Here is a bit of a shocker. Stop for a moment and think about one benefit that staying at home/sheltering in place has brought you. Believe it or not, you may actually be saving money every day and not even realizing it. It’s true. Even if you are at home and not getting your weekly paycheck because you are on a furlough, laid off, or even lost your job, hopefully by now you are now getting some help in the form of an unemployment check and a federal subsidy which may in fact cover all of your missing pay.

In addition, you probably have already gotten your “stimulus check” ($1,200 or more if you are a couple or family) and perhaps even a small business loan (or grant) if that is applicable. No matter what we think, the government at least has stepped up by financially helping over the past several weeks through the CARES Act legislation and there is even another financial proposal being considered as I write this newsletter that might help even more.

The saving money part comes in when you aren’t out and about spending money on all those small incidentals that you normally would. You know that’s true no matter how much you try and stick to your budget. No coffee and...on the way to work, saving money on your car’s gasoline, no drive by at McDonalds for a quick snack, no shopping at the mall, etc. Just one Friday night at home watching an old movie with your family can save you a fortune compared to a family night out at the movies. Wouldn’t it be cool if every once in a while doing family night at home became a real habit?

There are two points here to try to remember. The first is simple: Try to find a bright spot in what is a bad situation. If you are protecting yourself by staying at home and practicing social distancing when you must go out, at least try to stay positive and use the inside time to enjoy each other and do some of the things that you never got around to doing under normal hectic busy circumstances. Even if that is simply reading a book or doing some spring cleaning, use your time at home to accomplish something, anything you have neglected. Your relationships might even be at the top of your list.

The second is a matter of dollars and sense. Yes, you may have to spend some extra dollars getting groceries or other things delivered to your home right now, but you are probably ahead on all those incidentals you are not spending money on. My wife and I saved about $75 in gas this past month just because we weren’t driving around very much. You probably noticed things like that as well if you keep and track a budget (do you?).

That’s the kind of thing that makes a minus turn into a plus and you need to take that money and salt it away when you see it. That’s why I say you can actually save some money and soften the blow of the pandemic ever so slightly.