Day 30 - Shopping

 SHOPPING

Prompt - Shopping : Write about your shopping wishlist and how you like to spend money.

I'm not sure if it's really a plus or a minus point, but one thing this pandemic has given me is more money at the end of each month.  Unable to do the things we want to do, would usually be doing throughout the year, it's mostly lain fallow, waiting for real life to kick off again.  There have been a few daft lockdown purchases - like a leather backpack from the US, a pair of Vans customised in Edinburgh Rugby colours - but mostly there is no shopping list.  Nor is there travel, with no chance of a holiday for many months gone and to come.

In times gone by this money would have gone on tickets.  To gigs and plays and films and festival and rugby matches.  Instead some tickets to online gigs, a subscription to premier Sports so I can still watch my team play, and...  I've bought a lot more music and books than I might normally, trying to provide some support to acts I love and local shops.  

But there's little point in clothes shopping.  With nowhere to go what would be the point?  The cafes were open for a while so we returned to our old coffee and cake habits for a bit, there were a couple of meals out (which never felt entirely safe), these too have been pleasures denied us.  We might have had a few more takeaways, or cake deliveries, but that hardly stretches the budget.  So once the food and basics are taken care of there's what's left.  Contributions go to worthy causes, cash goes to homeless people, and still there's money left.

So it gets saved, ready for the days of 'going out' to reappear.  And when it does...

The shopping list is pretty simple.  Get out to see live music and comedy and drama, share the experience of watching films, become part of the crowd shouting my team on, take a holiday.  Have cake in cafes.  Visit TK Maxx and search for clothes and shoes.  

My future shopping list is one of random focus.  I do not know what I will be buying, only that I'll be buying it and enjoying the results.  Get back to spending money as it should be spent - living life.