Our Civic Duty: The Case For Spending During The Crisis

My husband and I have a challenge for you. A manifesto, if you will.

We believe that, just as it is our responsibility to observe shelter in place protocols to protect the health of our fellow citizens, it’s also our responsibility to use our resources to protect their livelihoods.

Now let’s get one thing straight: I’m talking to people like myself, and like a lot of my friends and family. People who have not lost their source of income. People who have cash on hand, maybe even a bit more than usual because they’re not spending it in the usual places. People who are healthy and safely sheltered in place. People who may not have time to give, because work is actually even crazier than usual and oh by the way parents have to parent all day, but do have resources right now. I’m in no way talking to anyone whose livelihood, health, or well being are unstable during this crisis.

Ok, with that disclaimer out of the way, on to the challenge!

There are a lot of ways to spend money, but here’s how we believe you can do so most effectively.

1) Continue to pay your service providers.

These are the people you depend on to keep your life running smoothly - you want them to be safe and healthy, and you want them to be there to help you put all the pieces back together again when this is all over! So, keep paying your house cleaner, gardener, nanny, or personal trainer even if they can’t come to work. We do.

2) Patronize your favorite local stores and restaurants.

Friday night: sorted.

Restaurants, from quick service to fine dining, are pivoting faster than anyone could have thought possible in order to continue to serve food and provide jobs. Is working in food service the safest thing people could be doing? That’s debatable, for sure. But what we do know is that people who lose jobs are more likely to go hungry and get sick, and that’s the last thing we want right now.

So make a commitment to your favorite local establishments. We’ve picked a few of our favorite restaurants and order from each of them once every 1-2 weeks. We’ve also bought gift certificates for stores that just can’t stay open, to try to get them through. Note: we do not actually plan to spend these gift certificates, we’ll start paying cash as soon as the stores open for regular business.

3) Donate supplies.

You may have read my recent post on food stockpiling. Remember that grocery stores are going to stay open, so you will continue to have access to food and supplies like TP, diapers, and hand sanitizer as long as you have the cash to pay for them. So, consider donating your stockpiled supplies to the less fortunate, and spending your money on replacements at local stores as needed.

4) Donate money.

Nonprofits are hurting right now, guys. They are either crippled by the crisis or overrun with more clients than ever before. So please, check in with the organizations you support, especially the local ones, and help them cover the costs of this crisis. If you are a fan of the arts, those organizations are in even more trouble because they literally cannot sell tickets.

Also, organizations and funds have sprung up specifically to address the needs of this crisis, and they need all the support we can muster. It has become pretty clear that the federal government is not going to step in to save the day with PPE equipment, testing, or treatment, so it is up to us to fund the people who are going to fix these problems.

Remember, if you have cash during this crisis, you are ahead of many, many people. This is why my husband and I believe it is your responsibility to step up and spend it, as generously and thoughtfully as you can.

Someday, people will stop getting sick. Someday, we will all go back to work. Someday, the stock market will rebound. But in the meantime, we need to help people survive.

Thank you for your consideration!

LMW