaway coffees/cakes and take out food ( they would put together a little vegan meal each week for DD who is chronically ill) and just general loveliness. Our bakery has slimmed down and is selling off all its avocado and egg stocks as they will no longer be making sandwiches, just bread

Had another letter from the Trussell trust today and I think km going to eg up a regular donation to them during this crisis as it's impossible to find food to donate even