Anyone else finding lockdown the perfect opportunity to take a step back and think about things you’d like to do differently?

I don’t know about you but for me a lockdown silver lining has to be the slower pace of life and not having to be out of the door at set times and constantly checking the time to make sure I’m where I’m supposed to be next.

after lockdown

It’s the first time in years we’ve been able to take our feet off the pedal at Crummy Mummy HQ and I’ll be honest: I’m questioning how much of our ‘old life’ I actually want to go back to.

Which got me thinking about all the things I’d like to do differently after lockdown when this is all over, from big things like trying to live more sustainably to little things like tipping Deliveroo drivers.

10 things I’m going to do differently after lockdown

1. Know what’s in our kitchen cupboards

Pre-coronavirus I had no idea what was lurking at the back of our kitchen cupboards, only that there was a jolly good chance whatever it was was out of date. Now, not only do I know exactly what we have and haven’t got, but how much of it too.

2. Meal plan

I’ve never been very good a meal planning, something I know I should do and always intend to do but somehow never get around to. Because you can always just pop to the supermarket can’t you? Except now you can’t and we rely solely on a weekly supermarket home delivery (see how I’ve bagged a supermarket home delivery slot every week since lockdown) so meal planning has become essential – and something I fully intend to continue. I’ve also been shopping around online more for bargains, events and days out. For example, on sites like TicketSmarter you can buy sports and concert tickets for things like the Kevin Gates tour which makes booking simple and easy.

after lockdown

3. Buy in bulk

As a family of six and with supermarkets currently limiting the number of items you can order in an online shop (it’s 80 with Tesco) I’ve started buying in bulk for the first time in my adult life. I’m not talking about stockpiling; I’m talking about buying the biggest packs you can possibly get of everything from kitchen roll to biscuits to crumpets to cereal – and it works out cheaper in the long run too.

4. Eat from tins

Pre-coronavirus the canned food aisle wasn’t a section of the supermarket I was particularly familiar with and I’ll be honest: I would have turned my nose up at meals in tins. But the unavailability of everyday items during lockdown has been a revelation – who knew chilli con carne in a can could be so good?!

after lockdown

5. Keep a store cupboard

Pre-lockdown I would happily – and naively – shop week to week without thinking further ahead than the coming week. Now I’ll make sure we’ve got plenty of flour and yeast and pasta and all the things that suddenly disappeared from the shelves the moment lockdown was on the horizon.

6. Shop small & local

With life as we know it suddenly turned upside down and the financial future uncertain for so many of us I’ve made a point of trying to shop small and local to support small businesses and mums like me. And I’ll continue to do so afterwards too.

7. Tip Deliveroo drivers

I’d never really thought about the importance of tips for workers like Deliveroo drivers until all this happened, but now I realise just how much they rely on a pound or two here and a pound or two there.

8. Try & live more sustainably

There’s nothing like not being able to get hold of toilet roll and nappies to drive home what a throw away society we live in. As well as switching from disposables to cloth nappies I’m also using reusable breast pads this time around and am really going to try and make more sustainable choices from now on.

9. Rethink after school clubs & activities

Another silver lining to lockdown has been not racing around dropping off and picking up the kids from after school clubs and activities like a glorified taxi service. And I haven’t missed it at all. Lockdown has made me realise just how much rushing around we did and question the overall benefit to our family. Of course you want them to have as many opportunities as possible, but is it really necessary to do so many extra curricular activities? I’m not so sure.

10. Listen to more music

I used to love my 90s boy bands but somehow life got in the way and I don’t get the chance to listen to a fraction of the amount of music I used to. One of the things I’ve loved about lockdown is the performances musicians have been sharing from home, in particular Gary Barlow’s Crooner Sessions in which he teamed up with another singer every day for four weeks. I found it so uplifting I’m going to make a conscious effort to listen to more music again.

Can you relate to any of the above? Is there anything you’ve vowed to do differently after lockdown? I’d love to know what it is!

If you liked this you may also enjoy reading:

7 things NOT to say to a pregnant woman in a pandemic!

Will I be forced to give birth alone?

10 things lockdown has taught me about my family