Becoming a Hermitby Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger 27 Mar 2008 12:23 PM One thing that this recession and the rising prices of gas has done to me lately is to have turned me into a sort of hermit. I've really been extra conscious of going anywhere that involves driving or spending money. I've been making fewer trips to the grocery store. I used to have an elaborate system for checking sales with coupons every week. But now, even with coupons, the prices are pretty high. The loss leaders aren't as impressive anymore, and products that I could usually get for free or at a really low cost are now not worth the trip. Instead, I have been relying more on using a price book and buying things that I know are always good bargains, such as a whole frozen turkey, or buying things that are staples. I also buy things that tend to have longer shelf lives (and are surpassingly the least expensive items in the store), such as dry beans instead of canned. I'll buy five dozen eggs at a time. I've been contemplating shopping for groceries online, but then I would miss out on the clearance racks. I visit the library less often, although I am reading more. Now, I tend to request books online and renew them online rather than making multiple trips to the library. With the exception of taking out videos, I can visit the library only once every six weeks and still have plenty of free stuff to read. We have even been visiting the local park less, and taking advantage of our own backyard and neighborhood more. We had a great time yesterday going for a family walk around the neighborhood. We certainly have enough toys and nature at home to keep us occupied. One day a week, we do get out, to eat at a family restaurant, run some errands or have a visit with friends, but that may be cut back to every other week. Now, one thing that is a negative side effect of my "hermitdom" is the lack of socialization. We are by no means huge party animals, but nor do we prefer isolation. Any suggestions on getting out more without really getting out? Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, technology in the Computing Blog, and creating a home in the Home Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here. Related Articles: Learn more about Mary Ann Romans  Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat. Relevantfrugal tags User Comments marinemom8 (125) 28 Mar 2008 05:16 AMOh there are so many fun things you could do! Just because you are home doesn't mean you need to be isolated and lonely. You just need to get a little creative. You could start a weekly playgroup at your home, you could also invite friends over for lunch, anything to get people to your house rather than you traveling. You could find a friendly church near your and maybe even host a womens bible study. When I used to feel isolated I just used to call up all my friends and invite them to lunch, then I would get the house spic and span and challenge myself to feed them all for as little as possible, it was a lot of fun. Do you know your neigbors? You could invite some over for coffee, or if you have any interests like scrapbooking or quilting, you could invite them over and just knit or sew or do whatever your favorite hobby is together, this could really bless an older neighbor who perhaps feels lonely and isn't able to socialize much.  Mary Ann Romans |
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