Can you do OS and work full time too?

PasturesNew

I think the concept of working full-time means different things to different people. Some people work round the corner from their home, have a great supermarket next door to that and work only 9-5.

Others will be working 8-6 and travelling in rush-hour traffic 20-30 miles and not passing any great supermarkets on that route. Also, choice and location of supermarkets might be 5-10 miles in different directions. I've even lived somewhere where the nearest Tesco was 20 miles one way (rural roads) and the nearest Asdas were 20 and 25 miles the other way.

When I work full-time I am usually up at 6-6.30 and not home again from work until 6.30-7pm.

Olliebeak

PasturesNew wrote: »

....When I work full-time I am usually up at 6-6.30 and not home again from work until 6.30-7pm.

I have to admit that I really count my blessings that it is so easy for me to 'be in work/on-duty' in my job - especially at THIS time of year. I well remember either standing waiting for buses in the cold/wet/dark mornings or a 2 mile walk at 7.30am (albeit in my much younger days ).

There are drawbacks to working from home (mostly regarding off-duty privacy) but those are another story :rolleyes: .

kittyscarlett

Ollie, I think you know I am in almost the same position ! and I agree... that is one of the plus points of the weekdays. I also have a weekend job though, where I get up at 05.30 -05.45 am, leave the house at 06.30 am, at work and working by 7am, finish at 15.00 and am rarely home before 16.00 and shattered....
so if someone as disorganised and prevarication-inclined as me and working 6 days a week can manage to live mostly OS then I think that anyone can :P

gb57

Nitha wrote: »

Hi I work part time and look after my 11 month old DS. I actually find the weekends the most difficult. Seeing my OH relaxing whilst I'm running around trying to get the housework done is awful. I find the most helpful thing is to write a couple of to dos down every morning. Your aim is to get them done - eg a load of laundry, or cook a lasagne. Don't forget to freeze leftovers too - godsend for lazy days!

I am not sure I read this right?????????? Get the lazy so-and-so to DO HIS SHARE. It is not your sole responsibility, or does he float over the carpet and never eat, or make things dirty?

Jane2112

Hi,
I haven't read all this thread so apolgies if this is repeated. I am new to the OS thingy. I work four days a week and am out the house at 7.30am and back at about 6pm. I have weeks when I do really well at cooking from scratch and baking and weeks when I really cant be ars*d. I always cook more than I need and freeze extra meals. And for me when eldest son (22) clears his plate and says that was great make it again please it gives you a boost.
I hardly ever iron and luckily I have a uniform for work. I hate housework and do the minimum - but the house is clean honest!
I have always enjoyed charity shops and car boots for bargains.

As others have said it is baby steps, just try a couple of recipies and see how you go. Change a couple of branded items for shops own. For cleaning stardrops is a fav on here and it does loads and costs pence!

Good luck, keep checking the forums for loads of good ideas. Be warned it can take over your life.

Sarahsaver

Chaos_Theory wrote: »

I've never worked out how you can do them in slow cooker. I thought you had to have liquid in the slow cooker at all times, but it seems that loads of people don't and no one's died from any explosions!

!!!!! the spuds with a knife no liquid needed;)
makes your house smell yummy ! bonus:D

Olliebeak

I noticed that people have mentioned having one (or two) boxes/baskets for laundry.

I have two swingtop bins (SmartPrice ones) - one cream and one grey with whites/lights going in the cream one and darks in the grey one. These just fit very nicely side-by-side in my landing cupboard.

dgd (age10) was not impressed when she first saw them - 'Eeeeewwwhhhh, Narnie, you put your washing in the bin!' Had to empty one of them out to show her that they were brand new bins with no signs of dirt/grease/rubbish in them! Kids, eh :rolleyes:!!

similar to this one:

Speckled_Egg

Chickadee

Due to personal reasons, I have given up a very demanding job to stay at home albeit temporarily. I, like you, am OS at heart!

All I can say is, what a difference time makes! I am very organised (I'm normally a PA) but it is hard to be OS and hold down a full time job.

I would suggest you work on one thing at a time. Maybe pick the one thing that really bugs you! Give yourself a pat on the back every time you're OS. You don't have to be perfect! Also, could you work part-time? I don't spend nearly as much money as I did when I was working full-time as I have time to think about what I'm doing and what I'm spending. I don't dash out to the sandwich shop on my 10 minute lunch hour(?!) and spend almost £5!!!

Good luck!

Speckled Egg
x

Dazi

Am afraid I am one of the can't-do-os when working full time.

Two summers ago I broke my wrist and although hampered by the fact of having only one usable hand really got into the os way. All meals cooked from scratch, house always clean and tidy. After I went back to work I found it hard to continue, so much so that last March I gave up my job, wanted to find something less stressful and less hours.

Was out of work for 6 months and loved it, if it hadn't been for the money issue would have been happy to stay at home and do my os thing. Started work end of Sept but only afternoons so have been happy with that. But have just done two weeks full time and boy has everything suffered. House is a tip, meals have been hit and miss (luckily OH has been away for most of it, so I have just grabbed a sandwich)

Today I am doing catch up, its now gone 3 and I am still in my pj's but I have done a lot, honest!

So sorry OP, can't help, I can't do full time and OS so I don't have any tips, I really do think that the people who do work full time and OS are stars, I take my hat off to them, I just cant do it!

beemuzed

Pasturesnew - I'm with you here - my FT job involves leaving by 7.30am and I'm rarely home before 7pm, and most evenings I'm totally exhausted!
However, I do menu-plan ( 4 weeks at a time) I do bake most of our bread and I manage to keep up with the washing and ironing. Anything more is a real bonus! I'm retiring next Friday at the end of this term, and am really looking forward to being more OS.