How has the pandemic changed your life in positive ways?

[kingkarmann]

There is nothing positive about being in lockdown caring for a dementia patient

 

[Rusa]

I don't have to attend social events. Big big plus.

 

[Jakob]

We moved!
Downsized from a 4 bedroom with a large yard to. 3 bedroom townhome. No grass to cut, who hoo!
Lived in 3 different Air BNBs in different parts of the city.
We cancelled the cable TV, best thing ever!
I was re-deployed as an Occupational therapist to working in an FDA lab making COVID testing swabs with 3-D printers. Another role to add to my “I did that list.”
And I have developed an different attitude regarding what is really important in life.

 

[barak]

Learned Dividend Stock Investing

I just celebrated one year as a dividend stock investor. In the last year I have slowly bought 12 positions at $5K each for a total of $60K invested. As of today the portfolio is worth $86K and generates a little over $2k per year in dividends or 3.4% yield on cost. It's been a fun and profitable year

 

[W2R]

There is nothing positive about being in lockdown caring for a dementia patient

My sympathies!! How totally dreadful. Hang in there and know we care.

 

[troutnut1]

We are grateful to have discovered that other people will do our shopping for us for free! We started with groceries online. Then discovered Walmart will shop for, and deliver right to my 87 year old mothers porch. For $20 a month they would even come in and put things away for her! Ace hardware, Lowes, Home Depot all just bring my orders to my truck now.

And no flus, colds, or contagious viruses this year. Usually we get quite a few during the year because our ski resort is a giant petri dish.

In Montana we had already arranged our lives to social distance. But this is even better. We have good reason to get out of the rest of it now too. More time for fishing and skiing and the outdoors we love.

Cars have become almost unimportant. I save a bunch on fuel and preventative maintenance. I’m not even changing over from winter to summer tires anymore. Just not enough miles to even justify that.

By mid April we will have been fully vaccinated and will resume a few activities we have been unable to do. Training with our personal trainer at the gym, and in person bluegrass lessons.

Overall we have sailed through this. No big deal.

 

[harllee]

There is nothing positive about being in lockdown caring for a dementia patient

Oh wow, so sorry. Care to share any info and talk about it here?

 

[gooddog]

Made a killing changing up investments.

Got a sweet deal on a piece of property because of 'COVID' panic.
Easy to get a table at a restaurant.

 

[1242Vintage]

The absolute best thing that has happened is that I now have a standing weekly date with Mom (80 years old) on Tuesdays, rain or shine. We cook together, or go over financial stuff, or go on a leisurely walk, or just sit and chat. Our relationship has always been strong but is even better now.

My lovely wife has the same weekly date with her Dad (96 years old).

 

[template]

We bought a new SUV at a good price for my wife. We were at a car dealer in March 2020 on the day the DOW had dropped over 1,000 points and the news was full of COVID panic stories. The dealer's television was blaring out the alarm while we negotiated the price.

 

[homestead]

There is nothing positive about being in lockdown caring for a dementia patient

Sorry to hear that. Is there someone who can give you a break from time to time?

 

[rk911]

actually other than being locked down at our RV resort in AZ last march for 6-weeks and not going out to movies our lives have pretty much been the same as pre-covid. once we were home we still had friends over on our deck for lunch and dinner, went out occasionally to restaurants that stayed open, did in-person grocery and other shopping, with one exception kept in-person doctor and dentist appointments, etc. we do the mask thing when asked or required. so on the positive side we were 90% business-as-usual and, like many others our net worth has gone up.

 

[Lienlord]

The pandemic/lockdown has served as a test over the past year on whether being at home more would cause DW & I to get on each other's nerves when we retire.
I've mostly worked from home these past 12 months, and I'm happy to report that our relationship has actually deepened as a result of being together more, which is a huge relief as we look to RE in 2021!

 

[iloveyoga]

I was a good cook before the pandemic, but I took it up a notch with so much time at home and eating at home. I learned a few new recipes that are keepers. I also got better at being stocked with groceries at all times. Sometimes I slacked on this but it's nice now to have full pantry.

 

[NW-Bound]

Same as most, being even more homebound even though we are already homebodies (when we are not traveling) has let us learn some new skills, or have time to do something that we keep postponing.

My wife learned to cut my hair, though she butchered it up the 2nd time she did it. The 1st time was successful, and she got complacent. The bad haircut upset me quite a bit, even though I am not a vain person, and it was a good thing I did not have to go out much until my hair grew out. She is getting better, and I have had the 4th haircut.

My wife finally learned to bake French bread. Occasionally, the dough does not rise, and it still puzzles her.

I devoted much time to upgrade my DIY solar+lithium battery storage with more solar panels and more lithium cells. Spent a lot of time to monitor its operation, and tweak different parameters here and there in order to minimize the power we draw from the grid. Improperly used, lithium cells can explode, or in the least harmful way, get ruined.

I spent more time to help my wife with gardening. We were finally able to grow and harvest some tomatoes. Also have been eating a lot of snap peas, although both the tomato and pea cultivating still have some unknown secrets that we have not discovered, because we are sure that the results are suboptimal despite us being able to harvest some results.

I spent time to put down planks and shelves in the attic above the garage, in order to have room to walk and to reorganize the "stuff" I stored up there.

There's so much to do around the house that we have been neglecting. I will never run out of things to do.

 

[dixonge]

Morning walks and daily time spent on my laptop is mostly the same. Time on laptop might actually be up, mainly due to a complete lack of other options. We go out almost exclusively for groceries. Anything else, even if it's open, is more risk than reward. So no Barnes&Noble, malls, Apple Stores, rock climbing at an indoor gym, eating out at restaurants, drinking w/ friends at a bar, concerts, etc. Those are all the things we used to do that have been ruled out due to COVID.



I value things more that I may have taken for granted before, but only because COVID took them away. That's like finding a silver lining when a loved one dies.



Conclusion: the pandemic has had NO positive changes for us...

 

[brett]

The pandemic has made us more appreciative of our good health, the things we have, the experiences we have had, and those we will have.

 

[HF63]

The pandemic has made us more appreciative of our good health, the things we have, the experiences we have had, and those we will have.

Besides the above, I look forward to simple things in life and the usual B.S does not bother me any more, just think of be happy and done with it!

 

[John Galt III]

A lot less traffic back in Spring of 2020. That was nice.

 

[harllee]

A lot less traffic back in Spring of 2020. That was nice.

Living in a college town the traffic here is still way down and it seems like the traffic is still down on the interstate. That's a benefit.

 

[Sanstar]

Early in the pandemic we decided to get serious about decluttering and simplifying. Sold AS travel trailer and tow vehicle. Consolidated financial assets, took all extra clothes, linens, blankets, pots and pans to Goodwill. Emptied out storage unit via giving away or donating.

We are now using our time, energy and resources to create memories with each other and family. Regular Sunday bunch with kids and grands; planning a family trip to Gulf coast in May and week long stay at a resort in Maine later this summer when everyone is post-vaccine.

Our pandemic motto was and will likely remain: memories, not stuff; less is best; consolidate/simplify and use it or lose it.

 

[Al in Ohio]

Nothing positive for me. It’s only disrupted my means of entertainment, dining out, travel, excersize and socializing. All negative. I suppose doing a few teledoc visits that save me from waiting in a doctors waiting room and traveling by car to the appointment would be one small positive.

 

[Out of Steam]

1. My wife and I have gotten through it so far in sound physical and mental health.
2. Because of our limited ability to spend during the pandemic, we have bridged most of the stretch from retirement to first Social Security payment with modest withdrawals from retirement accounts. We should have only 10-12 months where we are taking at a 4% per year rate.

Can find little else positive about it, especially with the huge (and continuing) negative impact of COVID on the lives of younger people, and the number of people we know who have died (of COVID and otherwise) without the normal rituals and events of mourning.