I've been furloughed until March! Kids aren't at home. What now?!

[MrsMiaWallis]

I've just found out I've been furloughed until March.

Two kids at uni and one at boarding school (this has all happened in the last month, dc bursary kid at local independent, wasn't supposed to board but due to covid he has been offered a full boarding place as the day option would mean he couldn't do the thing he went there for - music).

So I have the weird feeling of having nothing to do with my life until March!

Any ideas on what a 54 year old woman can do with her life until then?!

Might sound odd, but I suggest taking up yoga and/Pilates.
Either join an online starter class or try some you tube videos.
It will help you relax and be more present.

Enjoy it, sounds like you have earned it.

@AnyFucker

Indeed.

I wouldn't wish redundancy on anyone but speaking as a frontline NHS professional going into the hell of the 2nd wave do be careful your diamond shoes don't get too tight.

Fuck me, @AnyFucker that's really nasty, and really not necessary.

If people are furloughed on full pay they can get another job and earn extra, really?

Volunteering?

Midwife

Do hospital driving or red cross volunteering settling people back home after a hospital stay. Seriously you need structure, goals and something social even if necessarily online.

@Marcelduchamp

Must be nice. When people are grafting their arses off. Be a bit more sensitive op.

I was just thinking today the extension of the furlough schemes hole great in many ways is definitely going to create some resenment. I'm not saying it's right but we're all paying for this and while loads of people have had a nice holiday many people are working harder than ever.

Why the fuck should she have to be 'a bit more sensitive'?

The OP has a very specific issue, and she's asking for help about it. Why on earth shoudn't she? Just because she's not in the same kind of role as other people doesn't mean she can't ask for help.

See if there’s some volunteering that you can do that utilises your finance skills.
You can offer support in an area that other people often find difficult, and if you are made redundant then it’s a good thing to go on your ‘what did you do during your time on furlough’ gap.
I’m jealous, I often fantasise about getting made redundant and taking a year out of paid workforce to volunteer. I used to be in finance (have moved away now) but always thought I might be of some use at a credit union or something.

You'd be in such demand as a volunteer with finance skills! You could mentor a charity, teach life skills, listen to kids read online, become a school governor, etc etc etc.

It's great that you know it's 6 months rather than a month rolling.

Think forward to March - what do you want to be able to say you've done? New habits, skills, one-off projects? Stuff uou6want to do next year that needs to be planned?

Find a new job? What was u doing

Get a side hustle. Start an eBay account and sell the junk in the loft.

May I ask what you do for them to furlough for so long?

Omg jealous!!!!! Do whatever the fuck you want, paint, be a stoner, read a load of books? Look for a new job? 🤷🏻‍♀️

Some of these suggestions - Netflix, bake, read, have long baths...

Then what do you after the first day? I think some people are forgetting that months without anything to do is very different from a week off work to get some downtime. I would actually hate to be furloughed for more than a few weeks and I say that as someone who went from part-time to working 50+ hours a week between July - Oct.

I'd need proper structure to my day and some set rules - out of bed by 8am, exercise every morning, eat proper meals, no wine before 6pm...

Where the husband? Also the oldest be home soon and prob not return in Jan anyways as it's all online

Print out and put all your photos in albums. There is literally never a better time!

Enjoy your time off 😀

Stick my head in a gas oven.

Seriously.

Hi, I’m just wondering if there are places to volunteer at the moment or what I could possibly do. I am visually impaired, and have some other difficulties as well, and I’m really really struggling right now. This whole year has been hard for me. I have tried to find some volunteering, but no worries taking volunteers. Even with languages, I speak many, but I don’t know what to do. And I’m really stuck.

Oh also some schools really require finance type people to fill governor roles, might be good for you.

• Get a puppy
• Couch to 5k
• Volunteer in a community garden
• Start a business

@Sheknowsaboutme

Stick my head in a gas oven.

Seriously.

I'm electric only, but I know what you mean.

@MrsMiaWallis

I'd use this time as 'practice' for being retired. It's all very well saying that you want to travel when you retire, but you won't be able to do that all the time, and you'll need to have something else to fill in your time.

But apart from that, the first thing I'd say is - stop setting your alarm clock! Being freed from its tyranny is marvellous.

Take time each day to sit down and read the paper. If you don't get a paper usually, arrange to have one (or two) delivered to you each day. Just enjoy sitting with a cup of tea/coffee and reading the paper at leisure, with no other call on your time.

Then decide what kind of exercise you want to do - you have a dog, so presumably there's a walk every day - but what about introducing some running? Or doing some yoga/pilates at home?

And then there's cooking. Take the time to go through all the cook books I'm sure you must have, and find something to cook you've never made before. Having the time to do this, when you're not working full time, is fab!

(Can you tell I've just retired?!)

Do you not have hobbies. I retired, I dont go traveling, not interested in that. I knit,sew,read,garden,cook from scratch,excersise, have 2 dogs,help out elderly neighbours at the moment.Some days I dont stop to breath hardly.I always worked went back when my DKs were 3 months old, sometimes 60 hours a week.I was off sick once after magor abdo surgery for 3 months, my youngest Ds said I would go insane, I bloody loved it!

@MrsMiaWallis its something my mum said and I always pointed the fact out to her😂

I did 6 months in the summer. Mostly it was awful.
Stick as close as possible to your normal routine. Having nothing to get up for is soul destroying.

Get out of the house everyday.
Be prepared for lots of negative comments.

Get fit
Volunteer
Take an online course in something you're passionate about or something brand new/creative?

Enjoy it and scroll past the negative comments.

Learn an instrument!

Or a language!

Babbel is really great and I'm sure you'll be able to pick up some discounted instruments in the Black Friday Sales!