Pandemic Purchases

The pandemic has led to all sorts of changes in our day-to-day lives. Overall, we’ve been buying less—we go out less and need fewer things. But there have been some new needs as we spend more time at home. Here are some of the things my family has enjoyed—or regretted buying—during the past 8 months. As we embark on what will be a long winter, maybe this will help you, too. (I selected all these items, but I do get a bonus if you buy it from a link here.)

Grocery delivery

I think we tried them all, and there’s been some entertainment when our neighbors got 9 bags of carrots instead of 9 carrots, or when we got 1 banana instead of 1 bunch. Less fun was when what we wanted just didn’t show up. What has been particularly fun are the weird shaped veggies you can get delivered—most of which aren’t that weirdly shaped—as a kind of CSA that you can select items for. Our favorite so far has been Imperfect Foods, which also has grains and dairy (and meat, if you’re into that).

Outdoor play

By far our best pandemic purchase was a ninja line and slackline, which hangs between trees in our back yard. It’s been used more than anything else we purchased in the past year. We even see the neighbor kids climbing on it when our kids aren’t home. Since they can’t hang out inside, the gang is out there all day, bouncing and swinging and chatting. It’s customizable and can fit in any yard that has two trees—no installation or cement stabilizing or anything necessary.

We also got an inflatable yard pool. Served its purpose fine though it was hard to clean.

And then, after a summer of buying outdoor toys, we read that Americans were moving on to porch heaters. We did, too, just in time as the supply was running short. We ended up with this heater when the one sitting in our cart disappeared before the order went through. True to the reviews, it works just great if you are sitting within 5 feet of it. So during the pandemic, with everyone seated 6 feet apart, this doesn’t help a lot of folks. We did not buy more and instead place it near the coldest or oldest group. I don’t see this taking us through a Boston winter, unfortunately.

Kid fun

Sticker books. So many sticker books. The Melissa & Doug Puffy Sticker Play Sets are loved by the four-year-old, who by the fourth or fifth one has learned not to put the stickers on the ground where they get dirty and hairy and don’t stick any more. The Usborne Dolly Dressing books have stickers that are not reusable, whatever they say, but they do get you a good 30-60 minutes of quiet for an important Zoom call!

Rollerblades: an inspired purchase that got us through April and May when playgrounds were closed and we just needed to be outside doing something. Easier to pack into the car than bikes: big kid and medium kid and for the little one. Make sure you get kneepads, too!

Art supplies: too many to list over the course of home summer camp, but one favorite was a hot glue gun, which we never had before but use all the time now. 

Technology and home organizing

More and more devices are in use at our house, with kids getting a hand-me-down laptop and bringing iPads home from school. Bluetooth headphones need to be charged more often, too, with all the video meetings. I have a work laptop and a home one, both frequently in use, and my husband has a work one, in addition to the kids’ one. These charging stations means that charging cords aren’t all tangled all over our dresser and iPads aren’t found with dead batteries in tangled bedsheets and the desk isn’t covered with laptops. First world problems, but definitely helps when at 8 am everyone has a meeting to get to. And they look nice: one for the laptops and one for the phones.

We also got the kid in the top of the bunk bed this bedside organizer, which holds her books and water—and iPad that she uses to listen to podcasts and music at bedtime—right next to her bed.

She also is using these Bluetooth headphones until she falls asleep. They help her not fight with her sister, who doesn’t want to listen to the same thing. They also address the concern of cords and cables in bed. Then, after the kids fall asleep, we take the iPad and headphones back to the charging station.

Back to school

We were one of the early families going back, with kids in school in person starting in early September. Some back-to-school items were new because of the pandemic.

Hand sanitizer holders: silly, break easily, made kids happy to have something new to clip on their backpacks. Hope these don’t stay on the back-to-school shopping list, especially since they weren’t worth it.

Little plastic toothpick eyes to decorate food helped a lot with engagement with lunch preparations once we went back to school. It’s kind of nuts how a little plastic pointy thing gets kids to eat plums, but I’m here to tell you it works.

One kid came home crying on the first day of school because her ears hurt from her mask. We tried this silicone mask holder thing. It just made it worse by pulling at her hair. A better solution was a different kind of mask. So I don’t recommend these. But 5 stars for these Bloch masks, randomly added during a purchase from Zappos and then bought again and again because the kids find them the most comfortable. They come in white, navy, pink, and black, so you can even color-code by kid.

Baking

I hopped on the sourdough bandwagon in the spring, and then hopped off when I could find yeast again and realized how much easier yeast bread was, but bread-baking has been a big part of this pandemic for us. I already had a Dutch oven, but I bought this one for a friend who didn’t, so she could bake bread, too, and I got myself a few new tools to help with the baking, including a plastic scraper and a food scale. I don’t think the scale is all that accurate so might be worth going up a level in terms of quality if you’re doing a lot of baking. 

Athleisure

All clothing purchases made this spring and summer were comfortable—no real pants. Instead, yoga pants and pajamas and comfy tops were the rule for kids and adults alike. We had success finding deals at Old Navy and Lands End for these kinds of things, which I always shop via Rakuten, which earns us a percent cash back on each purchase. This money adds up over time and is on top of any other discounts you can get.

The small things

Camera covers are key for all the devices around the house. The kids sometimes ask, “Can they see us?” when we’re watching recorded videos, but it’s indeed not always clear when it’s a Zoom meeting and when not. To make sure the camera doesn’t go on and surprise us, we have put physical covers on all the devices. 

Sock holders are critical in this house to keep socks paired before they go into the laundry. Every kind I’ve found so far has a kind of planned obsolescence and need to be replaced, but I’ll happily buy more rather than have to pair socks.

Stick-on mustaches—one of my most inspired purchases ever. I’ve now bought more than once. Bring joy and laughs to almost any situation, from back-yard camp to daycare to family gatherings. Highly recommend.

In short, I’ve bought more on Amazon than I wanted to this year. Any books we buy are bought through Brookline Booksmith, our local bookstore which orders whatever you need—and it arrives almost as quickly as Amazon. I’ve also cut back on Amazon slowly as I’ve identified replacement sites, and anything that can be bought locally is. But these items got us through the pandemic so far—hope they help you, too!