What’s up with the ‘out and about’ brigade?

[Nayouknow]

You know the ones. ‘I like to be out and about’ brigade. The ‘I’d be climbing the walls if I didn’t leave the house every day’ crew. The people who view time spent in their homes to be ‘wasted’ and time spent outside it to somehow automatically be more rewarding/interesting/energising/virtuous/insert positive.

I’ve only really come across this sort of mentality on MN and I find it fascinating. What’s their deal? Do they not like their homes? Do they have no indoor pursuits that they enjoy enough to be occupied for one day? Is it the actual outside air (not to be confused with the air in their gardens, as those of them who have gardens are generally very clear that hanging out in the garden isn’t sufficient)? Are they hardcore extroverts?

Like everyone else I know, I like to go out and I like to stay in. Walks are nice. Activities are nice. Spending a weekend at home cooking/reading/watching box sets/playing with DS is also nice. Based on their comments, the aforementioned crew would consider the latter a ‘wasted weekend’.

I'm a proper homebody, a real potterer but I make myself go out otherwise I would literally be inside all the time. There was a phase when I couldn't even be bothered to walk to the recycling bin because it seemed too far away 😕. So I try very hard to plan a trip out on the weekend.

I like being at home and I’m fine with my own company but I think it’s unreasonable to call people who have different preferences to you a “brigade” or “crew”.

I have 2 kids in a 63sqm flat. We have to get out and about to save the mess, the squabbling and my sanity!

My best friend can’t be on her own doing nothing and feels a day is wasted by staying in. I, on the other hand, absolutely love no-plans kinda weekends and am quite happy pottering at home. She’ll have had a hair cut, cleaned the car, done a 20 mile bike ride and baked a cake by the time I’ve even woken up properly. Mad.

I used to love staying home. Now I have 2 kids under 2 n a husband who is self employed and works constantly while we try desperately to make ends meet. I go out everyday coz 2 under 2 stuck indoors is not fun and as sad as it sounds it’s less lonely

This is me 100%
I'm a Early Years teacher and used to being busy all day, every minute busy and planned for. I've got three loud and very active children. If we stay in the house all day they end up fighting and getting on top of each other. We break up the day, usually multiple times a day by getting out of the house. I wish I could be a bit more chill and relax at home, need to develop this skill, them too! My chill is in a coffee shop or going for a walk. Our house is too small for us, I reckon that adds to the wanting to leave the house a lot! X

I'll go to the gym, wash the car and call at the shops before lunchtime which friends think is ridiculous for a Saturday morning.

I couldn't think of anything worse than staying in watching a box set - I'm done after one episode.

We're all different 🤷‍♀️

I don’t get the ‘sitting around the house all day in your pyjamas’ crowd.

I like to get up and go out. Usually I’m out by 9 on the weekend. However I’m back by 11 or so and then I’m in and not going out again. I don’t do afternoon people.
On a week day I go for a walk after work.

But, every day unless I am very ill I get up washed and dressed.

It’s a reflection of your mental state. If you can’t rest internally then you certainly don’t want to sit in your house all day.

I struggle to stay in and relax. I find myself creating and working my way through endless, pointless, to do lists. I just can’t switch off at home, there is always something that needs to be done before I can attempt to switch off.

It is entirely me though, I have to have the house in ‘show home condition’ before I can relax. Even then I get agitated when the cushions is just fluffed up are now being sat on. If I go out, I actually relax.

I don't move enough if I stay at home all day. That sounds odd as obviously I move around, do chores etc. but when I compare the step count to a day when I'm out working or just doing things, it's so much lower. It's important to me that I'm as active as possible so that's one reason.
Another is that I generally don't like being in my house. It's tatty, always messy and being here is a constant reminder of all the jobs that need doing and the money we don't have to spend on making much needed improvements.
Finally, the kids are awful after a day spent at home unless they can be out in the garden for the majority of the day. Everything goes so much more smoothly if we get them all out for at least part of the day.

I'm much like you, love being at home and never bored

I often long for a day at home pottering about doing nothing. If I ever do have a day with no plans after a few hours I feel I get quite irritable and my mood drops I get an overwhelming feeling of boredom no matter what I do. Even if it is just a walk to the local market or grocers and then a local walk a few hours later I feel better. Often if I have no plans I go into work, and do overtime just so I’m not bored at home m, It’s the same as holiday I often hear of others who will have the odd night in the hotel or head back to the room after dinner, and enjoy long lies, I still set my alarm every morning on holiday and with the exception of going back to the hotel to get changed for dinner I am out till about 11pm every night, it’s just me, I can’t stay in, I don’t purposely do it , I just can’t.

I’ve never really liked mooching around at home for too long. I get listless and then anxious and grumpy. Or end up just ticking off jobs on the to- do list which is not the most thrilling. I like to be doing, and out in nature and trying or seeing something new, seeing friends. Then I had kids who are currently 2 and 6 and will murder each other if we’re at home for too long without a focus,

Also I work from home (unless travelling) so being at home all day is a feature of my working week. I think if I commuted to a work place Monday-Friday then I’d probably hide away at home all weekend instead!

I'm a real introvert. I love my home. I still like to get out every day. I feel quite lazy and lethargic if I don't go out for a walk. I particularly like to be in nature but I even if I've just popped to the shops I feel better for having gone out.

I like a weekend at home. The kids will go in the garden on these weekends so still getting fresh air (helps the little one sleep better imo). This weekend we have severe rain weather warnings. So we stayed in today. Built the brio train set, read, watched paw patrol, played with the toys in the kids' room, and when the rain was a tad lighter, DH took the boys to watch some trains go past (5 minute walk from our house), nipped into the shop and came home. Tomorrow it's still meant to be persistent rain, so another day at home! I need these weekends, even before children. But now I have kids, i try not to fill the weekends and when we do do days out with the kids, the other weekend day is left empty.

Oh jees, this is my parents. Always out. No hobbies (at all), no pursuits, and generally disliking other people. They enforced being out all day every day that wasn't school for me, and as an indoorsy introvert with crafty hobbies, I hated it!

I am happiest at home. If I'm alone anyway - ds5 is hyperactive and dd2 is easy with anything, so we do go out most days because together they can't seem to calm the fuck down. Ds is starting to prefer the odd lazy day at home now though, so we're accommodating that too. We go out to achieve something - shopping, socialisation, exercise the kids, activities/hobbies, etc. rather than for the sake of it.

My kids aren't yet grown, so I'm disillusioned that problem 2 won't fix problem 3!

You must surely be aware that ‘it’s not normal’ is nonsense and all people are different. Who are you to define ‘normal’?

This is my mum since retirement, but she’s an introvert. I just accept that she’s odd!

I like a mix of both, if I have a busy weekend one week I like a quieter one the following weekend. I wfh but have to say home is my favourite place to be. Although I’m not a fan of people in general other than a select few 🤣 I do have family who are always out and constantly doing things, spending very little time at home other than to sleep!

I'm definitely not an extrovert but definitely feel the need to do something out of the house/productive everyday. Even if it's just going for a walk/run/just being outside in nature. I don't watch tv and would get very bored just sat indoors all day.

I see you have met my mother… 😂

Why the need to be so judgemental? Live and let live.

This.

And to call such people a "brigade" is a way of automatically dismissing and validity there is to what they do just because you don't do the same.