Shop Your Way Through Lockdown

With the spread of Coronavirus (Covid-19) across the US, it’s important we all do our bit: social distancing when we’re out of the house, and staying at home wherever possible. But we know that that comes with challenges. It’s not as easy to get the things you need to make life comfortable, and working from home is, let’s say, a novel (boring?) experience.

Thankfully, we are living in the internet age (can you imagine this crisis without being able to scroll through Insta?), so although you can’t wander through the aisles of your favorite stores, you can usually still get what you need online, and there are more things to do at home than ever before. And, since we at The Daily Beast coupons are facing the same problems as you are, we thought it’d be helpful to set out where we’ve been shopping and what we’ve been doing during the crisis, as well as sharing the best deals that we’ve found.

How to make working from home work for you • Staying fit and healthy while stuck at home • How to fight off the inevitable self-isolation boredom • Getting the takeout in • Staying safe when you're out and about with a facemask

The best coupons for staying at home

Use before Dec 31, 2023

How to make working from home work for you

For a lot of us, working from home is a new experience. We might not have the right kit, and not being able to lean over to your work next-door-neighbor for a quick chat or piece of advice can be a bit of a challenge. But there are ways to make it work - take it from a former freelancer - and there are also great opportunities to make the most of. For one, you don’t have to commute anymore, which for most of us frees up an extra hour or two every day. And, you get to design your office space just as you like it. Here are our work from home essentials:

Sort yourself out an office space with the essentials

We know not everyone has a spare room (or even a spare cupboard) to turn into a home office, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make yourself a little work idyll. So let’s think about what you need.

First, it’s very important that you get yourself a computer desk and chair set - you’re likely going to still be sitting down a lot, and no one wants to come out of lock-down with a screwed up back. We got ours from Office Depot, who are currently offering 30% off sitewide, and Staples, although you can also pick up a good deal (with a coupon) at AliExpress.

Second, you need to sort out your desktop space. You’ll want a decent desktop keyboard and computer monitor, because trying to navigate hundred column spreadsheets (or even just more than one window) on a pokey laptop screen is going to make you mad. For these, the classics are the right place to shop:

Make sure you stay connected, and secure while you’re doing it

So much of the time doing a good job at work relies on being in contact with your colleagues. And what’s the one thing we all need for that? A decent internet connection. No one - no one - wants to hear you crackling on the end of the line as your face freezes in a perpetual grimace. For us, the best options are:

Verizon Fios, and
AT&T

Both also have great coupons to lower their prices.

It’s also important - especially if you’re working with confidential information - to stay secure when you’re online. It’s therefore a good idea to get yourself (or persuade your boss to get you) a decent VPN. That’ll secure your information, as well as allowing you to browse the web as if you were somewhere else. Some of our favorites include ExpressVPN, who are offering 3 free months when you sign-up, and NordVPN, who are giving customers 70% off when they sign up to a three year plan.

Staying fit and healthy while stuck at home

It’s easy to forget when you’re stuck on your sofa, but summer is actually just around the corner. And what happens in the summer? We all (men and women alike) strip down to our swimming costumes and flaunt whatever it is that we have (or haven’t) got. No one wants to end the lock down only to find that their swimming costume no longer fits, so it’s important to stay in shape while inside. As well as that, if you are unlucky enough to get the virus, then being healthier in general will make you better able to fight it.

Get yourself into online workouts

Straight from the 1990s, home fitness on your TV is back! This time, though it’s available online, and, honestly, is a lot better than it used to be. Your best bet is to sign-up for an online fitness solution like Bodyfit. Provided by bodybuilding.com and giving you access to over 2,500 workout videos, this a convenient (if fairly physically demanding) way to keep fit inside. Bodyfit is also good because you can choose workouts that don’t require extra equipment - you just need a bit of floor space and a pair of sneakers.

Other options include Myprotein, who offer guided tutorials for bodyarea-specific workouts, and GNC, who have a similar offering.

Time to refresh your workout wardrobe

Even if you’re working out at home, you still want to be comfortable when you’re exercising. That means high quality sportswear that is breathable, light, and easy to look after. For that, look no further than Nike and adidas. An added bonus is that we’re probably all going to be looking to add some comfy squad pants to our wardrobes, and adidas, with their classic triple stripe, do them better than anyone else.

Stock up on vitamins, and find a pharmacy that will deliver

You’ll also want to do a couple of pharmacy/health-shop related things. First, get some vitamins in. You might not be spending a lot of time outside in the next couple of months, so having some vitamin D pills - as well as vitamin C for if you get sick - will do you no end of good. And second, it’s a good idea to find yourself a pharmacy that will deliver to you. If you get ill with the big Corona, then you’re not going to want to go to the pharmacy, and no one else wants you spreading your germs either. We’ve been using Vitacost, although it’s worth having a look at the following, too:

How to fight off the inevitable self-isolation boredom

Let’s be frank: we are all going to need a lot of home-based entertainment in the next few months and a lot of people are going to be asking what to do while in quarantine. Thankfully, it’s never been easier to get your hands on quality TV - HBO boxsets, anyone? - and, it’s also straightforward to get involved with some home-learning or to get your hands on a couple of good books.

The best streaming platforms for self-isolation

For our money, the best streaming platforms out there at the moment are Hulu, which has both classic TV shows like Grey’s Anatomy and new drama like Westworld, and Disney+, which is about the most comforting thing we can imagine right now. With Disney, Pixar and Marvel films all available to stream, you can watch anything from a childhood memory to a modern thriller. And yes, you can watch all the Star Wars films back-to-back if you want.

Where to get the books you need

If there’s a bestseller you’ve been waiting to read now is the time, and there are plenty that are worth getting into. Whether it’s The Mirror and the Light from Hillary Mantel, or Had I Known by Barbara Ehrenreich, you should be able to get whatever your looking for at any of our favorite online bookshops:

Time to learn a new skill

Alternatively, if you’re feeling worthy and that you might want to use this time for a little self-improvement, then you could do worse than take an online course. It doesn’t really matter what you want to learn, whether it’s finally getting around to learning how to use Photoshop, or tackling another language, the best place to do that is Udemy. They’ve got both loads of courses and great coupons you can use to reduce the cost.

Getting the takeout in

For us at The Daily Beast Coupons, one of the worst things about the lockdown is that we can no longer go out to our favorite restaurants. And - we don’t know about you - but we hate eating house food on the weekends, so we’ve turned to takeout. As it turns out, there are actually loads of options these days for where you can order killer takeout without being ripped off for delivery. DoorDash, for one, are offering free delivery on your first order, while GrubHub are giving customers $10 off all orders. But there are plenty of other places to check out as well, including:

Staying safe when you're out and about with a facemask

If you haven't got yourself one yet, it's probably about time to buy in a few face-masks. It's more than likely that soon you'll need one to go into certain shops, or when you ride the subway or the bus. If you can't find any of the disposable medical kind, then one of Home Depot's standard stock should do the trick. Or, if you're feeling crafty (and can't find a ready made one anywhere), then Michaels sell kits you can buy with all of the bits and bobs you need to make your own.