I'm not spending much money these days, & that's a good thing. I'm not really going anywhere or doing anything, so what would I be spending money on, anyway? I'm buying groceries & the occasion new pair of athleisure gear to suit my never-wearing-pants-with-a-waistband-again lifestyle, but we're not really even ordering takeout, for the most part.
My wallet thanks me, especially because I have a few weeks of furlough throughout the summer – but I have made a few extremely worthwhile purchases during this time of otherwise-very-few purchases. Inspired by a similar post from Simone of Skinny Dip, here are my best quarantine purchases.
1. A spinning bike At the start of quarantine, I took Harness Cycle up on their sale of Star Trac Spinner Pro bikes, which came with a one-year digital subscription to their home studio. I've been riding their classes as well as Peloton classes (follow me at #KatesNotKaput), & I'm loving it – especially because I can now ride late at night.
2. Sculpey clay
As a kid, my best friend & I were obsessed with making tiny things out of colorful Sculpey clay. I ordered a big pack of it & have been making all kinds of stuff since the pandemic began, from tiny succulents & miniature monsters to beads & jewelry. I'm about to order a bunch more to keep it going!
3. Yoga blocks
I've been doing yoga from home, again mostly using the Peloton app, & these Gaiam yoga blocks – which cost only $12 – are saving my hypermobile wrists from the agony of, well, trying to do yoga. They're also necessary for restorative yoga... which is the yoga equivalent of taking a nap.
4. A concert ticket
At the end of April, I "attended" a live concert – Dashboard Confessional's livestream event "As Social As I Get Now," a reference to the lyrics "Wandering this house like I've never wanted out / & this is about as social as I get now." All proceeds benefited the Music Health Alliance, & the show made me happier than I had been in a long while.
5. Hot pink hair dye
Since college, I've wanted to dip-dye the tips of my hair neon pink. I actually tried it in college, but I didn't use strong enough dye, so it didn't show up at all. That was not the case in late May, when I used Manic Panic Hair Dye to make my colorful dreams come true. It faded out within a few weeks, but it was fun while it lasted!
6. Creative condiments
Now that Mike & I have gotten in the swing of cooking, I stocked up on a few new-to-us condiments, inspired by at Paige Plates & Shibani of Bombay Taxi. We're now experimenting with Mr. Bing Chili Crisp, Trader Joe's Harissa, Mike's Hot Honey, & Weak Knees Gochujang Sriracha. Any other recs?!
7. A new skincare routine
My skin was really bad at the start of the pandemic, so I did some research & invested in a couple of products that have turned out to be a great fit: Youth to the People's Superfood Cleanser, recommended for oily skin (& it's vegan, too!), & Glossier's Zit Stick, the first acne stick I've ever used that I can feel working.
8. A picnic blanket
Now that the only way to hangout with friends is from a distance, we're keeping folding chairs in the trunks of our cars to ensure that we always have a way to take a seat when we want to meet up with folks. I also invested in a waterproof, sand-proof, compact picnic blanket as a more casual alternative. Though it's not pictured here, we used one of these when we "tailgated" in the parking lot of Swenson's!
9. Silicone baking mats
Who owns parchment paper?! Not I. Given my newfound enjoyment of baking, I decided to shell out a whopping $14 in a couple of silicone baking mats so that I can bake to my heart's content without worrying about burning the bottoms of my carb-laden creations. (New recipe roundup coming soon!)
10. Antimicrobial face masks
I'm still wearing the masks made for me by my mom & Brittany, but to ensure a constantly available supply, I ordered a five-pack from Jaanuu, a company owned by a female doctor. They fit snugly but not tightly, & they don't slip off my face – which is to say, they're perfect. Pictured in the header photo of this post.
11. Donations to meaningful causes
This should go without saying, right? And yet. I recently renewed my NAACP membership & have made other donations where I've been able, including to Black Lives Matter Cleveland & the ACLU of Ohio. I also bought some goods & services whose proceeds benefited causes I care about, from vendors like Sweet Costo, Odd Birds, & others.
What have you bought under quarantine? And, like... am I the only person still quarantining, orrrr?
Condiments are the BEST!
ReplyDeleteI am jealous (in a good way) and think it's AMAZING that you got a spin bike! What a great purchase during this time!
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