The recommended 20 minute wait time to confirm no reaction to the vaccine could be the most anticipatory, exhilarating and liberating moment weâve ever witnessed.
Itâs the same feeling dogs have when they see and vividly smell a juicy plate of food but are stuck in their play pen.
In the meantime after receiving my second dose, to pass the time as a stereotypical personal finance guru, in normal fashion, I decided to ask my fellow vaccinators their immediate plans upon vaccination.
I received my shot in NYC and all Iâll say is, I wanât surprised by the reactions!
âWill you treat yourself to anything splendid right after?â I asked a teen a few years younger than me.
âHow will you celebrate?â Questioning an older woman to my right.
These stories were full of mysteries, celebration and awe with light in all their eyes as they answered the strange but obligatory question.
This is a milestone event not solely due to the excess pent-up demand for normal life to resume but for the feeling of unity and togetherness, something NYC craves as one of the loneliest cities on earth.
As a personal finance guru and blogger, I couldnât help myself and be a little curious.
So letâs see what my fellow New Yorkers had to say.
2 Post Inoculated Patients from NY.
#1 Jackie 17 yrs: âAs a typical New Yorker and libertarian, Iâll be going double masked into the physical grocery store without holding my breathe this time. No more frozen Fresh Direct or Daily Harvest thrown at my door.
I canât wait to stop and smell the roses along with snoop all fun snacks Iâve missed from my beloved Trader Joes. I plan to spend a good hour shopping for food I donât need and strangely looking forward to waiting in line.â
#2 Carol 80 something: âWhat Iâll do? Oh boy, I need to fly down to Atlanta ASAP to see my grandkids. Only problem, I donât know how to use the internet. FaceTime just doesnât do justice. I need to squeeze them to death until they are bored of me. Thatâs when grandma guilt fades away. I also wouldnât mind a drink at the physical bar this time, not risk another stain on my couch.â
Now that weâve witnessed what my fellow New Yorkers splurged on, letâs investigate further across the country.
Ironically, according to the NY Times, hereâs what people are looking forward to spending:
LA:
-Can of Penn tennis balls
-Four-pack of High Noon hard seltzer
-Pharmacy trip
-Meet a long-time friend
Oregon:
-Big pile of gourmet chocolate bars for the vaccination staff
Los Angeles:
-Several boxes of candy for dinner
New Jersey:
-Reeseâs peanut butter cups
-Old-fashioned hair curlers to spice it up
Flordia:
-Drakkar Noir perfume for the kid in me
Atlanta:
-Layâs Classic chips
New York:
-1963 Volkswagen Bus toy by Welly
Oregon:
-Toy truck for 2-year old
-3 different kids of hand lotion
-Band-Aids
Themes:
-Adopt the same (mostly bad) eating habits discovered during quarantine, most popular: chocolate, sugar, and junk
-Thank others and give back to family
-Value the small things in life
With the hardest hit industries such as the airline, hospitality, tourism and leisure rebounding sharply during this past Fourth of July weekend, the first major weekend with record travel overseas and traffic on the roads, Americans couldnât be more excited to revenge spend a little. You can learn here what that entails.
We all deserve to enjoy life again and that requires some spending. The beauty about being a frugal stealth wealth minimalist is that you never feel guilty about buying less since you appreciate everything you already have. Less feels like more in that regard. Yet, Iâm ready for a real break, time by the sun and true vacation to make memories and experiences which no tangible can replace. That was my first revenge spend which I successfully accomplished back in May.
Itâs time for Americans to reward themselves as theyâve hopefully been diligently saving, learning, Zooming, waiting, paying off their high-interest toxic credit card debt and valuing their priorities over the pandemic.
Itâs tempting to go overboard since eating out during the pandemic was a big deal in itself so make sure to budget appropriately, understand the difference between being cheap and frugal, donât pay attention to what others want or need, try out a non-essential no spend month and if you havenât dug through those closets or looked at your redeemable miles, nowâs a great time to do so.
So what will you spend/give/treat yourself with after the vaccine?
PS: In this case, Iâll be less critical and say anything is allowed as long as itâs responsible, keeps you healthy, happy and feels rewarding.
Staying home is exhausting.