Cutting back on gas usage and other things _can you become isolated?

[imagine]

We are cutting back on gas usage. Can one become isolated if they basically ground gas usage to necessities.

Hubby already walked or biked to work everyday.

Buddy' school is to far away to walk/bike so We have to drive. I have taken to leaving early to get there 25 or so minutes before school gets out so I can get a parking space and not idle the car in the pick up line. It was very hot to have the car turned off when it was extremely hot here. I did a lot of sweating brought water to keep hydrated. Makes me wonder what it will be like no idling the car when it is in the negative numbers this winter.

Little Miss can ride her bike to school on non orchestra days. We can walk most others weather permitting. One day I told her it was to hot to bike so I would give her a ride. She then told Hubby that it was to hot her bike would get to hot waiting outside and it was just to hot to bike. Hubby said "don't see me complaining" Little Miss and I both turned red with embarrassment as then we realized Hubby does this and has done this for years even with the hot weather.

The kids activities: Youth group is a drive activity once a week. Girl scouts sometimes is a drive but sometimes we can walk although if we walk when it gets dark early we have to walk with a flashlight.

So the vehicle is basically grounded except school and grocery and necessary shopping runs (and a few kid activity runs). I turned down a women group meeting because I would of had to drive and buy a book and make snacks sometime and make small charity donations.

Also a friend said "We should get together for lunch sometime". Told her we aren't really doing the eating out thing right now but that I would love for her to come over and I could make a tea or something. I also told her if we did cut our home phone (which we are thinking about doing) I would no longer be able to have long chats on the phone but would have to get together to chat.

Can one become to isolated if they don't go places in the car that aren't necessary, don't eat out with friends, and can't have long chats on the phone?

[mommy4ever]

I suppose you could be come isolated if you didn't think outside the box.

If we chose not to drive, besides dh to work, the kids would need to give up ringette and karate. BUT, we have also discovered several things locally, as in - in the neighborhood. Some one in our community runs a great sports program. It is about 4 blocks away. That would be where the kids would go. There is a karate program there as well, we chose to go with a club where our friend is the sensei. We'd likely bike to the library and pray really hard that they they construct the one where they had talked about it, it would be 1/2 the distance.

There are also activities at the community league for adults, yoga, scrapbooking, occasional dances. I imagine if gas was cut to essentials only, where there were rations, the community leagues would become more active.

When dh was growing up here, there were block parties, people knew their neighbors, that doesn't happen anymore. But if people weren't able to travel all over, there would be a greater sense of community built.

[shoiji]

Can you and your friend get on the internet at the same time and text each other? Sure not the same but you would still be communicating with her.

Are there any places around your sons school where you can go and chat with someone. Maybe go an hour or two before you need to pick up your son. Maybe a park where you can meet friends and go for a walk.

Personally I do not have a car. I rely mostly on public transit which is conviently located near me. I do try to get out and about each week because I can be perfectly happy staying at home. However know it is good to be near people.

How about holding a "social" at your home once a month. Invite some friends over for tea and cookies. If people want to bring things let them. But it would be a great time to get together.

[Dancing Lotus]

Yes i do think you can run the risk of becoming isolated if you don't live an an area where biking and walking are common and easy. Since moving 5 yrs ago I am much to far from my friends and family and it means gas plus a meal out if I wish to see them.

[krbshappy71]

We are cutting back on gas usage. Can one become isolated if they basically ground gas usage to necessities.

Hubby already walked or biked to work everyday.

Buddy' school is to far away to walk/bike so We have to drive. I have taken to leaving early to get there 25 or so minutes before school gets out so I can get a parking space and not idle the car in the pick up line. It was very hot to have the car turned off when it was extremely hot here. I did a lot of sweating brought water to keep hydrated. Makes me wonder what it will be like no idling the car when it is in the negative numbers this winter.

Little Miss can ride her bike to school on non orchestra days. We can walk most others weather permitting. One day I told her it was to hot to bike so I would give her a ride. She then told Hubby that it was to hot her bike would get to hot waiting outside and it was just to hot to bike. Hubby said "don't see me complaining" Little Miss and I both turned red with embarrassment as then we realized Hubby does this and has done this for years even with the hot weather.

The kids activities: Youth group is a drive activity once a week. Girl scouts sometimes is a drive but sometimes we can walk although if we walk when it gets dark early we have to walk with a flashlight.

So the vehicle is basically grounded except school and grocery and necessary shopping runs (and a few kid activity runs). I turned down a women group meeting because I would of had to drive and buy a book and make snacks sometime and make small charity donations.

Also a friend said "We should get together for lunch sometime". Told her we aren't really doing the eating out thing right now but that I would love for her to come over and I could make a tea or something. I also told her if we did cut our home phone (which we are thinking about doing) I would no longer be able to have long chats on the phone but would have to get together to chat.

Can one become to isolated if they don't go places in the car that aren't necessary, don't eat out with friends, and can't have long chats on the phone?

Only if "one" wants to. I don't have a home phone, I do have unlimited minutes on nights & weekends on the cell so that's when I catch up with friends. When my SIL and I go out, she picks me up as we want to be together in the car to chat, anyhow, rather than meet at said-location for lunch. I have the internet for Skype to talk to people, forums, work every day, neighbors that I talk to while I get the mail or work in my yard.

If you want to use it for an excuse, then yes you can become isolated, but if being social is a goal of yours then you wont let that happen, you will figure out ways around the obstacles.

[frugalwarrior2]

Have your friend come over and walk around the block gabbing.
text/email
I say-moderation. Never eat out. Never go to a meeting.
Are things that bad? I pray they aren't.

[my4littlebuffaloes]

You can still do social things as long as you are combining them with something necessary. I like the tea/coffee idea. You and your friend can alternate and you can plan a time that is before school pick up of something. Yes you can become too isolated for sure, so be careful.

[pollypurebred39]

Yes, I say this from experience. But not just because of gas on my part. Like you, I've turned down groups because I could not afford the added outlay of money involved. But I've also discovered, to my dismay, that I had friends and family that were only interested in my company as long as I had money. Many were not interested in doing free things, or just having tea and homemade cookies. They wanted to come to the big parties we used to have, or go out and do things that cost plenty.

At this point I am very isolated. We do not live where we can walk or bike to anything. I've decided to change that part of my life. I can't leave the house, but I can invite the friends and family that stuck with us these last 4 years, to our home. I plan on having ladies over for tea, for movie night, game night, DH parents over for puzzle night, and maybe after the holiday having a women's Bible study here.

[KennySoward]

Hi folks! Been a couple months since I posted, but love reading out here and commenting.

I actually touch on this in my book. You likely can become isolated if you live away from a community, say in a rural area. But if there was ever a time to use the internet to be social, now is that time.

At the very least, you can stay in loose contact with your friends through FaceBook, etc., and continue to do what your doing with the kids' activities and such.

I think you just need to ask yourself how long you want to keep this up. If you are planning on avoiding social groups (especially if you think they'll be a blast) forever, then you may be in danger of "hermitizing" yourself. But if you are just thinking a year and then allowing yourself some driving "fun" you are probably fine.

[peanut]

It can be isolating...unless you think outside the box, as the OP said. I agree with checking the neighborhood for not only children's groups, but also adult groups. If there are none, start one. People can 'potluck' it if they want food at the meals.

A lady next door to us hosted a Bible study once a week and every week everyone brought a little something. Not necessarily something fancy or expensive. But a bit of food of some sort...whatever they had in the house most likely. I saw fruit, cheese, veggies and dip, crackers, hummus, and of course the sweet stuff. Most of the ladies were young moms and the kids came with and played together. If there was a problem one of the moms would get up and deal with it. No need to hire sitters.

I started Crafting for Missions partly because DH takes our only car to work every day in the winter and I was feeling isolated. This way I have women in my home for half a day every week...at least. And sometimes I have someone over during the day or in the evening to work on things.

I carpool with friends to meetings different places. They recognize I just often can't drive in winter. In spring DH takes the bike again and I return the favour of giving them rides when we go places. In short, try bartering. Maybe if you drive all the kids to their activities one week, another mom can take them the next, and so on.

If you are not centrally located going without a car can be difficult. I agree with Kenny when he says social networking is your friend. Facebook and such are great ways to keep in touch with people. Not just friends.

What we don't have is cell phones. We dropped them and kept a basic land line. Cell phones are way more expensive than a basic land line. And I'm not convinced they are necessary unless there's an emergency or someone running their own business and on the road a lot. If people want us they have to leave a message on our answering machine if we're not home. And we're okay with that. With a land line you can talk till the cows come home if you are on basic plan (no bundles!), and if you get something like YAK Communications which charges 3 cents a minute for long distance. Our phone bill has been under $40/mth. (usually $28-35) for the last two or three years with this approach.

Hope that helps. {{{Hugs}}} FWIW, I also have turned down membership in groups that expect outlays of cash on a regular basis. You just need to find yourself some other frugal friends Imagine! {{{Hugs}}}

[sunflowers*8890]

I lost my job, and now I'm working from home. I've always been a loner, but this is more alone than even I am used to!!

I try to use as little gas as possible, because it's one of the few things I can control.

Sometimes I'm really thankful for Facebook.

[zakity]

I started riding over the pass with DH. I would drop him off at his work and then hanging out at a friend's house all day. The only extra gas was to and from her house from DH's work. She thought it was great. She is the one that just had the baby and has a 2 yr old. Some days, it would work out where I would spend more time with the kids than with her, but it worked. The 2 yr old got some much needed "mommy" time just when he needed it.

[peanut]

I forgot to add, Imagine, the person who hosts doesn't have to do any food if you do it potluck style. If you feel compelled to, check out the bakery thrift store near you for half price cookies. I've often served those up for tea.