For those of you who don't work.

mackemdave

Left school at 16...started a job immediately and was lucky to stay in employment till I was 56 last year so jumped at opportunity to take early retirement/redundancy in May....

Since then Ive shed 2 stone by going to gym 3/4 a week......able to visit my 80 year old Mum a couple of times a week and generally do things at a leisurely pace...

kingfisherblue

I have three children, one with complex needs. I sometimes just go back to bed for a sleep, as I am up at least four times a night with my son. I often have to take him for appointments.

I also do voluntary work - I run a Brownies and a Rainbows unit, and although these are early evening, there are lots of things to do during the day - planning for the meetings, researching topics/crafts/etc, doing the accounts (not a favourite of mine!), shopping for resources, etc.

I also volunteer at the local community centre and help to run a community group for disabled children and their parents. For the latter, I research funding opportunities and help to write the bids.

I'm a member of the local Carer's Centre and attend a parent's group and parent's forums run by the Centre. I sometimes have massages and I'm on a day trip with them next week.

I play badminton once a week. I'm thinking of going to adult swimming lessons - I could just about make it across the pool as a child, but I'm scared of water and would like to gain confidence and learn to swim properly.

I do some housework, but only because I have to.

I studied part time for a degree - it took me five years, but was worth it!

I take my mum grocery shopping every week. I used to think that I would have lots of time for lunches out, but I don't. We do go occasionally though.

tandraig

oh lets see - I worked for over forty years in temp part time jobs, and now i am a grandma and i dont have time to work! I babysit anything from 48 to 90 hours a week for various parents to work or have a break. yesterday I was too knackered to go see my own mum and had to make do with a phone call! my leisure time is taken up with MSE or my main love - reading!!! I also like cooking and scouting out charity shops for bargains! I used to make cards too - but dont have time since i retired!

sparrer

for everyone who said 'I don't work I'm a SAHM' or similar, you work harder than the rest of us 365 days a year.

Now I'm retired and not as well as I would like, my day goes something like this...

8am get up cos the furpets won't let me lie in any longer than that :mad:
by 9am I'm showered,dressed, breakfasted, bed made
by 11am I've done all the housework I plan to do
pootle off to visit daughter, browse charity shops for present stock, do a bit of food shopping (though I can make a trip to a new supermarket eke out for an hour or more). I try to do all my trips in one go to save petrol, the days I stay home I'm in the garden if it's fine or doing some sewing if it's wet
about 2.30pm spend some time on the lappy doing surveys, comps, browsing for freebies - I call this my 'little job' as they earn me some pennies and pay for at least half of the birthday/Christmas presents I have to buy
by about 3.30pm I've dropped off :rotfl:
4.30/5pm have a cuppa, make & receive phone calls fgrom family and friends
6pm feed furpets, start my dinner
7'ish my dinner
7.30pm East Enders - three evenings a week I'm out with my friends so watch it when I get back in
11pm sort the laundry, get anything out of the freezer I need for the next days meals
11.30pm big wash up, tidy kitchen, put the washing machine on to take advantage of econ 7, wash kitchen floor
12 midnight'ish bed with a cuppa and the lappy on MSE til about 2am :eek:
All interspersed with looking for even more ways to make money, keeping accounts up to date, planning holidays etc etc. Good grief I'm boring! :rotfl:

aaronm_2

I could remember what I had done on those days when I was unemployed. At that time, I was also confused what to do like OP. But after some time, travelling was a good choice which fulfilled my dream of going on a tour round the world.

Then during a day.
Get up at 8 am and take a jogging, then breakfast. I usually watch the news in the morning.
Lunch at 12.30 and then go out with some friends.
Supper comes at 7 pm. Every week I will go to the gym for at least three times.
Life needs change, if you keep leading a life for months, you will feel bored. So if necessay, make some change in your life and make it more colorful.
Enjoy your free life.

diable

I get up late run errands for the GF, chill, do !!!!!! all if I wasn't down with a virus that I can't shake of OI'd be in the gym, swimming, sauna and every second week jumping through hoops to sign on.

Lotus-eater

Yeah, hang on, sparrer's right, being a SAHM (or Dad), I count as a full time job, not being unemployed!

shazrobo

as a sahm to 2 teenage boys with special needs, i use my free time, to do a little bit of housework, then i have some me time, i attend at least 3 craft groups a week when the boys are at school, i visit my mum and have a chat without the boys constantly needing attention, i also have an aromatherapy massage one a fortnight, to help me relax and able to cope
when the boys are off school, itss constant cooking, cleaning, entertaining them, which is very tiring, and makes me appreciate the time they are at school

Mojisola

davidhwdn wrote: »

I'm retired through ill health,i cannot get out by myself and regularly take morphine for pain relief,i am bored stupid,miss my job so much and spend all day either looking at four walls or sleeping.

I'm familiar with this situation although I'm lucky enough not to be in pain like you are. I've got ME and every bit of energy I have gets used up looking after my elderly parents. I've had to stop the few things I did for "me" because their needs are increasing year on year.

If it wasn't for the internet and the library, especially talking books for really bad days, I don't know what I'd do.

You're probably still grieving for the life you've lost and that's natural. It's important to give yourself that space but, after a while, you need to accept your new life and start to see things more positively. My life feels very small compared to my previous one but I do have the time to sit and watch the birds, enjoy every sunny day in the garden whether it's a weekday or a weekend (even if I am laid out flat while I do it) and so on.

Is there a local support group for your health problems? Members of our local ME group get together occasionally for a shared meal and it's good to be among others who understand your condition and accept you as you are.

There's no way I would have described myself as "not working" when I was at home bringing up the children!

luxor4t

I was unable to do any 'proper' paid work when the 3 Luxors were little - mainly due to child care costs cancelling out earnings & Mr Luxor's rugby cancelling out weekends, so I sewed at home & sold through craft fairs.

I volunteered at a playgroup when DS2 was tiny.

I got involved at the kids' school - we were an active PTA, I chaperoned school trips & I became a governor.

I worked hard to get the 'biggest bang from my buck' : cooking from scratch, making things last, using things creatively etc etc & constantly planning.

And once all 3 kids were in school I found a part-time job