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AIBU?

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Original poster

Do you take your phone everywhere?

296 replies

Estermay · 31/10/2023 13:10

I have read people astounded that others do not take their phone everywhere. I don't. If I am going out to a barwith friends I leave it at-home. No point losing it, which i would if i took it. Or if I am popping out to the local shop I leave it, I don't need it.
So do you take your phone everywhere?
YABU = yes I do
YANBU = I dont

OP posts:
Catsmere · 31/10/2023 22:13

boako · 31/10/2023 22:07

I remember the days when I used to have to carry a purse with all my cards, a map, a book, a Walkman, an address book, a magazine or newspaper, a camera etc. depending on what was doing

I still take most of these with me (apart from the Walkman - I don't feel the need to listen to music when I'm out and about, and I like listening in to other people's conversations).

I have a purse full of cards - Medicare, pension, driver's license, credit cards - I need to have the ID on me and I've never bothered with Apple Pay and the like. It all lives, along with my phone and other bits and pieces, in a big handbag that goes everywhere with me. And that's a big reduction from when I was working and commuted by train and tram, when I had a backpack for the day! I'd never be down to the phone standing in for everything else. I'd still need a bag to carry it, my jeans pockets are not secure.

elm26 · 31/10/2023 22:19

Always when I go out.

boako · 31/10/2023 22:22

Yes - I also have a big bag, @Catsmere. This contains a gazillion things that shouldn't be there along with ID, credit cards, stamps etc. My phone is one of those things. As I say, though, it doesn't go on the internet, so if I am out for the day or away for the weekend, then I just can't go on the internet.

I do think it's a shame that so many people sit on trains and buses scrolling away on their phones. What's weird is that they are often watching strangers doing everyday things on social media. If they looked up, they would see strangers doing things in real life at the side of them.

PrimaniTu · 31/10/2023 22:24

Estermay · 31/10/2023 13:21

I am talking about a bar with friends where dp will be picking me up at the end of the evening. I am not going on anywhere afterwards, I am too old for those kind of nights. And if I am up dancing it just becomes an encumbrance that I could easily lose. Its too big to have in my trouser pickets. And handbags are easily stolen.

How does dp know what time to pick you up if you can't call him or do you say pick me up at 10:00pm regardless of what time the evening finishes. And what happens if you change venues how will he know where you are?

Hmmmm2018 · 31/10/2023 22:30

I infuriate my family by leaving my mobile phone home whilst I am mobile. I like the freedom.

CharlotteBog · 31/10/2023 22:43

TomAllensWhiskMic · 31/10/2023 22:01

I even take it with me on a run so I can listen to Spotify. But I have calls and texts on mute so I'm not disturbed.

Show quote history

Yes, I could do that, but I still prefer to be w/o it. There would be a high chance that while I'm running and my mind is free because I'm not doing anything else, I'd remember something terribly important that I needed to remember or look up and then I'd drive myself mad.
I also like to run with the minimum of cargo. I have a little clip on mp3 player for music.

mjf981 · 31/10/2023 22:46

I take it everywhere.
I use it to pay for everything (tap and go - I'm Australia so maybe its more common here?).
I also use google maps all the time.
I think I'd feel totally lost without it which is probably a bit sad really!

mjf981 · 31/10/2023 22:48

I actually put my phone through a full wash the other day; OMG the panic until I realized by some miracle it was still working!!😂

Pumpkinspicelattetime · 31/10/2023 22:49

Hmmmm2018 · 31/10/2023 22:30

I infuriate my family by leaving my mobile phone home whilst I am mobile. I like the freedom.

What freedom? I really don't understand this viewpoint. It's perfectly possible to have your phone on you and not be checking it every 5 minutes.

As to the OP, I think you're being unreasonable if you expect a bar to answer their phone during an evening, let alone then track you down and pass on messages. You seem to be restricting your life by not taking your phone with you. Perhaps think about how you can carry it safely, it's not typical to have lost quite a few phones (particularly not in a cemetery!).

Catsmere · 31/10/2023 22:57

boako · 31/10/2023 22:22

Yes - I also have a big bag, @Catsmere. This contains a gazillion things that shouldn't be there along with ID, credit cards, stamps etc. My phone is one of those things. As I say, though, it doesn't go on the internet, so if I am out for the day or away for the weekend, then I just can't go on the internet.

I do think it's a shame that so many people sit on trains and buses scrolling away on their phones. What's weird is that they are often watching strangers doing everyday things on social media. If they looked up, they would see strangers doing things in real life at the side of them.

This could make a “how much crap do you carry in your bag” thread! 😆

If my phone didn’t get internet it wouldn’t have much justification for its existence. I read websites (MN hem hem) while filling in time, or check maps, far more than anything else, when using it while out.

boako · 31/10/2023 23:00

How does dp know what time to pick you up if you can't call him or do you say pick me up at 10:00pm regardless of what time the evening finishes. And what happens if you change venues how will he know where you are?

I think this is where there's a pre-mobile and post-mobile gap. I grew up in the 70s and 80s, so if you made an arrangement, you had to stick to it. You would arrange to meet someone/be picked up at a certain time, and that was that. I still do that now, and my student children drive me insane by constantly changing their plans and expecting me to accommodate endless changes. To my mind, I've agreed to collect them at 11PM from X, so I'm not fannying around collecting them at possibly 11.30 but it might be 12, or it might be 10 if it's a boring night, and it might be from Y or Z, but they won't know until they get there. By the same token, I don't mess other people around by constantly changing times and venues. Far easier to make an arrangement and actually stick to it.

Guiltyfeethavegotnorhythm0 · 31/10/2023 23:03

I just feel that some people feel so arrogant to believe they could never have a medical emergency themselves . It does happen to anyone on a perfectly ordinary day . It really does not matter who you are .

notacooldad · 31/10/2023 23:03

Yes.
It has my entertainment (games music podcast, audio books),my bank stuff, social media, my passes eg rail, bus. Car parking. Irs an information hub, It's got my loyalty cards, concert tickets and it takes up so little space.

boako · 31/10/2023 23:05

If my phone didn’t get internet it wouldn’t have much justification for its existence

I use mine to make and receive calls and to send and receive texts, which is why I have it. If I'm at home, though, I use my landline to ring people.

I'm just looking in my handbag now, and I have found a pair of kitchen scissors, some embroidery thread, a reel of cotton, a peg, some matches which I confiscated from the dog, a little pocket calendar, some post-its, a nail file, a book on how to build a caravan (I have never owned, and never want to own, a caravan), a curtain tie-back, a linen napkin, a pen lid, a reel of Scotch tape, some Oxy Active stain remover, a wifi booster which I don't know how to plug in, some hair bobbles, several important pieces of paper, and what looks like an electrical charger for a device which I don't possess.

AnnieSnap · 01/11/2023 00:08

I always take mine with me. That said, I may have it on silent if I’m with others. I certainly don’t check it when talking, socialising, have a drink or a meal. I take it for two reasons. Firstly, all the data I may need is in it (diary, means to pay for things, maps etc). Secondly, in case there is a problem and I need to contact someone.

DyslexicPoster · 01/11/2023 00:14

Yes. I have had many, many incidents of my cars breaking down. I'm rural and I drive everywhere. I'm terrified of walking at night outside of town centres on my own. I would sit in the car all night shitting myself in country lanes.

Only during covid did I switch it off to go out. Because that's the only time I have been paranoid about the tracking angle. I'm not fussed about loosing anything. I'd be upset of course, it's just on my radar to think it's highly likely

DyslexicPoster · 01/11/2023 00:16

boako · 31/10/2023 23:05

If my phone didn’t get internet it wouldn’t have much justification for its existence

I use mine to make and receive calls and to send and receive texts, which is why I have it. If I'm at home, though, I use my landline to ring people.

I'm just looking in my handbag now, and I have found a pair of kitchen scissors, some embroidery thread, a reel of cotton, a peg, some matches which I confiscated from the dog, a little pocket calendar, some post-its, a nail file, a book on how to build a caravan (I have never owned, and never want to own, a caravan), a curtain tie-back, a linen napkin, a pen lid, a reel of Scotch tape, some Oxy Active stain remover, a wifi booster which I don't know how to plug in, some hair bobbles, several important pieces of paper, and what looks like an electrical charger for a device which I don't possess.

Are you Mary Poppins? How big is your bag?!

AlltheFs · 01/11/2023 00:27

I use it to pay for things so yes, rarely without it.

Catsmere · 01/11/2023 00:30

DyslexicPoster · 01/11/2023 00:16

Are you Mary Poppins? How big is your bag?!

Show quote history

😆

Catsmere · 01/11/2023 00:36

boako · 31/10/2023 23:05

If my phone didn’t get internet it wouldn’t have much justification for its existence

I use mine to make and receive calls and to send and receive texts, which is why I have it. If I'm at home, though, I use my landline to ring people.

I'm just looking in my handbag now, and I have found a pair of kitchen scissors, some embroidery thread, a reel of cotton, a peg, some matches which I confiscated from the dog, a little pocket calendar, some post-its, a nail file, a book on how to build a caravan (I have never owned, and never want to own, a caravan), a curtain tie-back, a linen napkin, a pen lid, a reel of Scotch tape, some Oxy Active stain remover, a wifi booster which I don't know how to plug in, some hair bobbles, several important pieces of paper, and what looks like an electrical charger for a device which I don't possess.

That's very impressive! 😆

Mine has my purse, phone, car keys, eye drops, lip balm, asthma inhaler, hand cream, assorted hankies and tissues (unused, I hasten to add), a cloth bag from the chemist that's easy to scrunch up in a pocket, an old fork for scratching my back, shopping lists and prescriptions, and on occasion some knitting.

RoseMartha · 01/11/2023 00:38

Yes when I am going out as people often need to contact me urgently.

Not when I am at home. I will leave it in another room sometimes and I don't take it to the loo.

Catsmere · 01/11/2023 00:41

Not when I am at home. I will leave it in another room sometimes and I don't take it to the loo.

I never take mine to the loo. I have distractions enough in the form of small furry supurrvisors who want to sit on my lap.

Mew2 · 01/11/2023 06:52

It comes with me always- for medical reasons. I have asthma, DH has epilepsy- and have a 3 year old. We need to be able to contact each other if theres an emergency or 999(and if we are out together he often wanders off so I normally need it to find him...)

Kwasi · 01/11/2023 06:52

I wouldn’t even know how to pay for stuff without my phone! I haven’t used a cash machine in over 7 years and I don’t know what my PIN is. I have an AirTag in my wallet because I literally have no idea where in the house it might be.

It’s also my satnav, as I live in an area where you have to drive everywhere.

PostmanPatAlwaysRingsTwice · 01/11/2023 07:10

I take mine everywhere. It tracks my DD’s blood glucose monitor which I always want to be able to see. At work I’m all around the building during the day so I use it for checking my timetable, setting timers, emails etc.
Bus and tram times, E-tickets for those, weather, maps, Apple pay, being in easy contact with DH, checking details for things, podcasts - use it for all this so it’s always with me.
A few years ago we were out for the day and my mum called to say my dad had had a serious accident, so we were able to get to hospital far more quickly than if she’d had to leave a message on our landline for that evening. That helped her hugely, as well as us.
Recently the out of hours team called me unexpectedly at 8:30 on a Friday night to say a blood test for my DD had just been processed and she had high glucose - do not give her any sugar and bring her to A&E. We were out at a concert where she’d have been popping Haribo all night. If I’d left my phone at home (was not expecting blood results that night!) her health would have been harmed.
Just some examples of how important it can be to be contactable - and you don’t know when things like this will happen.