halfpennythoughts

[halfpennythoughts]

100 years ago the dollar store would have been considered a luxury shop in both price point and item quality

[halfpennythoughts]

How I Spent My Unemployment Money and Why It Matters

I don’t usually get political here, but watching the discussion of whether to extend the extra COVID $600 unemployment past July because “some people are making more on unemployment” is a hard thing. So here’s my answer, not that anyone is listening:

Firstly: so many people need that money to get by. It’s a desperate crisis. Even now, with things reopening, very few everyday workers’ salaries are the same. Restaurants are allowing 25% capacity, so waiters are getting 25% of the tip money they usually count on. Hourly workers are being barred from overtime as the businesses look for ways to make up lost profits. There are heaps of stories of people for whom this financial support will literally be the difference between life and death.

Now, on to the argument that this lifesaving support might be too generous for a small percentage of recipients:

I make more on unemployment than I do in my job. I have a college degree in my field, and before covid gutted my industry, I worked 10+ hour days, Monday through Friday, and was more or less getting by. Money was tight, in the way that it is when you keep a mental map of which gas stations are cheaper per gallon and a $1/hr raise changed the way I was living. I’m on standby now, meaning once business resumes I will have work--but it will be a while before business resumes, and longer still before I can go back to my usual schedule and salary.

So when I started on unemployment, I found myself with an extra $300 a month, more or less. Chump change to some folks, but not to someone like me. What did I do with that money? *The very first thing I did was donate a bit back, to charities supporting health, human rights, and other support for those less impacted than me. Good fortune needs to be repaid in kind, and it’s only right that those who have something to give support those who do not. *Then I went online and checked all my favorite local stores, both here and my hometown, to see which ones had transitioned to online sales. As small business, not many of them were set up for that, but of the ones that were, I purchased ‘luxury’ items--books, shirts, Christmas gifts for friends--that I normally would call “beyond my means.” Purchases of $20, $30. Trying to keep businesses afloat in hard times while also, FINALLY, buying a shirt “just because” and not because I needed a new one, without agonizing over the decision, without waiting to see if it would end up in clearance. Just, “Hey, this is neat, I’m going to get it, add to cart.” Amazing. Do some people live like this all the time?

*With the support of unemployment, I didn’t have to ask my landlord--a kind and wonderful guy--to tighten his own belt and accept reduced rent payments. I was happy and proud to keep paying my rent each month in full. 

*I went to the doctor, and then I went to the follow-up appointments scheduled, for long-term health issues I had had that I had just been living with without getting it checked out.

*I started saving aside $25 regularly so that when it becomes safe to travel again, I might be able to go on a weekend trip to Vegas with my brother. That’s money set aside with the intent to go right back into the economy--vendors, travel companies, hotels, performers, artists, restaurants.  *I bought gifts and started assembling care packages, to mail via the US post office to friends and family, in order to brighten their spirits and support them in hard times. I could afford real gifts for Mother’s and Father’s day, not just a handmade card. *I bought supplies to make crafts, and I taught myself new skills--crochet, weaving. I focused on self-improvement. My new hobbies encourage me to spend on them in the future, save up for new yarn and supplies. In the past, the tighter my budget, the more I engaged my time in free endeavors, things like watching Youtube or playing free app games. Now my dollars are being fed back into the economy.

Now if that $600/week extra was cut, that means I would be making, instead of an extra $300/month, over $1600 LESS a month living on unemployment. I would suddenly not only be unable to contribute back to society, I wouldn’t even be able to pay my rent, let alone buy clothes or food or gifts or any non-critical purchases like yarn or books. It would be dire straits. Cutting that support isn’t just carving a bit off the top so I wouldn’t be making “extra,” it would mean making half of what I need to get by on.

My point here is... so what? So what if, with the extra support, a small percentage of us make more now than we did when we were working? Especially when for so many people, their regular wages aren’t even enough to live by? 

Isn’t the whole point to “stimulate the economy”? Sometimes when people have a lot of money, they get used to the idea that that money sits in accounts somewhere, gets put in savings, gets hoarded like a dragon’s gold in a cave. That’s not what’s happening here. Having the blessing of this financial support allows us to use that money to push profits at businesses, so the government doesn’t have to bail them out or add more unemployed to the ranks of those who need aid. It allows us to donate money to services that work in tandem with government services to get resources to medical workers, food to the hungry, aid to the sick. It allows us to invest in disinfecting products and practices (like ordering no-contact delivery instead of going out) to keep ourselves safe and reduce the spread of disease.

That support is contingent on the pandemic crisis we are in. None of us have some sort of silly illusion that we can kick back and enjoy “handouts” and not have to go back to work. I MISS work. All my coworkers talk about is getting back to work. Being trapped at home is no picnic, and it’s not the nature of the human spirit to be content with doing nothing--we would much rather carve out our own destinies, be self-sufficient, self-reliant. But the fact of the matter is, this crisis is not behind us yet, and would only worsen if the people who need it most are abandoned now.

So again, if the argument is that “some people” are making more now than they did before, I think it bears remembering that those of us who do are not rolling in bathtubs of bills like Scrooge McDuck. We’re spending that money, dumping it like grease on the slow-grinding gears of the economy, trying to keep it running smoothly until we can all get back to work. 

And we must remember that for every one of me, there are hundreds if not thousands for whom this financial support is not about the new revelation of having spending money left over--for them, it is what they need simply to live, to feed their babies, pay their bills, and keep the lights on. And I personally would be sickened and horrified if someone used my situation to deny them of their most basic human needs in this time of crisis, when what we really need is to be pulling together as a community and a nation.

[halfpennythoughts]

Introvert Tips to Quarantine, Day 9!

1)      If you have pets, set up a webcam pet playdate with your friends who also have pets. At worst, nothing happens, at best, you get a hilarious Instagram story.

2)      Spend a full day or two without a necessity you take for granted (heating, kitchen appliances, electric lights, prepackaged foods, your laptop, social media, music or TV/entertainment, your favorite snack, whatever). Reflect on its place in your life.

3)      Examine your budget and finances. Where could you be saving, if at all? What other sources of income can you generate, if any?

[halfpennythoughts]

Introvert Tips Day 8ish

Apologies for the long absence from these tips. I introverted so hard I didn’t even wanna go on my own blog this past week. But I’m back to shout more tips into the void!

1) Organize a YouTube Party (for those of you who remember the 90s when we used to hang out by clunky desktops and wait for our turn to show each other weird videos). Set up a few categories (Humor, WTF, Cute Animals, Song Parodies, Foreign Advertisements, Bad Film trailers, etc) and then have everyone share a video for the categories. You get some fun new viewing material and then you can argue over whose video wins each category. 

2) Make Workout Flashcards - Put home exercises (pushups, crunches, scissor twists, arm lifts, jumping jacks, etc) on index cards or cut-up pieces of scrap paper. Shuffle them into a stack, then draw a few and do them whenever you find yourself getting bored, restless, antsy, wandering the house for no reason, etc.

3) Try a bit of home gardening. If you can afford tools, great. If not, try stealing dirt from outside, put it in an old container of any kind, and then try planting seeds from grocery store fruits, dried beans (not all of them work but you can try your luck) or dandelion seeds. It’s weirdly gratifying to see a tiny sprout shoot up from the dirt and you can learn a lot once you dive into googling gardening habits.

[halfpennythoughts]

Introvert Tips: Quarantine Day 7

1) Go through your old accounts. Delete any you’re no longer using (remember MySpace?) Update any passwords so you’re not using the same password for everything. Make sure your contact info is up to date, etc.

2) Sort through your kitchen, bathroom, and first aid kit for perishables (makeup, medication, lotions, food, etc) and throw out expired/dried/old items. Make a list of what new items you need to replace them.

3) Deep clean your phone, inside and out. Take it out of the case, clean the case and the phone, delete old apps, delete old photos, remove unwanted contacts, etc. Then add in any emergency numbers you didn’t already have saved.

[halfpennythoughts]

Introvert Self-Quarantine Tips Day 6

1) Set up an email chain with close friends and play 2 truths and a lie. Everyone venmos the winner $1.

2) Start a dream journal. You can record them as they are, or start falling down the rabbithole of dream interpretation dictionaries and deep self-reflection to try and unravel what threads of your subconscious put together that particular tapestry of weirdness.

3) Start planning for a garage sale--dig through your belongings to figure out what you don’t want or need anymore, and start putting prices on them. 

[halfpennythoughts]

Introvert Quarantine Tips Day 6!

1) Check the weather. On a clear day, set an alarm to watch either the sunrise or sunset. Enjoy with a hot or alcoholic beverage of your choice and contemplate your place in the universe, your past, and your future.

2) Use the Internet, friends, and books to find a few new favorite quotes.Put those quotes somewhere--decorate a journal, notebook, box, whatever. Doodle it as a tattoo on your arm. Sharpie it on an old t-shirt. Make a bookmark and add a tassel. People have combining words in countless iterations across countless languages, there is wisdom to be mined there in tough times.

3) Deep clean your bathroom and wash all your towels and bedsheets. Open all your blinds/curtains to let the sunlight into your home.

[halfpennythoughts]

Introvert Tips to Quarantine Day 5!

1) Learn how to say something in any language of your choosing (including fantasy languages like Elvish, Atlantean, Klingon, whatever). Colloquial insults are especially fun!

2) Go through your old photos (6 months or older). Send them to friends to remind them of the memories, organize into folders, print for scrapbooking, make into memes.

3) Either discover and try a new recipe, or make a cooking video (or snarky TikTok) of you making an old favorite so you can share noms.

[halfpennythoughts]

Introvert Tips to Self Isolating Day 4

1) Find one broken, annoying, or could-be-improved thing in your home and fix it up. Squeaky door hinge? Lightbulb that’s out? wobbly table? command hook you’ve been meaning to set up to make your closet a little more organized? Do it now.

2) Screenshare with friends over skype or hangouts and use MS Paint to play pictionary together

3) Pick one time-passing classic activity you’ve never tried before and give it a go. From jigsaw puzzles to crosswords to sudoku to word searches to online chess, maybe you’ve got a favorite hobby you haven’t even discovered yet.

[halfpennythoughts]

Quarantine Tips from an Introvert Day 3

still here! 

1) Pick a style of dance and try a 30 minute tutorial off Youtube. 

2) Build an hourlong music playlist for a friend/family member and send it to them. Encourage a playlist exchange among all your friends, as a chance to discover new music and change the emotional vibe in your home.

3) Look at your local library website page. Many libraries offer online classes, skill education videos, free e-book and audiobook checkouts, sometimes even media streaming. 

[halfpennythoughts]

Introvert Tips to Quarantine DAY 2

Still bored? Here’s 3 more ideas:

1) Learn the ASL alphabet and common phrases (my name is, nice to meet you, hello/goodbye, please/thank you, etc). You can facetime friends and practice between yourselves.

2) Pick a book you claimed to have read in school but actually definitely didn’t read. Read it now. Or if that doesn’t float your boat, read a book your favorite celebrity speaks highly of. 

3) Download a competitive app/desktop game and invite your friends. Facetime them while you play so you can trash talk

[halfpennythoughts]

Introvert Tips to Quarantine DAY 1

Okay y’all I’m going to get real here. I was looking on online lists of what to do with yourself and since some of them include stuff like “talk to your plants” I think maybe an introvert should chime in. So every day I can get to my computer I’m going to post three things to do to distract yourself every day.  1) Look up first aid videos and tutorials online. Do you know what to do with a serious burn, or if you cut off the tip of your finger cooking, or how to help a car accident victim? Now’s the time. If you have the money you can do an online e-certification class and add it to your resume. 2) Dexterity games. Bounce quarters into jars, learn to flick cards into hats halfway across the room, make blow darts with straws and eraser tips. Bonus points if you have roommates and you can get a full round of Office Olympics going.

3) Make a list of your closest friends and family; brainstorm creative gift ideas for their birthday or the holidays so that when December rolls around you won’t have any stress scrambling for gifts. 

good luck to all of you! 

[halfpennythoughts]

15 Quarantine Crafts to Keep You From Going Stir-Crazy

Stuck at home with too much time on your hands? Sounds like a perfect recipe for crafting! And maybe you can’t go out to buy some new supplies, but remember, working around limitations often push you towards the most creative results.So let’s get cracking!

1) Mandala and Adult Coloring Books - If you have a printer and Internet, google "mandala coloring pages.” Lots of options for you to print out! No colored pencils? No problem! Using just a pen/sharpie and pencil you have at least two shades (black and grey, plus white) which is all you need.

2) Origami - Dig out a piece of scrap paper. Old mail is fine too! One Youtube tutorial later and you’ve got your very first swan. 

3) Papercrafting - Got lots of extra paper? Make a fancy thank-you card, or if you’ve got glue and newspapers, why not explore a paper-mache project?

4) Zentangling - Exactly the meditative break you need right now, and all you need is pen and paper.

5) Miniatures - Got glue and knickknacks around the house? Great! People are making amazing mini houses out of pringle cans and Popsicle sticks, or go small by making tiny colored pencils with toothpicks and paint. A few mismatched mechanical pencil parts can make tiny cups or a lamp.

6) Office Supply Weapons - Speaking of pencil parts, if you’ve got office supplies handy, chances are you can make a PENCIL CROSSBOW. Google it and you’ll be ready to defend your desk space when you get back to work.

7) iPhone photography - If you have a smart phone, take this time to explore you living space from a photographer’s eye. Try to capture the wall texture, the way the light hits the floor, etc. Or maybe take a few photos to sell as stock images.

8) Art Makeup - If you have makeup supplies, why not take this time to try a wild avant-garde makeup look? If it doesn’t turn out great, no one has to see it, and if it does, Instagram gold right here! BUT only use your own makeup supplies, don’t share makeup or brushes with others.

9) Plan out your next Halloween costume or birthday party. Anything you can start designing or making now? Any accessories? Do some idea sketches.

10) Calligraphy - A pen plus Youtube will get everyone swooning over your signature on your next potluck sign-up sheet.

11) Old T-Shirt crafts - If you’ve got scissors and a Marie Kondo impulse, you can find an old blah shirt and reinvent it. There are PAGES of google results for upcycled tees, including tote bags, grocery bags, braided headbands, floor mats, scarves, pillows, and more! 

12) Hairdressing techniques - If you have hair long enough to style (even if it’s just spiking it up) why not look up a new style, everyday or fancy, and try it out? 

13) Braiding and knotwork - From Boy Scout essentials to beautiful Celtic braiding and Chinese knots, you can learn impressive and stunning techniques to serve you well in all future crafting. No cords at home? You can use shoelaces, hoodie strings, or strips of fabric. 

14) Decorate a rock - Do you have some scattered rocks nearby, in a yard perhaps? Pick one up and go at it with a sharpie or colored pencils, or paints if you have them. 

15) Container upcycling - If your recycle bin is overflowing with empty orange juice or vitamin containers, grab one and decorate it. Do you have twine to wrap around a box for a wicker basket look? Some glitter to glue to a jar? Maybe you could use a new container to hold some pens, can you decorate some paper and glue it around an empty soup can? 

And finally, obviously raid your existing house stores of crafts. Maybe you have thread and fabric for embroidery or sewing, maybe some yarn for knitting. I have lots of wood for wood-burning. But the point is, whatever you have in your home can be a jumping-off point for all sorts of ideas.

[halfpennythoughts]

Set designers need to work a lot harder to convince me that their Recent Graduate (tm) is Down on Their Luck.  They got their protagonists complaining about being broke in a small but tastefully decorated 1-bedroom downtown apartment, including accent pillows on the futon and decorative knickknacks around their post-2015 television. My starter apartment post graduation had no fridge, an upturned cardboard box for a nightstand, and a single plastic folding table with a broken office chair I retrieved from the dumpster at work for a kitchen table/desk setup. 

[halfpennythoughts]

You: I’m hungover Me, an intellectual: I’m recovering from an ill-advised bout of reckless hedonism 

[halfpennythoughts]

I had the sudden urge to google the implications of the 2016 clown sightings and I’m not gonna lie, It lead to a series of sentences I had never before seen in my life.

[halfpennythoughts]

I wonder when scriptwriters will finally admit we all know what an EMP is and they don’t have to add a second line of dialogue with a character clarifying “an Electromagnetic Pulse” in a serious, academic tone