cinderella

We are not in the same boat

We are not in the same boat
cinderella, Jan 13, 2021
Description:
My page for MOC 2021 - January 11: Tell Me a Story
https://the-lilypad.com/forum/threads/january-11-tell-me-a-story.75320/

In The Waves Of Change - BUNDLE by Paula Kesselring
https://the-lilypad.com/store/In-The-Waves-Of-Change-Bundle.html

Journaling - 540 words
I've been thinking of how the pandemic has affected us. Not health wise, because we are lucky to be still healthy. Actually, the only person that I know in real life that got it, had only pretty mild symptoms, something like a cold, not even a flu. Anyway, the reason that got me thinking is money. Of course. It's always about the money. I won't go into much detail, but roughly, over the last year, our income has been shrunk to 50%. Everything we have to pay is the same as it used be, at 100%; nothing is cheaper nor discounted. Stupid things like he "StayHome" discount in the electricity bill (5 euro, people!) are just not worth mentioning! How can we survive with half the money? We pay for our mortgage, Zoe's school, all of our bills on time, and I go to the supermarket once a week. That's all. The list of things that I want (and sometimes even need) to buy is huge and growing. Now that we spend a lot of time at home, I notice many things that we need to replace. Like the sofa throws. Or the broken ceiling lights. And many more. But I just don't order them. Because I feel that I will waste money on something that isn't essential. On the other hand, I see people buying stuff online as if there is no tomorrow, and I'm like "Where do they find all the money? Haven't they been affected at all?". Well, it turns out, they haven't. Right now I can see that not all people have lost their jobs or income. Most people continue to work as if nothing happens (ok, this is also the reason the lockdown isn't working, but that's another story). The "fun" part is that very few of them are essential workers. The rest of them are just people whose works haven't been shut down by the government. For example, those who now work from home still make the same money. And probably they spend less now (for commute, lunch, coffee...) and they can save more/have more money to spend on online purchases. So I guess "we are in the same storm, but not in the same boat". We are dealing with it from a different position, with different needs and expectations. The thing is that I'm just tired of living like a poor person, when I am actually not. On the other hand, I don't want to spend our savings, because... what if worst days are coming? Right now I feel like our life is on pause and we are in survival mode. Trying to stay covid free until it passes... How long will it last? How long can we survive like that? I really can't tell. One of my 2020 goals/resolutions was to embrace minimalism, even though back then, I was thinking of it more like a decluttering thing, not a "spending less" thing. But I guess "not buying" equals "not adding to the current clutter"! Ha! In a way, I was able to achieve my goal! I'm now a minimalist who has learnt (the hard way!) to distinguish between essential and unimportant. So, dear Covid, thank you for the lessons! #not
weaselwatchr and SeattleSheri like this.
    • flowersgal
      What interesting journaling and I like that you ended with acknowledgement of lessons learned. Wishing you brighter days in 2021.
      Jan 13, 2021
      cinderella likes this.
    • bestcee
      This is a phrase we've used often in my house. Because my husband is a nurse, he is seeing a totally different side of Covid than others in my circle. We are all in the same storm, but not in the same boat is a great way to describe it. I hope your income is able to return to 100% sooner than later. Thank you for sharing your frustrations and thanks for playing in my challenge!
      Jan 21, 2021
      cinderella likes this.
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    Paula Kesselring
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    cinderella
    Date:
    Jan 13, 2021
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