How have you been financially

[mikew]

Since the lockdown started, i know some have been furloughed but that could still mean a loss of total income, especially if earnings are normally topped up with a bonus, shift or overtime payments.

I uttered some words i never thought i would, " no problem for us as we are on pension" in some ways we have had more spare cash due not spending on shopping luxuries as we only get two shops a week from my stepdaughter, we decided it would not be fair to ask her to look around the shops for those little extras we used to buy.
We have been saving more than normal not that we want to as we have the feeling we have the sword of Damocles hanging over us all to some extent so spending makes more sense, i would like to buy a new lens but decided to wait and see what i can manage to do if/after we get some form of all clear.

[Rodbender]

For the first time in years we have found money to be no problem. Like you say being on a pension we have not really been affected, if anything we too have saved on our shopping. I was only saying to the wife yesterday "How come we only get a delivery from the supermarket approximately every three weeks and pop to our local corner shop once a week, we have not gone without and why did we need 9 bags of shopping when we did it our self." Wife said we don't buy the spur of the moment things as we did when we walked round the shop etc. Think we and many others will change some of our ways now we have had to deal with this. Less petrol too. One thing we have done is to pay for our funerals. Well we are both somewhat expecting the worst as age and health are not on our side.

[patmoore]

Same for us. Penny and I are retired and our three rental property tenants are current with payments. Since we're not traveling or going out to eat, our credit card bills are the lowest they've been in years. The local restaurants are starting to offer take out and we're doing that a couple of nights a week for two reasons. The food is good and we like to support them in tough times. I've been taking aerial photos of the restaurants with the drone and giving 11 x 14s mounted on foam core to the proprieters as a way of saying thank you.

[Garry]

Have we been effected financially by Coronavirus ? Yes.
Our work came to a stand still as soon as the news was out. No one wants people working in their houses unless it was an emergency.
Am I bothered ? No. Not really. Things will pick up again.

[Caz]

Have I been effected financially by Coronavirus? Not too badly.

I work in conveyancing for a law firm in one of the smaller branch offices. 2 from my office of 5 staff have been furloughed (one was instant, she's pregnant), so now I'm assistant to two fee earners as well as opening files etc as well as my usual post-completion stuff. Obviously the moment lockdown started, our part of the law industry went into nosedive, although apparently estate agents are now allowed to open. Official gov.uk advice says that conveyancing staff can go back to work. I wouldn't be happy with that - the 5 of us are in a room not much bigger than my lounge: 1 by the door, 4 in a square so social distancing would be impossible. I'm close to the copier, my boss has the loo behind and the kitchen beside her. Luckily the firm has decided that we continue to work from home. Working from home, only go to the office once a week to pick up/drop off files and to print and copy. Luckily the firm's virtual desktop works well on my pc - because it's set up for photo editing, it's a higher spec than most of the outworkers. Mind you, we have virtual desktops in the office as the server is based in Banbury.

Haven't been able to get a food delivery since lockdown started, but still spending less because half of what I want isn't there but not going to often. Also going to another supermarket: my 'local' (they're all 10-12 miles) doesn't have a one-way system and doesn't seem to mind that people are milling about willy-nilly. Makes me feel uncomfortable.

And at least the heating oil cost less than a quarter of the last top up before Xmas when 700 litres cost nearly £500. Had 800 litres delivered last week - £140!

There are a couple of lenses I'd really love to get but since I don't think the housing market is going to recover that quickly I'm putting it off in case I'm furloughed (or as a friend told me yesterday - "Pete's been furload" - spelling was never her strong point...)

[Rodbender]

Caz I had a memory jerk when you mentioned heating oil. I used to run a oil syndicate here many years ago so that by combining our orders we got a discount. We live as you know on an old peoples retirement park. I had a 2600 lt. tank so as to take advantage of the times we got a really good price. About 7 years ago we were told that anyone over 70 can have gas laid on free and many of the residents, including myself, went over to gas. Money wise we have perhaps lost out but having a small wall heater now has let us have our bathroom modernised to a wet room. Regards work that is something we don't have to worry about. Getting a shopping delivery is our biggest problem even though I'm registered as extremely vulnerable I have to search the shopping slots on three sites daily then it's like Christmas when we find one. Order all you can knowing less than half will turn up. .

[Caz]

I'm in several syndicates, although mostly use the one I've been a member of for many years because they're often the cheapest. I have several friends on the vulnerable list who are struggling to get shopping slots. There are several living in our cul de sac, but we've set up a WhatsApp group and those of us who can go out post when we're going and do their shopping at the same time. One of my friends is 76 and is sole carer for her husband, who has advanced dementia (he no longer recognises her) but they've not been classified as vulnerable. There is no way she can leave him for several hours to go shopping - he'd go walkabout.

And talking of shopping, it's my turn...

[Thai-Mike]

Effected yes for sure. Lost so far 25000 US$. But we don't die it makes us stronger. It means we are in a good spirit. Yesterday we got out together in a nearby shrimp fishing place, an online student invited my daughter so we went there. Will post some photo in an other thread.

[Garry]

Effected yes for sure. Lost so far 25000 US$. But we don't die it makes us stronger. It means we are in a good spirit. Yesterday we got out together in a nearby shrimp fishing place, an online student invited my daughter so we went there. Will post some photo in an other thread.

Tat is quite a financial hit, Thai-Mike.

Hope things pick up for you soon.