Staying home to Normal days exchange rate

[Alternatepriorities]

This poll is partly inspired by the story "The Bet":
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bet_(short_story)

I've read many discussions of the value of a life vs the economics of staying home, but I haven't really seen anyone discussing the question of quantity of days vs quality of days which seems odd on a forum dedicated to improving the second.

[Bloop Bloop]

I like being able to go on road trips and see friends at gatherings. I like being able to go to the gym/pool and exercise outside (the latter is still possible under lockdown, fortunately).

Work wise I don't care whether it's done in my study or at the office. It's all the same to me. But I like the freedom of being able to socialise where I like. And I'm quite introverted.

[Alternatepriorities]

I polled two non forum members today. DW is between the 2:1 and 10:1. Working from home is very effective for her, but she actually misses her coworkers from the office and really misses social gatherings.

A friend said he would be willing trade the other direction staying in his house much more if it would extend his life. That surprised me a lot because he's been struggling with depression since this started. It didn't really occur to me that anyone would have this position. I'll see if I can add it to the poll.

I'm surprised by the number of votes so far for life is equally good at home. But that's why I wanted to know. I'm hoping it will help me understand some of the conclusion people reach on other threads. I probably would have voted for 10:1 if I were living in an apartment somewhere they are preventing people from even going outside except to get food.

[Freedomin5]

Even before the virus hit, I had structured my life so that I went from home to work and back. Stayed home most weekends. DH organized social outings which I attended because I had to. I didn’t mind them but would not organize them of my own volition. I love it at home. Going out exhausts me. Seeing and hearing people exhaust me. People are really loud here in China. Home is peaceful and quiet. But then I’m really introverted, as in practically falling off the introverted end of the scale on the Myers Brigg.

If I were back in Canada, I might choose differently because I might want to go swimming at the lake or go for a hike in the woods.

[YttriumNitrate]

I'm at 1;1. Even beforehand, I was working from home and with little kids in the house we didn't go out much (e.g., Rogue One was the last movie I saw in the theaters). Aside from not sending the oldest kid to pre-school a few days a week, and relatives not visiting from time to time, we'd basically be doing the same thing if there wasn't a pandemic. It does help that we have a larger house with plenty of space outside for the kids to play.

Had this happened a decade ago (or a decade from now), I'm sure my answer would be quite different.

[Alternatepriorities]

Today I received an email from change.org petitioning for netflix and other streaming platforms to offer their content for free during the lockdown to encourage staying home. The idea is an interesting contrast to my father and also a really good friend who think watching tv/movies is literally wasting their lives. To them staying inside for a netflix binge would essentially be the same as losing that many days of life. Fortunately my father lives on the edge of nowhere and is busy planting his large garden which is a full time job for a seventy year old, so he will be happy to stay home until late May.

[mathlete]

Does this mean completely locked in? Or locked in like we are now where we can still go outside and shop and get fast food and stuff?

[penguintroopers]

Does this mean completely locked in? Or locked in like we are now where we can still go outside and shop and get fast food and stuff?

I interpreted the question as if whatever current standards your area was undertaking would continue.

I answered 2:1, but mostly because I'm in a field that doesn't promote work from home at all. We're in an apartment which is fine because I can still run around our neighborhood ok, but I predict if we would have had a house or more space I would be picking up other projects and would be more content on staying home.

I think what I would mostly want is the definitive answers as to whats going to happen and how its going to end. I wonder how much "extra" time I'd be willing to tack on, just for the sake of having a solid end date... unfortunately that's just not how life works.

[Alternatepriorities]

Does this mean completely locked in? Or locked in like we are now where we can still go outside and shop and get fast food and stuff?

I figure it varies by location since most of the world is under some kind of restrictions. Alaska's rules are less strict that some states so I'm allowed to do socially distanced activities outside. Personally, if I lived somewhere that I was limited to my own balcony for fresh air, those days of my life would nearly worthless to me. Here I can still do 1/2 the things that make life good. Might be helpful to explain your local circumstances.

[Alternatepriorities]

My general hope with the poll is that seeing how much the burden of staying home varies with personality/home type/location will help us be a little more understanding of each other in the numerous threads debating how this should be handled.

[penguintroopers]

My general hope with the poll is that seeing how much the burden of staying home varies with personality/home type/location will help us be a little more understanding of each other in the numerous threads debating how this should be handled.

Its certainly true!

Right now I've got a facebook friend who wants EVERYTHING open but then goes on to say that they're going to remain home anyway because they deem it more safe to their family, and that "people will just decide their level of risk".

Nope, they'll decide when they literally have no food in the pantry and thus go to work to buy food.

So it extends to a lot of other factors including social-economical status, religious affiliation (wanting to meet in church again), political beliefs (democratic hoax rolls eyes), family size and composition (a couple will be different from a family with two parents and two college age kids vs two toddlers, etc), current family dynamics (abuse),  personal health (depression, substance abuse or sobriety)... I'm sure everyone who wants to "get back to normal now" has a laundry list of reasons why.

[Cranky]

Honestly, I’ve always said I was a homebody, and this just confirms it! I really am content in my comfy little house with my cats and people I love and plenty to do.

I’m sure I would be less happy were I in a small apartment, if were were broke, if we were contentious.

[LWYRUP]

I took this literally, like a fairy came to me and said "You can leave your house now instead of 10 weeks from now but you'll die two weeks earlier and I thought, nope, I wouldn't be willing to shorten my lifespan.  Not yet at least.

This is an internet forum full of introverted finance dorks though so consider sampling error.

[Alternatepriorities]

I took this literally, like a fairy came to me and said "You can leave your house now instead of 10 weeks from now but you'll die two weeks earlier and I thought, nope, I wouldn't be willing to shorten my lifespan.  Not yet at least.

This is an internet forum full of introverted finance dorks though so consider sampling error.

Yeah, poll results are far more along the lines of "staying at home is the same quality of life" than my local friends are. It's the members of the forum I want to understand better here, so it's good data for that.

[Runrooster]

I think a lot depends on your family situation too.  Any caregivers for children or in my case parents are so used to being trapped in their home that lockdown isn't much of an adjustment.  I remember how much it sucked when I first became a caregiver, but the years have dulled the pain.  I actually feel like I socialize more now with the regular phone calls and video chats, and I've been enjoying the free daily operas from the Met.  I am more tired of reading about coronavirus and things to worry about and why haven't I received unemployment yet and where's my stimulus check and so on and so forth but that would continue if they lifted lockdown.  I know, third hand, one person who was covid-positive though I was baffled the other day that someone at work said he was (but came to work anyway? I must have misunderstood) so the virus has little direct impact on me.