Things to learn from this terrible situation.

ian1246

quirkydeptless said:

DigForVictory said:

That the ability to cut hair is wildly under-rated.

I have learnt how to cut my own hair ... bzzzzzz ...

I have leant not to use dog clippers when cutting one's own hair 

In all seriousness though - the last few months have made me very thankful that myself and Wife didn't overreach for a larger/more expensive house than we currently have (We debated moving last summer!) and thankful for saving up a good emergency fund - Wife was furloughed when the Nursery & Schools shut, with the risk of redundancy. Happily - due to avoiding debt like the plague and buying a house with a 25% deposit so only a modest mortgage, had the worst happened all our costs could be covered from my wage packet (I work in the emergency services, so job secure) + a little to spare, with the emergency fund in reserve if something goes wrong.

Fortunately... Wife went back to work for the first time today. Her hours are unchanged and the nursery is gearing up for a gradually increasing amount of kids returning, so hopefully job is safe....

.... which leads me to my last point: Be thankful that we are so fortunate, unlike so many others who, through no fault of their own, have had their lives ripped apart - either from loosing loved one's, or facing financial ruin. Hopefully things improve before too long.

Zanderman

Linton said:

It would seem the country can manage pretty well with far fewer people in full time work.  

I haven't learnt that at all. 
It would seem that the country can pause a lot of people in work for a while (but only if the government digs deep and pays their wages). 
Whether the country is managing 'pretty well' is not at all clear - all the evidence is, in fact, that the opposite is the case - the country is heading into a massive recession - largely because, er, large numbers of people haven't been working and many businesses have ground to a halt.
So I'd put it another way - it would seem the country can press the pause button on employment for a few months but, by doing it this it is, probably, heading for mega problems ahead.

Barny1979

1. I wasted a lot of money on stuff
2. Working from home has given me a better work-life balance
3. When I leave the house I make the most of it. e.g. exercise/walking
4. I'm appreciating the little things in life.
5. A lot of the things I did, I don't miss, takeaways etc. Only thing I miss is knowing I  have the ability to travel anywhere.

[Deleted User]

I miss the pub

DiggerUK

I have learned, to my horror, how many curtain twitching Stasi there are in this free nation of ours, and how they seemed to get into a heightened state of bliss the more draconian and ridiculous the government guidelines became.

I suspect they are the same people who at a different time in history would have flagellated themselves into oblivion. How such people are going to react to the financial catastrophe to come is anyone's guess. 

What do we miss? Being able on the spur of the moment to go to the pub, a restaurant, the cinema, visit family and being part of the social life of the village..._

veryintrigued

So on the eve of what appear more restrictions, an announcement of a new six month furlough scheme, interest rates disappearing, a FTSE that seems to be, semi, recovering and six months down the line - have we changed our strategies or thinking?

RetSol

Deleted_User said:

I miss the pubBarny1979 said:

1. I wasted a lot of money on stuff
2. Working from home has given me a better work-life balance
3. When I leave the house I make the most of it. e.g. exercise/walking
4. I'm appreciating the little things in life.
5. A lot of the things I did, I don't miss, takeaways etc. Only thing I miss is knowing I  have the ability to travel anywhere.

This is pretty much where I am, esp nos 3, 4 and 5.  This pandemic has taught us all a shitload, it seems to me. And it will continue to do so.

P l

BananaRepublic

I’ve seen countless stock market crashes but this one is more unpleasant as I’ve seen people I know suffer, fortunately only financially. It has reinforced what I already know, that we should be thankful for what we have. and look at the positive side. Lockdown was tough for me, and I have a nice house with garden and financial security. God knows what it was like for less fortunate souls. 

soulsaver

Next 6 months of UK winter will be tough.. pray for mild.
Where IS that vaccine?

DireEmblem

I have certainly changed my spending habits, and have got a bit fatter.  My excuse for the latter, is that I can see round about that numbers in restaurants/pubs are still down, so to help support them, and the gap in tips that some people rely on, especially with reduced operating hours, I have been eating out more or ordering more takeaway.

I am lucky that I can work from home, and my shifts can be flexible to a point.

I'm going to use the next two weeks with hospitality shutting down again, to restart my health kick, and change my spending habits again once they reopen, to once a week/festivities/celebrations only.

I also miss exploring new places.  I think this year, the furthest I have travelled is 30 miles, but that hardly seems like something to complain about.