We're Quarantined, and My Husband Is Rationing Food 

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Dear Reverend, 

My husband and I have been quarantined since early March. We're both considered high risk, so his two daughters are shopping for us. He's concerned about asking too much of them, so he's been rationing food. I don't want to rock the boat, but how do I talk to him about easing up?

Hungry at Home (female, 62)

Dear Hungry at Home,

Normally, I could understand not wanting to be a burden, but these are weird times. Rationing food seems like it's making matters worse and adding unnecessary stress. I imagine that his daughters want to keep you both safe and are happy to help, but he could ask them if he'd like to know for sure. Or you could talk to them about it, and maybe they could subtly let him know they enjoy lending a hand. Another idea: Ask them to double up on the items he tends to ration.

Have you considered ordering groceries online for pickup? For example, Hannaford To Go is easy-peasy. If neither you nor your husband feels comfortable doing the pickup, one of the daughters could do it. That way, you can do the virtual shopping yourself and really stock up, thus minimizing trips.

You could also order from a site like Instacart, where someone shops for you and delivers the groceries to your house. It's easy to sign up for an account, and there's a variety of local stores to choose from. There is a fee, and you should tip your shopper, but the convenience is worth the extra cost.

There may be volunteers in your area who are helping people with their shopping. Perhaps you could find someone through your Front Porch Forum. If your town has a website, it might have listings of available resources. Burlington's can be found at burlingtonvt.gov/covid-19/foodaccessresources.

Many options are out there that would allow you to give the kids a break and keep your husband from counting your peanuts.

Good luck and God bless,

The Reverend