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Original poster

How much time do you spend out of the house?

56 replies

Babymeanswashing · 03/08/2021 14:57

Just wondering about this. I know it varies but if you’re on holiday but not away do you go out much?

I’m feeling a bit fed up lately. Am out so much it’s actually starting to do my head in. And its expensive!

OP posts:
MrsDThomas · 03/08/2021 15:44

Off even🙄

Skybluepinkgiraffe · 03/08/2021 15:46

I've always enjoyed time at home, but I make a point of getting out of the house at some point every day. When my children were small we'd walk up to a friend's house or drive to my mum's, or have friends over to play in the garden. Sometimes we'd go for a picnic or a walk in the woods, or a more official day out.
Saturdays in the summer we'd go and watch local cricket (still quite enjoy that now)

I get out daily with the dog now, and I sometimes go and give my friend a hand with her pony while DH plays golf.
Lucky enough to have a garden so there's usually something to do there ( I aspire to be a gardener but it's eluded me so far, but I keep it tidy)
I like meeting a friend for a coffee, and a good chat. I'd drive myself up the wall (more likely to go into a bit of a mental dip) if I stayed in for any length of time.
Fortunate to have only had to do one spell of self isolation in the 18 months. Grateful not to live in Spain!

Original poster
Babymeanswashing · 03/08/2021 16:28

Well it’s school holidays although technically still on ML. But yeah almost longing to be pinged! Not really but you know!

OP posts:
LuxOlente · 03/08/2021 16:31

Walks around local countryside, I've usually got a class or lesson on so I'll go to that, gym a few nights a week, meeting friends maybe every couple of weeks. Bike rides some evenings, also.

WildSwimming101 · 03/08/2021 16:34

@Babymeanswashing

Yeah but if you don’t spend money what do you do? Honestly meaning that genuinely. But even petrol and parking isn’t free.
@Babymeanswashing

Park,woods,beach,library,swimming, friends houses, friends here, camping in families gardens, picnics, playing in streams, playing at home, baking, colouring, painting, general toy playing, cheap morning cinema, watch a film on a rainy day,riding bikes outside, allotment, dog walks.

All free or under £10. And we only something that costs money once or twice a week at most.

Original poster
Babymeanswashing · 03/08/2021 16:36

Pretty much all those cost money!

OP posts:
WildSwimming101 · 03/08/2021 16:40

@soberfabulous

Doesn't anyone on this thread work...how is everyone staying in the house so much?

I'm out 7-7 on office days and when it's my turn to do school drop off.

Well firstly we are discussing school holidays and secondly, not everyone works.
Goldbar · 03/08/2021 17:15

Where do you live? I think lifestyles vary hugely depending on the types of areas people live in; urban, suburban, rural etc.

On "free" days (when I'm not working/DS isn't at nursery), we'll usually be out of the house for a morning or an afternoon (playground, park, walk in the woods, shopping etc.). On weekends, we do longer trips with DH to places that we have to drive to (swimming-pool, splash parks, big adventure playgrounds). Some of these cost money but some don't, though I'll often grab a coffee for me and an ice-cream for DS (so £4-£5).

We're also lucky to have lots of free places to visit and activities near us (London) - museums, parks, river walks etc. We used to go into the centre frequently pre-Covid and have just started doing this again. Quite often we just pay the bus/tube fare and then DC has an ice cream and I have a coffee (so around £6-£10 for a day's entertainment). There are great free museums in London (although they do ask for a donation), including one with a big paddling-pool for children. When my DS was a baby, we lived more centrally and I used to enjoy walking him up and down the South Bank in London and buying lunch from the street food market there.

I guess it depends on what you have available round about where you live. One of the perks of living in a city (at least where we live!) is that you just need to leave your house and there's a cafe around the corner and a playground in the next street. We find it much easier to pop out than we would if we needed to drive places the whole time.

Waxonwaxoff0 · 03/08/2021 17:15

@soberfabulous

Doesn't anyone on this thread work...how is everyone staying in the house so much?

I'm out 7-7 on office days and when it's my turn to do school drop off.

I work but OP was asking about holidays/days off. I've been at work today. Cooking tea now and then taking DS to a hobby so I've been out the house for most of the day!
Original poster
Babymeanswashing · 03/08/2021 17:17

We aren’t near London but tbf DD isn’t really at an age where she’d get anything out of museums and so on.

So today went for a 2 hour walk 12-2, then out again 3-430, to the supermarket. So only about 3 and a half hours but it’s felt like most of the day.

OP posts:
MyriadeOfThings · 03/08/2021 17:22

We aren’t near London but tbf DD isn’t really at an age where she’d get anything out of museums and so on.

I think that's yoour mistake.
At that age, she is still quite transportable so you will be able to go to a museum and look around. It doesnt matter if she inst into museums. For her, it wont be that different than a long walk in the park.

Original poster
Babymeanswashing · 03/08/2021 17:24

Oh if I wanted to go to a particular local museum I would, but again you can’t do that sort of stuff every single day.

OP posts:
OnlyFoolsnMothers · 03/08/2021 17:24

There was a soft play near us that used to be free for under 1s plus we used to have a great council run baby class that was free (doubt the latter runs thanks to covid)

Goldbar · 03/08/2021 17:31

@Babymeanswashing. At that age, I did things for me and the baby just came along for the ride. I like walking so I did loads of walks I hadn't had a chance to do before. Similar with the museums (and because they were free, it didn't matter if the baby started crying because we just left at that point).

IndiaMay · 03/08/2021 17:32

No kids but I love being home/hate being out. If I was on a random day annual leave and not away I would lie in. Get up late and make a nice coffee and drink it in bed with my book. Eventually get up and do a longer workout than I get to do on weekdays ( a HIIT and then yoga from YouTube probably). Breakfast that might be more indulgent than usual (poached eggs or something that's too long to cook on a work day). Shower and hair wash and dresses. By this point it might be half 11 so quick tidy of the house. Rest of the day would be a walk, read my book, watch a girly film, netflix series binge watch, cook something nice or wine and takeaway in the evening. Maybe some gardening. Pip round and see my aunt or mum for a drink of coffee and they come here. I wouldnt go out everyday no.

Original poster
Babymeanswashing · 03/08/2021 17:41

But my doing something for me would actually be the sort of day @IndiaMay describes.

OP posts:
Skybluepinkgiraffe · 03/08/2021 17:48

@IndiaMay

No kids but I love being home/hate being out. If I was on a random day annual leave and not away I would lie in. Get up late and make a nice coffee and drink it in bed with my book. Eventually get up and do a longer workout than I get to do on weekdays ( a HIIT and then yoga from YouTube probably). Breakfast that might be more indulgent than usual (poached eggs or something that's too long to cook on a work day). Shower and hair wash and dresses. By this point it might be half 11 so quick tidy of the house. Rest of the day would be a walk, read my book, watch a girly film, netflix series binge watch, cook something nice or wine and takeaway in the evening. Maybe some gardening. Pip round and see my aunt or mum for a drink of coffee and they come here. I wouldnt go out everyday no.
Sounds nice Smile
DeathMetalMum · 03/08/2021 18:07

How old are your other dc or do you just have the 8 month old?

Today we have walked to the library and back this morning, our library does a summer reading challenge so dc are excited to go. This afternoon we drove to a nearby free adventure play area. We could have walked but dc always winge on the way home so it's not worth it. Hmm I used to walk it when the dc were in the pram/buggy board.

We were only out of the house for just over 3 hours total and very minimal cost.

Some big days out are just petrol, sometimes parking. We take a packed lunch nothing special just what we would be having for lunch anyway. We try to take advantage of free parks/splash parks local events where there are free bouncy castles. Free museums.

Original poster
Babymeanswashing · 03/08/2021 18:08

Yeah just the baby. Those splash things always look a lot of fun. Depends on the weather though!

OP posts:
MintyGreenDream · 03/08/2021 18:10

In the school holidays I like to get out for an hour a day minimum.

qualitygirl · 03/08/2021 18:16

Well not including petrol (as not everything can be completely free)
Free thing's we do are mostly to do with the beach, so,
Swimming, body boarding, surfing, canoeing, rockpooling and I suppose all the gear was costly but you only buy them once really (well apart from wetsuits)

We also go hiking, cycling etc and bring packed lunches

My dc are 5 and 8 and I suppose in average we spend 3/4 hours out of the house. There's days it's more and days that it's less though, obviously.

Kite22 · 03/08/2021 18:19

Well, when I had an 8 month old, I used to try and get out every day, but there was still all the 'stuff' to do around the house too.
So if you've gone out once or twice, then surely that breaks up the day and you can crack on with all the things that need doing when you have a baby and a house to run.

As a pp said, if you have a pretty chilled baby - which I have to assume you do as you are looking for things to fill your day - then you can just take them with you and do things you fancy doing.

Goldbar · 03/08/2021 18:25

One of the reasons I used to enjoy getting out of the house with my baby was that we made much less mess than we did in it! I used to meet friends at the park and we'd each bring something (bubbles, finger paints, toys etc.), make a huge mess, clean it up and then go home to a clean house.

Original poster
Babymeanswashing · 03/08/2021 18:58

Do you mean like housework and so on, kite?

OP posts:
Lazypuppy · 03/08/2021 19:29

@Babymeanswashing
But my doing something for me would actually be the sort of dayIndiaMaydescribes

You can do most of what IndiaMay describes, at 8 months babies are still portable, work around babies naps, i watched loads of boxsets on my mat leave while baby plays on floor