I need a mask

Uncle Doug,  Do I need a Corona Virus Mask?

Look, If it makes you feel better, sure but is is going to help, not that much.   What most people are talking about when they say a corona virus mask is an N95 paper face mask.  It is not really paper but you get my drift.   It will filter 95% of particles, but the corona virus is tiny and what about the 5%.

It will also keep you from touching your nose and mouth with your hands, so I guess it will help with that as well.  But will it keep you safe not really.

These masks are real useful for keeping people from spreading the virus.  Someone has a mask on and coughs or sneezes, the mask catches all that stuff.  They will not be typhoid mary.

Well what about a P100 mask?  Works better, will filter 99.97% of stuff but still not perfect.  Unless it is a full face mask the virus can still get in your via your eyes, and open sore, you name it, the virus can try and get in (ok viruses are not intelligent, but it sure seems like it sometimes).

The only way to be really protected is by wearing what is called a moon suit.  You will look funny but will be safe until you take it off.   The outside could still have the virus on it so you will have to decontaminate.   How do I do that?   Get 1 or 2 or 3 of your friends to wash you off, make that scrub you off with bleach or some other disinfectant  in your suit before you take it off and then carefully get out while still behaving that the outside is covered with bugs.  You may want to do this once or twice before your actually start taking it off.

How do I know this.  Well back in the day I got to try this out.  I was the kid in the suit and before they decontaminated me a nice person misted some florescent stuff on me.  They guys (I can't remember if it was 2 or 3) doing the decon then scrubbed me down and rinsed me off and then they took a black light to see if they did a good job.  I got washed down 3 times before no more florescent stuff on the outside.   These guys were not experts yet, but they had been trained so it is not easy.

Well what can I do.  Wash your hands.  Stay away from folks that appear sick.  Wash your hands again.  Don't touch your face unless you have just washed your hands.   This is probably just as effective as wearing an N95 mask.

Should I worry about the Coronavirus. February 26, 2020

Should I worry now?  It has been a couple of weeks and things have changed as they always do but is it time to worry?   NO, but it is time to go from watching the forecast once a day to watching the news in the morning,  at lunch, at dinner and before bed.

Remember, I am still using the hurricane analogy.

Well the CDC (I will call them the weather forecaster) told us to get prepared in their press conference yesterday.  This is the same as the weather forecaster saying we are now in the 5 to 7 day cone of uncertainty.   We have to watch close but not run around in a panic.  Jim Cantore is not here and has not made flight arrangements so it is not time to worry (but I am sure he has the flight schedules out).

But it is time to get the sane preparations done.   No more putting it off.  You should do it tonight or in the morning, don't wait until Friday.  What are sane preparations?    The same things I talked about a week or so ago.   Did you take my last set of advice and make sure you topped off your normal foods?  Not running low on toilet paper are we?  Have laundry detergent and paper plates?    Do you have a this weeks and next weeks shopping done?  We now want to keep the pantry topped off.

If you are good take a breath, relax.  If not, go and take care of the shopping.  No panicking but you want to go before you are there with the crowds and all of the the bread, milk and beer is gone.  Hurricanes, snowstorms up North, it always happens this way.

Next steps in the plan for those wanting wanting to know.   When we get to the 3 day cone (aka: a small outbreak or two) then we fill up the gas cans and keep the cars filled up.   Limit our exposure to others by only going to work and getting supplies.  Stop eating out ( I will want to know who has prepared my food) and just laying low until the all clear.   In the 3-day cone, there is still a good chance it will miss us but we have to actually get serious.

Uncle Doug,  My neighbor is out buying camping food and a years worth of Beans and Rice.  Should I do that?   Nope,  That is panicking and we never want to panic.  A couple weeks of food is prudent,  a couple of years of food is over the top unless you are getting ready for the second coming.    Be prudent.

Should I worry about the Coronavirus. February 15, 2020

Should you worry about the Coronavirus -  No!
Should you keep a weather eye on the Coronavirus -  Yes!

Seeing a lot of things over the years, it is good to keep informed and keep a lookout,  but going all chicken little usually just silly.  Ignoring what is going on is dumb as well.   I look at the this flu like a lot of other things and try and be prudent.

I am treating this just like a hurricane when it forms way off in the Atlantic.  I am keeping an eye on it and following the news.  When I get in the 5 day "cone of uncertainty" I will will then start to get concerned, but we are not there yet here in Florida.  If I see Jim Cantore (the weather channel) show up outside of my house (or in this case folks from the CDC show up in my town) then I will definitely worry, but that time is NOT now.  Maybe if I was in Asia I would have a different outlook.

I also am am also doing what I do at the beginning of hurricane season.  I use the first hurricane and something like this to take stock of my hurricane checklist to see if everything is still good in it.  If you live in  California or elsewhere on the West coast you probably have an earthquake kit, in the north or midwest you probably have a storm kit.  Same idea here in Florida with the hurricane kit.

Once you go through a few hurricanes or a couple of earthquakes you have a kit.  It might not be all in a box but you have a checklist of stuff you will need to hunker down for a few days to a week if you are stuck in the house.  Don't believe Uncle Doug,  How about Uncle Sam.  Ready.gov has a site on what you should have in a disaster kit for your family.

So Uncle Doug, what have you done so far.  I checked and made sure the pantry was full of our normal stuff.  Got some extra Toilet Paper (we were running a little low).  Went by the bank and got a little cash.   I did not close my 401k,  I did not buy a years worth of MREs, I did not go crazy and neither should you.

Be Frugal, Not Cheap

There is a big difference between being Frugal and being Cheap.   Be Frugal, not Cheap.

Frugal does not mean cheap.  It means to not waste money.  A Frugal person is someone who does not waste things.  They look to get the best value for their dollar.  They want to maximize what they get for their purchases.  Spending money is not what they worry about.  They concentrate on getting as much value for their money as they can.

A Cheap person only looks at the bottom line regardless of if it is good or bad.  Generic over brand name even if the generic brand only lasts half as long.  The least expensive item on the menu is ordered just to save money at the expense of the experience.  Spending money hurts.

Looking at the frugal person in the grocery store you will see they buy things they need and stock up when they are on sale.  If they like the name brand detergent they will get it but probably have a coupon.  If they want a steak, they will get one but it will be a cut they like.  Being on sale is not the determine factor.  They will try inexpensive options but if they don't like it as much as their normal purchase they will remember and not do it again.

I have a friend I will call cheap.  He drives all over town every week to get his groceries. Not just stops at different stores but goes out of his way to go to different stores.  He spends more money on gas than he saved buying things at different stores.

Be frugal, Not Cheap