SAHM/Homemakers - What do you do all day?

[Fruem]

Those who choose to be a SAHM/homemaker, who don’t ‘have’ to work, what do you do all day?!

I’m talking the SAHM’s who don’t work from home. Who don’t have to look after the kids all day etc.

If you’ve done cleaning/washing/shopping etc. How do you fill your day?

Surprised at the number of people who say meet with friends... maybe it depends on the ages of your kids but my friends have mostly gone back to (office based) work -whether full or-part time.

Most of my friends work part time. So I obviously arrange to meet with them on days when they aren't working!

I used to work full time. Most of my wage went on childcare, the house was a disaster, the washing never got done, the weekends were spent catching up.

We can afford for me to be at home, and it improves everyone’s quality of life. It’s a no brainer. I do appreciate we’re very lucky to have the choice.

I have friends who work shifts, friends who are self employed and determine their own hours, friends who are SAHM’s, friends who may be on annual leave and are free for a catch up... it’s by no means a daily occurrence but does happen.

My hubby is a SAHD to school aged DD. He does school runs, morning dishes, a bit of cleaning DIY (fixing guttering this week) and his hobbies - painting, photography, walking, etc. I know cos I work from home and I can see what he gets up to!

Only one of my friends works. And that from home so she can choose her hours.

I'll meet up once a week for a coffee but don't have enough time to get what I need to done, I'd love to be able to go to the gym or read!

Nap, gym, cook extravagant meals, shop, lunch with DH who is usually finished work by 1.

Would love my own money making venture, but I'm not actually good at anything lol

Why didn't I find a high earning husband?

Not meant in a goady way just wish I'd chosen better as due to a crap ex I had to go bk to work when my dd was one.
At least now I work part time.

My husband isn't high earning. We go without a lot of things and he works long hours 6 days a week so I can stay home.

My dh isn’t high earning either. He earns £17.5k. We do get high rate dla and tax credits though - because our son is severely disabled - so it takes our income up to about £37k. Dh and I need me to be at home to function well as a family / manage ds care needs etc etc. Not everyone who stays at home does so because they have a high earning dh.

REdjellybean - suspect you've had the answer already from other posters, but here's my twopence worth. No, I don't feel guilty. Firstly, because everyone benefits from my being at home - better exam grades and opportunities for the kids, better home environment and food, my parents more cared for, and I'm calmer, happier and healthier. Secondly, my husband is freer to devote himself to his career, which still brings him excitement and satisfied ambition (whereas I'd run my gamut on mine and was happy to go). Thirdly, because of all my work and income earned, I made a massive contribution to our joint finances and future security, and I still have my own income, savings and have built up a good pension. And finally, because I am too old and too wise to give myself a hard time on that or anything else any more!

Go for a run
Walk the dogs
Volunteer at primary school
Go to the supermarket
Prep dinner
Watch tv
Pop into town

Leave home at 2:15pm to collect children from school then do all the afternoon activities/homework

Walk the dog
Tidy up
Crafting classes
Exercise classes
Coffee with friends
Cooking
Shopping
Watching tv
Listening to podcasts
Learning languages, touch typing
Fixing stuff
Gardening

I am never bored, we can afford it....dh is able to pursue his career without restriction - he's away most of this week and even when he's home during the week he's up at 5am and home at 9.00pm.

I never found happiness in my work, so this arrangement works well for all of us.

And I don't feel guilty or the need to prove how busy or productive I am.

When people ask this question and they often do, I tell them I spend all day drinking coffee and lunching!

I’ve been on mat leave for just over a year now. Throughout that time DC1 went to a childminder 2/3 days a week & when he started pre school in Sept I have the childminder pick him up & keep him till 6 for two days largely so I don’t lose my place when I go back to work (pt). My mum & inlaws often take DC2 for a day or 2 (much appreciated) so I have some time too myself.
There is a huge difference between a school day vs a nursery day. 3.30 comes around so quickly. Plus the school run can take an age, some of my friends do 45 mins twice a day.

I think i’m lazy, I try & gym twice a week, meet for coffee twice a week. Barely clean, cook & house is a tip!

I look after my children and do all the things a working mother is paying her nursery/nanny etc to do. Do you suppose that once dropped off at nursery the children are left in a room to fend for themselves all day?

I don’t think SAHPs would have an abundance of free time

It's true.

I get home from school run at 9 and have a quick coffee...tidy up the breakfast stuff, load dishwasher, put on some washing, general tidying.

10am...do the food shop. By the time I get there, shop, get home and unpack it's 11.30.

Hang up washing...run hoover around.

12....have a quick lunch and maybe prepare dinner for later.

By then it's 1pm...I've got two hours left. Every week, I have to clean both bathrooms a few times, change all the bed sheets, dust, tidy and organise playroom, clean kitchen floor, polish, clean windows, clean bedrooms, iron and put washing away.

There's definitely not a lot of spare time.

So envious! I am working almost full time and have 2 children, one with a disability.

I’m actually a WAHM during school hours but happily I am able to arrange my own hours as long as the work is done - so if I sacrifice an evening, say 7-12, I can have a day, averaging 9.30-2.30, off all to myself. I tend to do this at least once a week, and I will also often try to arrange for the DC to go to a friends for tea etc on that day if I can to extend the day for me (I reciprocate and often have several friends and general hangers on at my dining table of an evening!)

I’m on this thread to agree that the school day is a short one - in the first couple of pages, the person who was going to have a coffee, meet a friend for a swim, have lunch out, go home, read then watch a film? That wouldn’t happen often. Not enough time to do all those things. With one at primary, one at secondary, the older ones needs to be up and out by 7.50am but the younger ones do not go into school until 9am. By the time you’ve walked back, you have been dispatching children to school for 1.5 hours. The older kids day then finishes at 2.45pm. These are short days which do not leave time for doing all that much or going any distance.

Haven't rtft yet...

I do so much, am never ever bored.

There aren't enough hours in the day for me but I do suffer with OCD amongst other things so appreciate that my routine is quite possibly extreme.
Clean, shop, sleep, visit people, volunteer...

Lather, rinse, repeat.

It irtitates me that some people are so limited they cannot imagine a grown arse woman is able to manage her own life without direction from an employer.

This is such a gf topic of conversation.

IWanna- totally agree!

I would absolutely hate to have to go to work under my current circumstances and have no problem filling my time.

Some people just live to work.

This thread has certainly given me food for thought this morning. I'm quite envious reading through some of these responses, which surprised me. I'd really like to have more leisure time during the day - I think it would do my mental health the world of good!

But at the same time, I enjoy my job very much and would miss it (and my identity) if I gave it up completely. I'm not sure how I'd cope with doing 100% of the childcare either, I'm not sure I'm well suited to that role. And financially we'd be worse off without my income, although we'd manage. We both earn about the same amount although we've had periods of living off just one income (DP took a six month sabbatical) which was fine - we'd just have to be more conscious of our outgoings.

Not sure why I'm spending so long thinking about this, maybe I just need to take a few days off work for some me-time, I'm not really considering a dramatic lifestyle change!

Whatever i feel like doing! I dont feel the need to constantly be cleaning/ tidying up. Im a SAHM because i have 2 children to look after. Sometimes im doing activities with them, sometimes i just stick the TV on and we cuddle up and watch it (for about 2 mins until they decide to get every single toy they own out ) when my youngest goes for a nap i usually stick netflix or something on and fold up all the washing. Not very exciting but never mind lol. I wish i had some friends close by but i moved away and havent i do take my youngest to a toddler group when my oldest is in school but its not the same, everyone knows each other already. I sometimes go and see my family in the week too.

I'm not a SAHM, but I do work part-time. I have no trouble filling my non-working days. If I was a SAHM, I'm sure I would find plenty to do! I would hope the house would be cleaner and more organised though.