No matter how old you get, you may find yourself in situations where you have to get out of the house without drawing too much attention to yourself.
You’ll therefore need fool-proof excuses to get out of the house so that you won’t raise any alarm bells or get yourself in trouble.
Whether you want to sneak out when you’re grounded or get away from a partner that’s getting on your nerves is entirely your business; we’re just here to provide you with the excuses and to help you get out of the house without getting caught.
Here are 18 fool-proof excuses that both teens and adults can use to get out of the house at all hours of the day:
6 excuses to get out of the house at night when your parents are strict
Strict, overprotective parents often mean the best, but they can take it a bit too far sometimes. It’s no fun being cooped up in your room, especially on a weekend, when all your friends are out having a blast.
If you’re sure that you’ll be careful and that your parents have nothing to worry about, then here are 6 excuses to get out of the house at night:
01Getting some air
This is a good excuse to use if you have a porch or balcony, or some sort of area in your yard where you or your family members often go to relax or get some air. Your parents will think nothing of you going out there, especially if you look the part.
This means you probably shouldn’t get all dressed up and you should find somewhere to put your going-out clothes. You’re better off doing this when everyone else is about to go to bed, so there’s no chance of them trying to join you outside.
This is also a good excuse to use if you get caught sneaking back in. Here’s how you can say it:
E.g. “It’s kind of stuffy in here, I’m going to the patio to get some air.”
Remember, if you get caught, you can never use this excuse again. Make sure you change your clothes again before trying to sneak back in and try not to go too far in case your parents text you and ask if you’re coming inside soon.
Photo by Indypendenz on shutterstock
02Going for a walk
If you live in a good neighborhood, then this is a good excuse to get out of the house. Say you’re going for a walk or even a run. You can wear sweatpants and a jacket over your real clothes and your parents won’t suspect a thing (just make sure it doesn’t look too bulky).
This is a perfect excuse to use if you want to briefly go see a friend or even your boyfriend/girlfriend who lives nearby or if you want to stop by a party really quickly to look like you went.
This is what you can say to your parents:
E.g. “I’m heading out now. Going to see how many miles I can run today. Wish me luck!”
If you’ve never gone out for a walk or run, this will look fishy to your parents. If you have an event coming up, you can start doing this maybe two weeks before the actual date so they can get used to the idea of it, and they’ll have less of a reason to suspect you.
If you’re meeting a friend or boyfriend/girlfriend, don’t do it on the street. If your parents happen to drive by and you get caught, you’ll be in a ton of trouble.
03Taking out the trash at night
Taking out the trash at night and getting picked up by your friends a few houses down is a classic getaway move if you have siblings to cover for you late at night when everyone is asleep. The trash bag can even have your real clothes and your parents will probably never notice.
You can use the trash excuse to get your boyfriend/girlfriend to meet you nearby your place for a few minutes and exchange a few hugs and kisses.
Say something like this before you step out of the house:
E.g. “I’m taking out the trash. Does anyone have anything they want to be taken out?”
Your parents will be so proud of you for volunteering to do chores, and will likely be distracted by something else to even think twice about checking on you out there. Just make sure you don’t take too long or else they might become suspicious.
Keep your meeting to under 15 minutes to be safe. If you get caught they might make you break up with your boyfriend/girlfriend because they might say he/she is a bad influence.
When sneaking in after going out, you can just say you were taking the trash out since they’d have no clue when you actually left. The worst thing they’ll probably say is to not do it so late.
Photo by Alina Kruk on shutterstock
04Friend was outside
We all have friends, and we all understand that we’re supposed to be there for them in times of need. So, if you get caught sneaking back into the house, just say your friend was outside and it was an emergency.
Explain that he/she was going through a hard time and knew that you couldn’t leave home, but he/she was desperate for someone to talk to, so he/she stopped by the house. You should of course express how concerned you are to make it more realistic and really sell the story to your parents.
This is an example of what you can say:
E.g. “James came by. His parents are going through a divorce and he didn’t have anyone else to talk to. He’s really going through a tough time and I just wanted to help.”
If your parents don’t believe you, they’ll try to reach out to your friend. If they find out you were lying, you’ll have a lot of explaining to do, so make sure you clear this excuse with your friend first.
Photo by Stokkete on shutterstock
05You lost something earlier
Let’s say you just got dropped off, you managed to slip back into your jammies, and suddenly, your parents caught you in the front yard. What reason do you have to be out there at 1am?
Well, just say you lost something earlier. Perhaps an earring, some cash, anything you can think of that you’d need to find ASAP.
E.g. “I think my charm bracelet slipped off when I came home this evening. I can’t find it anywhere.”
Hopefully, your parents will either tell you to wait until morning, or join in on the search. If they’re excellent detectives and see through your excuse, you’ll be grounded.
This is another one of the excuses to get out of the house you can use if you get caught trying to sneak back in. Just pretend you were looking for the family dog, cat, or whatever pet the family has.
E.g. “I came downstairs and didn’t see Ranger in his crate, and the door was open.”
This excuse will require a bit of prep. You will need to open the door to the crate before you leave as a “just in case”. Your pet will be safe and sound inside the house, and your parents will think you just assumed he got out because the locked crate was open. If by some miracle the pet was by the door or somewhere obvious, your parents might question your story, so be prepared with a counter.
Photo by Jus_Ol on shutterstock
5 excuses to get out of the house when you are grounded
Being grounded sucks. While the rest of the world is out living their lives, you’re stuck at home doing absolutely nothing.
But what if there was a way you could still go out? What if there were fool-proof excuses to get out of the house when you’re grounded?
Here are 5 of the best excuses to get out of the house:
07Study group
Your parents want you to do well in school, so they won’t make you miss out on an opportunity to do extra study. Plus, grounding is supposed to take away the fun stuff, and, in their book, studying isn’t going to be the time of your life.
What they don’t know is that we can make our study group whatever we want. So, if you want to spend time with your boyfriend/girlfriend or friends, call it a study group and you guys can hang out instead.
Here’s what you can say:
“Hey mom/dad, can you take me to my study group at 3?”
The fact that you asked for a ride and they know exactly where you are makes them feel like they’re still in control of the situation.
The only possible problem would be them not seeing anyone else there besides your boyfriend/girlfriend, so make sure you have a few wingmen there, or else you might get grounded even longer and will not be able to stay.
Photo by Monkey Business Images on shutterstock
08Group project
Tell your parents you’re staying late after school for a group assignment or project. You must get your schoolwork done, right?
This is what you can say:
“I’ll be a little late today because I have a group project for history class.”
You don’t need to give them a lot of details unless they’re super invested in your schoolwork. If you don’t have proof of your project when you get home, you might get grounded for longer, so at least have a few things jotted down to make it seem real.
09School supplies at the mall
Want to hang out at the mall with your friends? Just say you need some school supplies for a project. Just make sure you actually come home with stuff, or at the very least, say your groupmate took everything home to get started on it.
E.g. “Can I please have some cash to get some stuff at the mall for my science project?”
When you’re at the mall, don’t forget you might be under surveillance. Go into the supplies store for a few minutes; that way, if your parents ask why you went to the other places, just say your friends needed stuff there too.
Photo by Golubovy on shutterstock
10School event
School events happen throughout the year and parents are notified of them, so you won’t have much proving to do. All you have to do is say that’s where you’ll be, and be there when it’s over to be picked up. You’ll also need to know what went down there, so ask a friend for the rundown in case your parents have questions about how it went. This is what you can say:
“The school fair is this evening. I am wondering if I can go even though I’m technically grounded.”
The only way you can get into trouble is if your parents show up at the event looking for you. The best way around this is to not go too far so you can always sneak in and pretend you were in the bathroom or something.
Photo by Sharkshock on shutterstock
11Prior agreement
We sometimes make prior agreements and are expected to uphold them. For example, if you offered to be a volunteer, take part in a function, or something of that nature, being grounded is a poor excuse for not playing your part.
Your parents are likely to allow you to uphold these agreements under the condition that you go there and come straight home. This is how you can ask:
“Remember I was supposed to volunteer at the soup kitchen this Thursday? Am I still allowed to go?”
We wouldn’t advise you to skip out on important arrangements for trivial reasons like meeting up with friends who you see every day at school. If you don’t show up and your parents find out, you will lose their trust, their respect and will be grounded even longer.
7 excuses to get out of the house when you want to take a break from your partner/spouse
No matter how much you love your partner, they can get on your nerves sometimes. Other times, you just need a break from everyone due to stress or feeling overworked.
Whatever the case, it’s sometimes easier to use excuses to get out of the house instead of being straightforward.
If you need a quick getaway, here are 7 excuses to get out of the house when you want to take a break from your partner/spouse:
12Out for a smoke
If you just need 15 minutes or so, use a smoke break as an excuse if you’re a smoker. It’s a good excuse because you aren’t supposed to smoke indoors and generally when people go out to smoke, they take a few minutes to themselves to just relax .
This is what you can say:
“I’m going outside for a smoke. See you in a sec.”
You should only use this excuse when you’ll still be on the property. If your partner/spouse goes outside and doesn’t see you, then he/she will suspect something is wrong or that you lied.
Photo by Shift Drive on shutterstock
13Work emergency
Working late” is the go-to excuse for cheaters, but you can also use it if you just want to get away from everyone for a few hours without raising suspicion. This can only work if you don’t do it too often and if your job could actually have these types of emergencies.
For instance, if you’re a math teacher, no one will be calling you to come in at 10 pm for a crisis. It’s simply not realistic. However, you can say you’re staying back an hour or two after work to help a student who is struggling with a concept.
This is an example of how you can use a work emergency as an excuse:
“I just got called in to work. I’ll be back before you know it.”
Take this time to actually get away. Do not use it to go to a bar or somewhere public where you can be spotted and caught. You will be in a lot of trouble with your partner/spouse, especially if you get caught hanging out with the opposite sex, so tread carefully.
Use your friends as an excuse to get away from home when things are tense. Even if you and your friends have nothing planned, you can blow off some steam by watching a movie, going out to eat, and doing other self-care activities to get your mind right.
Here’s how you can say it:
“Headed out with the guys/girls tonight. Don’t stay up too late!”
Even if you’re seen out alone, you can say they just left, and move on. There are no real consequences to this unless your partner/spouse doesn’t trust you.
Photo by Monkey Business Images on shutterstock
15Gym
If you work out a lot, you can use the gym as an excuse to get out of the house with no problem in most situations. Just make sure you’re in gym attire, or at least have a gym bag so it looks like you have a change of clothes.
E.g. “It’s leg day. Gonna hit the gym. Be right back.”
The only way you can get caught is if your partner/spouse decides to show up for a workout too and you’re not there. If you’re quick on your feet, you can say you weren’t feeling well and decided to get something to eat or went for a walk instead.
Photo by vladee on shutterstock
16Errands
This excuse is perfect for women since we generally take care of the house and know where to get everything that’s needed. Men are none the wiser.
E.g. “I’m headed out to do a few errands, but I’ll be back by dinner.”
The best thing about this excuse is, even if he sees you out, as long as you’re alone, he’ll have no reason to think you’re up to something. However, you might run into trust issues if you’re meeting the opposite sex.
17Getting beer
This is an excuse that has worked well for guys for quite some time. Men love themselves some beer , and when they’re out, it’s one of the few times they don’t mind going grocery shopping.
Here’s what you can say:
“I’m going to the store to pick up some more beer. Do you need anything?”
If she needs anything, you’ll have to get it. If you come back empty-handed, she will suspect you were up to something else and you’ll end up in the hot seat.
Photo by RossHelen on shutterstock
18Going to the mechanic
This is a great excuse for the guys. It’s not always the case, but women tend to be less interested in cars and can’t tell if something is wrong or not. Use this to your advantage to get out of the house and say you need to take your car into the shop for some reason. This will likely take a few hours and she won’t even be able to tell the difference when you’re back.
E.g. “Getting the TGV valves changed today, I’ll be back in a few hours.”
Use this excuse when you plan to be in a single location. If you are seen driving around, she’ll suspect you were not being truthful.
Conclusion
We all need excuses to get out of the house at some point in our lives, whether we need some space from our parents, our spouses/partners, or just want to go out and have a good time without any interference.
These fool-proof excuses to get out of the house are perfect for the young and old, but be warned that they have consequences, so be prepared to deal with them if the truth is discovered.
