Corona Diaries Day Two: Homefront Rationing

With 4 children at home resources can get quickly depleted.

I'm brainstorming ways to make sure our supplies don't run low or out too fast.  It's easy for kids to boredom-snack and get wasteful because they aren't truly hungry.  Plus, with them home, they are using things like soap and toilet paper much more.  

1.  Thankfully, I have mostly boys, so their TP usage is limited to their daily #2.  I'm teaching them to wipe, fold it over, and wipe again.  Of us two girls, I use the most TP.  My daughter too easily gets UTIs, so I'll have her keep using TP or a squirt bottle.  I'll cut up a towel and make little washable wipes for myself or use a squirt bottle.  (This is for #1.  #2, we'll still use TP.)

2.  Soap is what it is.  We'll just have to do the best we can.  Hands must be washed.

3.  I'm scheduling meal and snack times.  My 3rd child is underweight with a crazy high metabolism, so he needs to eat more often.  I'll take that into consideration.  Otherwise, my kids will just have to adhere to a schedule like they do at school to avoid boredom-snacking.  Most "I'm hungry" cries are really "I'm thirsty," anyway, but water is boring, so they want food.  

4.  We're not going anywhere, so they can wear old clothes and even slightly soiled ones.  Yesterday was nice, so they played outside (we live in the country, so no worries about contaminates coming around on our private property) and their jeans got a little dirty.  So what.  They can wear them again, today, since they'll be outside again, today.  It'll save on laundry detergent.  Have a rainy day?  Let them wear their PJs all day.  Unless they are really soiled or getting smelly, they'll be ok.  Throw a blanket over your couch to wash later and save your upholstery.

5.  I'm utilizing my Norwex more often.  I have body cloths, so my kids and I can wash our faces and bodies with just water.  (We'll do a good soapy scrub on Saturdays and as needed).  I even experimented with washing my hair with just the body cloth and water.  Seems to be fine.  I also have enviro cloths from Norwex, so I can clean with just water.  (I no longer sell Norwex, so this isn't a personal endorsement.  Check with your friends to see who is selling Norwex.)

6.  I'm making sure we don't waste food.  That means we eat the bread ends and don't just ignore them in the breadbox until they start to mold.  That means my kids eat what I give them or go hungry until they figure it out.  This isn't a time for pickiness or selfishness.  We're eating more simply, too.  

7.  We're going to go through our stores of toys and games.  It's a great time to rediscover what we already have, and decide what is no longer fun to play with so we can get rid of it.  It's tempting to look for new things to occupy them, but the money has better places to go.  I may need to purchase from sources other than conventional grocery stores, and that can get more costly.  My neighbors may be out of work and need some money to pull through. 

While we're not in wartime crisis, it is only wise to be careful with our resources.  There has been shelf-emptying.  We're supposed to stay home as much as possible.  I want to reduce the amount of outside things coming in. And our finances may take a hit.  All good reasons to be mindful and wise about how we use things.

You got this!