I have been doing some buying, but actually using the time gained from no commute to use up my fabrics stash to craft presents for people - like the fabric I bought to make cushion covers for DBIL's house (only about 10 years ago now!) was finally made into those covers for this Christmas (and the cushion pads arrived yesterday). And various other crafty things.
I have also been building my food stocks back up for winter, as I think we may well have more lockdowns to come. So I want to be able to avoid shops when the panic starts.
DH is already talking about Christmas, extremely early for him (he knows I am a Christmas nut who thinks about it a lot earlier than he does, I just wait for him to start before talking about it) - he is torn between feeling we need to visit DPs/DMIL (250 miles away) and staying here. We tried to get a cottage which we had before, but they doubled the price and it's beyond what we are prepared to pay. So I think he's resigned to staying here (I have offered a couple of other options for ourselves down there). I wouldn't be surprised though if that changes and we end up travelling (at which point I will get grumpy at not having an escape option as both houses are too full on and overcrowded in a normal Christmas, and I have asthma so don't want to put myself in too much crowding as well). But he also wants to put up lights much earlier than usual, and possibly decorations too - so I need to plan for a big electric bill (but worth it for mental wellbeing purposes) and getting the decorations from the storage unit.
We also don't go mad on food - we do a turkey but have made freezer space to freeze some leftovers etc. But there are some things we buy that need to be relatively last minute - like Leonidas chocs rather than Roses. And nice cheese. So I am starting to think a bit about those.
And I am not working in the city centre at the moment, like I normally am. Even if we go back to the office, I will have less chance to shop as I've been moved to a building further from shopping streets - so I need to plan carefully.
But I have found plenty of good local suppliers, so will continue to support those, just need to remember to order early. So lovely bread, good ground coffee, butcher, fishmonger, deli, fruit and veg etc are all possible without going into a large supermarket. Some are online order to collect in person, others are online with delivery, and some are queue outside in person.
Actually, I need to bring the jigsaws back from storage for the holidays (we actually were too busy, with WFH and school continuing, and then DD did have some activities get going again to keep her busy all summer, to do them earlier). And I think 1 new board game would be a good idea. We have played our current ones a lot.
I also want to get to the firewood supplier early this year - I think we will spend a lot more time at home this winter and use the stove a lot more, but so will others. So I need to get my normal supplies early, and be organised about a Christmas restock in early December (I have somewhat limited storage capacity - but can throw some extra into the shed if necessary).
But I think we definitely won't be going to events or experiences this year - other than planning a Christmas Hike with my Cub pack, I might plan another one for the family, bringing flasks of hot chocolate, when we would normally be battling crowds in shopping centers.