COVID habits you've kept

[stepford]

Not a post about COVID per se, but about those chnages in lifestyle you've retained even as the pandemic has (nominally) receded.

I'm not so much talking about risk avoidance behaviors like continued masking or reduced dining out or attendance of crowded events, but odd habits you picked up during the quarantine era that you just haven't let go of.

For me the most obvious are:

1. Endless re-use of plastic bags. We had a lot of groceries delivered during the first year of COVID and kept the bags. We've been using them for all our shopping since and, I suspect, have enough that we won't need another for the rest of our natural lives.

2. Lots and lots of puzzles. When stuck around the house in 2020 I got in the habit of doing lots of brain game type puzzles. The habit stuck and now I waste a good couple of hours almost every day doing: NYT Spelling Bee and Crossword, KenKen and Brain Bashers.

3. Obsessive gardening on my DW's part. During 2020 the back yard was her only outlet and now it's turned into a lush jungle. The fresh veggies are tasty, but you can barely walk without hitting a plant now. I admit, this is a much more constructive habit than mine.


I'm not necessarily proud of my quirks, but they seem to be who I am now. What about you?

 

[Philliefan33]

We used to eat out about once a week, and order takeout a few times per month. We don’t do either of much anymore.

I also spend an hour or two per day doing various puzzles on my iPad. In the morning while I’m enjoying my coffee and in the evening while sitting with DH while he watches television.

 

[Car-Guy]

With the exception of using hand sanitizers, nothing really stuck. (certainly not masks) We never really stop eating out or going places (if they were open). But the use of hand sanitizers seemed like a good idea and is now part of our daily life. I don't even keep up with the latest and greatest covid shots but I do still get the annual flu shot.

 

[jollystomper]

Some of the major covid things we were doing to some degree before the pandemic. For example, the use of hand sanitizers when out and about, and masking (we do this during yard work, allergy season and our visits to Asia).

The major new habit is DW and I started playing various board/card games at night before bedtime. We still do that 3-4 nights a week.

 

[wearefinishedworking]

I have continued to mask on planes.
We don't do much indoor dining at restaurants.
We do a lot more take-out.
I no longer want to be in really crowded places like museums.

 

[braumeister]

I wash my hands more often. That's about it.

 

[Midpack]

• We used to go out for dinner twice a week. We upped that to three times a week to support restaurants & employees - and we’re staying at three times a week.
• We tip more since Covid while low wage employees were struggling, and plan to continue.
• We still wear masks at many indoor public places. Always when shopping. Always when we go to live theater or concerts indoors. Library. We’ve given up going to the movies. And if we attend an outdoor event that’s too crowded, we just leave. We don’t wear masks at restaurants, seems kinda pointless if you’re eating/drinking - but we sit outside whenever possible.
• I do Wordle, WaPo crossword and USA Today crossword every morning.
• We don’t bother with hand sanitizer, just wash hands as needed.
• We’ve always done annual flu shots, expect to do Covid boosters at the same time for a while.
• We’ve always bought quite a bit online, increased with Covid, and no reason to go back to brick-n-mortar.
• We have only flown once since the pandemic onset, and we’re less open to flying - probably permanently. Planning to go to Hawaii in 2024, but no other flying distance trips on our radar.
• Seems like medical offices are still insisting on masks…

 

[ownyourfuture]

I discovered Kwik-Trip gas stations. Obviously, they don't have everything a real grocery store would, but they have all the basics. I actually did all my shopping there late at night in the 1st 3 months of 2020. I still go there for buns, eggs, milk, & potatoes.

As for other stops, I only masked up when it was required, but to this day, I keep a container of Clorox wipes in my car and clean my hands after every stop.

 

[audreyh1]

Funny, Feb 1 seemed to be some kind of watershed date around here. We noted suddenly far few people wearing masks compared to Jan.

Also the hospital procedures had just changed. They no longer required negative Covid test results before admission and allowed the spouse/SO to wait inside the patient’s room. Still masking required of course.

The local case numbers had dropped quite a bit by late January compared the holidays. We are back down to 11/100,000 new cases per day which is not bad. So maybe others are watching those numbers. US daily deaths still remain elevated unfortunately.

We still don’t eat inside restaurants, and mask in crowded places for shopping and errands. We will definitely continue to mask in public transportation, planes, airports, small enclosed spaces etc.

I was already doing a lot of home cooking before Covid but really doubled down. My new career of home smoking and curing food took really off!

I do really enjoy the availability of ordering ahead and picking up from a parking spot. Even the local liquor store does it.

I had already resumed piano playing about a year before the pandemic. During the pandemic I devoted a lot more time to it. My repertoire became pretty extensive and now I’m trying to keep it up!

Apple Fitness really saved my butt during the pandemic. We already had a rowing machine and a good set of dumbbells. I no longer had access to the yoga studio. But Apple Fitness yoga was really good as were other exercise types. We used strength training and rowing and some of their other programs. Still a heavy user.

 

[Irishgirlyc58]

I do the majority of my grocery shopping online and then go pick it up. Walmart, Sam’s, and Target are my main stores. I do go inside other stores if needed but I don’t spend that weekly couple of hours grocery shopping like I used to.
I sort of miss the in store grocery shopping but apparently not enough to change.
I haven’t stepped foot in a Walmart in 3 years and I haven’t missed it. I personally wouldn’t shop there but my mom likes a few things that only they carry and I do her grocery shopping so I’m stuck.

I never really cared for eating in restaurants so I gladly gave that up and just do pick up or delivery.

I mask in the stores and if in a crowded area. Most people where I live don’t mask but I saw my doctor in the grocery store and she was wearing one so that convinced me it was still a good idea.

My bff and I text each other every night between midnight to 1 am.
We’ve been friends since we were kids so this is a throwback to when we would spend hours together.

Early on in the pandemic when my grandkids would be over I would take them to the park so that we were mostly outside during their visit. On the drive over I would let them roll down the windows. They loved doing that. They said I was the only one who would let them. Now they just automatically put the windows down when we go somewhere.

I walk outside instead of going to the gym and getting on a treadmill. I enjoy walking outside so much more and it is easier on my knees. I sign up for Medicare this coming September and will look for a plan that includes a gym membership for those inclement weather days.

I do a lot of word puzzles. Wordle, crossword, spelling bee, and a decorating game every day.
I find it relaxing to not think of anything else while doing these.

Oh- I also keep a nice supply of toilet paper. Just in case. [emoji23]

After 3 years these all seem so normal now.

 

[athena53]

I used to go to Costco weekly- cut that down to every other week during COVID and that hasn't changed.

I started bringing my own snacks in a cooler on long road trips- it's sure cheaper than buying cut veggies at convenience stores.

I'm done with the gym and have gone to video workouts, my home treadmill and outdoor hiking or bicycling when weather allows.

I still feel uncomfortable in situations where I'm packed in with others- airport trams, queues where you've got the ropes and the maze so people are on either side of you, etc. I wear a mask in those situations and on long-haul flights.

Coughing is a red flag! My throat gets irritated easily and now I'm careful to keep cough drops around so people don't hear me and think it's COVID. Similarly, I'm bothered when someone else around me coughs.

Probably more but that's all I can think of right now.

 

[Marita40]

Far less eating out. For one thing, prices have really risen since Covid.

Keeping a good stock of things like toilet paper, paper towels, soap. These things were hard to come by during Covid so I'm more inclined to keep a good supply on hand.
That's about all I can think of. I volunteer at a hospice where we still wear masks, but that's the only place where they are required that I frequent.

 

[audreyh1]

I started bringing my own snacks in a cooler on long road trips- it's sure cheaper than buying cut veggies at convenience stores.

Oh yeah, we really honed our road trip style during Covid. We carried our own food and eventually stayed more at hotels with full kitchens.

Some of this started because we were having to change back and forth between our house and DF’s house. So we were carrying the fridge contents back and forth more or less - the unfrozen perishables. But I also had prepared food for breakfast and dinner, and we had an extensive charcuterie type tray for snacking during the day in the road. But it was also driven by our low-carb eating and lack of room service during Covid.

We also learned to use contactless check-in, digital keys etc. - wonderful upgrade. Still do it and hotels are still keen on offering it.

Now for pleasure/leisure trips we do much the same. Destination is a vacation home or condo. So we use the kitchen for most meals. We’ll supplement with to go food for dinners at times. Got reacquainted with Indian food on our last long road trip.

I hope room service comes back, but given the staffing shortages in hospitality I’m not expecting miracles.

 

[JDARNELL]

Well we're not eating out as much due to worse service and fewer menu choices. Also I am not watching the news as much as I am perfectly fine being able to collect information and understand it without all the talking heads.

 

[punkinhead]

With covid over I still don't go into work to die a slow death in a cubicle.

 

[Earl E Retyre]

DW started cutting my hair when covid started and continues to do so now. She does a better job and now I cut it every 2 weeks instead of 4 since it is free.

 

[Dtail]

More hand sanitizer use.
Masking on airplanes.
Up to date Covid and Flu shots.

 

[Irishgirlyc58]

Oh- I forgot-I stopped getting my monthly pedicure/manicure.
I went every month before the pandemic. I’ve gone twice since 2021 and they did a horrible job so I’m not going back.
The price also increased significantly and I can spend $80/month somewhere else.

 

[jollystomper]

I just thought of another: Reduced use of ATMs. Pre-covid I made a trip about every month to the ATM machine, and cash was a higher component of my spending. Since the pandemic, with every business we deal with except for one (barber) preferring cash, and the increased preference for direct person-to-person electronic payment, we rarely withdraw cash. Last year we made 2 ATM cash withdrawals. We get enough cash for our needs through other means.

 

[harllee]

No more hand shaking.

 

[Ian S]

No more hand shaking.

Kind of related to the hand shaking, we've continued to be careful when handling things like gas pumps. I either put on a disposable glove or have hand sanitizer ready after I've finished pumping. I also avoid door handles as much as possible and if I have to touch something like that, I use hand sanitizer afterwards. I've noticed that some fast food washrooms have installed gizmos on the entrance doors that allow you to use your foot to open the door.

So still using hand sanitizer frequently and washing hands more. Seems to work as neither of us have had a cold since the pandemic began.

 

[ncbill]

Haircuts at home with the Wahl clippers.

 

[Calico]

No more hand shaking.
No more eating in restaurants.
No more going to the movies. My own popcorn is cheaper and better anyway.

My stylist cuts my hair outside. She started this in 2020 and continues to offer the option.

I order 99% of my groceries online, and pick them up a few hours or a day later. I never ordered groceries online before the pandemic.

I keep a 4-6 month supply of things that were difficult to find in 2020-2021:

Cat food
Cat litter
Cat treats
Toilet paper
Paper towels
Baby food (16 year old cat)
Baby wipes (also 16 year old cat)
Clorox wipes
Disposable gloves
Hand sanitizer
Masks
Air purifier filters
Batteries
Soap

I just order all of the above from Amazon 2-3 times a year; easy peasy. I live alone in a three bedroom house, so I turned one part of one bedroom into my own personal Costco storeroom, as it were.

I read my first e-book while the libraries were shut down in 2020, and now I am addicted to reading that way. For every paper book I read, I read 4-5 e-books. I never thought I'd see the day!

My friends and I were constantly texting each other in 2020-2021 to check in on how everyone was managing, and it's a habit we've continued. That's a plus that came about as a result of the pandemic. We are all closer now.

 

[athena53]

One more- I love order on-line, pickup in store. Saves a lot of wandering around and you know it’s in stock.

Oops- just saw the e-book reference. Bought mine 3 years ago and I love this format. Library has a great selection.

 

[Teacher Terry]

The only thing I can think of that I still do is no hand shaking. Otherwise everything I do is back to normal.