what to spend your leftover lockdown cash on

Welcome back to clipboard, a weekly newsletter about staying at home, by Reilly Hodson. This week, lockdown sucks, but we do at least save a bit of money by not being able to drive anywhere or eat takeaways. I have a few suggestions about what to spend it on. If you enjoy clipboard, please forward it to your cool friends, and you can help me make this thing financially viable by clicking the button below.

silver linings?

Well, shit. Turns out our brief fling with Covid has become an extended relationship, and we’ll be stuck at home for a few more weeks. This lockdown has felt particularly difficult for me, and for others, too. It feels difficult that we don’t quite know when this will end, it’s difficult that we can’t buy barista-made coffee, and the weather has been quite bad, with a few nice days sprinkled in.

The only good thing about lockdown, apart from allowing the country a little bit more time to roll out the vaccine, and preventing lots of people dying, is that we all get to save a bit of spare cash: the daily coffee, transport to and from work, the aborted trip to Queenstown, it adds up to a few extra dollars hanging around. Here are a few suggestions on how to use that money to help your lockdown be less bad.

clothes, duh

Consumerism is almost certainly causing the world to become less inhabitable, but it’s undeniable that new clothes make people feel better. I would never suggest buying clothes you don’t need, but if you have some holes in your wardrobe, and want to help keep the local economy moving, why not buy some local goods? Kowtow has a new collection, Thom Morison and Checks Downtown are having end of season sales, and you can find some excellent deals at Good As Gold at the moment. Upgrade your work from home fits while helping the businesses that can’t open their doors in lockdown, that’s what I call a win-win.

the good stuff from the supermarket

In-person shopping options are heavily limited at the moment, but there are some great things to buy on your weekly shop. Try some cheap skincare, buy fish fingers or frozen dumplings for when you can’t be bothered cooking a feast, or try a new magazine from the newsstand.

support the local media industry

This is the best thing I did last year. A functional local media industry is incredibly important, and it won’t continue without support from readers. You should pay for the media you read, if you’re able. Here are a few I’d recommend throwing a few bucks to:

• Metro

• The Spinoff

• Ensemble

• Stuff

• BusinessDesk (if you’re a businessperson)

You can also pay for clipboard, at the button below.

clips

• This video of Sohla and Ham El-Waylly making a meal using coffee beans is the exact kind of content I love: two people who connect very deeply, work well together, doing excellent stuff very effectively.

• Kanye’s new album is getting worse. I watched some of the livestream the other day, and his decision to bring Marilyn Manson and DaBaby to the stadium was worse even than the first few songs.

• You will not be surprised to know that I love getting nerdy about personal style. This article, about men who walk the line between formalwear and casual wear, is excellent stuff, with great fit pics.

• A fascinating long read about Jesse Armstrong, the creator of my favourite TV show, Succession.

• I bought a bottle of Star Superette’s house white, Super Blanc, this week and really enjoyed it. You can get a great deal on a six-pack, too.

That’s all for clipboard this week, thanks for reading! Lockdowns are tough, so I hope this is bringing you a bit of joy in a rubbish time. I’ll be back same time next week, see you then. Until then, flick me an email or hit me on Instagram. Stay home, stay safe, kia kaha.