Covid-19: Saving money, the silver lining of alert level 4 lockdown

Friday, 17 September 2021

The Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson and Director of Public Health Dr Caroline McElnay say there are 11 new cases of Covid-19 in the community.

OPINION: It had been a bleak August afternoon when, upon news of a detected Covid-19 Delta case in the community, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced the abrupt shift in alert levels for New Zealand.

But as the country collectively recoiled, I couldn’t help but quietly breathe a small sigh of relief: I’d been trying, and failing, to get a thorough grasp on my spending habits and bolster my savings for months.

Perhaps a few weeks of bunkering down was exactly the cold turkey treatment I needed.

Coincidentally, it was, and, as someone who has been lucky enough to work from home during the lockdown period, I’ve been able to sit back and watch my savings steadily grow.

Prime Minister Jacinda Arden was forced to plunge the entire country into alert level 4 following the news of a Delta case within the community. (file photo)

* Covid-19: All 'very close contacts' in Delta outbreak have now been tracked down

* Covid-19 full coverage: 83 new cases of Covid-19 in the community

For some, alert level 4 lockdown has bolstered dwindling savings. (file photo)

Most of the changes came naturally. A social life forced onto the back burner immediately cut out after-work drinks, dinners and cultural outings, while the closure of bakeries and clothes stores removed opportunity for impulse purchasing.

When bank account activity is whittled down to skeleton transactions, the usually skimmed over withdrawals stick out like sore thumbs. I noticed subscriptions to apps that I didn’t even use, online media publications that I rarely read and streaming sites that I had long forgotten about, all starkly evident once the frivolous purchases that usually flank them had subsided.

Repelled by the mere prospect of standing in supermarket queues in the rain, or indeed at all, I’ve been visiting them minimally and instead depending on whatever can already be found within the confines of my home.

Rather than buying new toiletries I’ve ravaged bathroom drawers and beauty boxes for the half-used moisturisers and conditioners that were once abandoned in favour of shinier, more promising models.

Dinners derived from salvaged, freezer-burnt mystery meals and expeditions into the bowels of my food cupboard have replaced the convenience food usually bought during quick post-work supermarket visits.

That’s not to say I’ve been gorging on nothing but defrosted spaghetti bolognese (or was it chilli?) and versatile canned goods, wallowing in self-deprivation.

A bustling house of flatmates has resulted in weekend activities comprising DIY pizza nights and breadstuffs and booze laden brunches, but the refined approach to grocery shopping and social activity has meant I’ve been able to enjoy myself while still putting money in the bank.

I’ve arrived at a point where I’ve even managed to turn it into some sort of sagacious game.

Just how many dishes can I squeeze out of a couple of cans of tinned beans? Surely my car can manage another swift supermarket trip before I eventually acknowledge the orange petrol light. If I cut open the toothpaste, will that mean I don’t have to venture to Countdown until after next pay day?

I understand that this isn’t the case for everybody. My phone’s incessant ‘pings’ from group social media chats are usually from friends flaunting recent online shopping hauls. Others have described decreasing funds following quick-blossoming friendships with their local liquor delivery service.

For some, especially those who don’t have the privilege of working, browsing online is the only way to quell boredom and while away the long afternoons.

I’m also acutely aware that for those battling redundancies, cut wages and dried up work contracts, both saving and spending aren’t viable options.

It’s one of a number of reasons – alongside the desire to help local businesses once available – why I’m not pinning my hopes on an alert level 4 extension next week, despite how beneficial it would be to my bank account.

Instead, I’m hoping that the knowledge lockdown armed me with will be enough to navigate a lower alert level setting safely, without splurging in supermarkets or frittering cash on Friday nights like I’m partying with Jeff Bezos.

When normal life resumes, my spending will inevitably increase, but to avoid the excessive lifestyle creep I’m going to attempt to continue lockdown’s monetary mindset – starting with swapping lavish dinners for gratis social endeavours and takeaways for the DIY kind.