When I was not working, one of the things I found I had more of was time. I know that seems like a no-brainer, but it was a bit of a shock to realize what that meant in reality. It meant that I now had either more hours a day in which I could choose what to do. And that meant increasing my home workload.
My husband, on the other hand, had an increase in stress from realizing that the financial support of the family was now entirely on his back, since I was denied unemployment. With my wealth of time, I decided that I would take over some of the tasks I normally wouldn’t have done.
(That is not saying I was sitting around doing nothing otherwise – I finished off long-put-off projects, thoroughly cleaned the house, took over grocery shopping again, and cooked all our meals from scratch. But I still had time left over.)
Giving Back Evenings
It seemed to me that doing some things my husband would normally do was the least I could do for him. It didn’t seem fair that I would be sitting at home during the day, and still expect him to come home after work and work some more. Plus, in some cases it gave us more flexibility. With more hours in which it is possible to perform a task, other factors, such as weather, become less important in getting the task done. Also, as his evening time freed up, he was more relaxed, and weekends became time for family fun.
Learning Skills
I didn’t necessarily have the skills for all things, but I figured I could learn. I decided that the biggest impact I could have was to take over lawn care, of which I knew very little. It didn’t take much to become proficient enough to troubleshoot the tasks (especially with the help of two retired neighbors who laughed when I stalled the mower, but still helped me get it back up and running). By taking over that one task, which only took up two hours, I was able to give my husband an evening or weekend day back.
I also took on little repairs with the help of the internet. I did learn, though, that if things didn’t look exactly like on the video, it would be cheaper to hire someone for the repairs. So the dripping bathtub repair was done by a plumber in 15 minutes, but I handled recaulking the kitchen and replacing a broken electrical switch.
Practicing Rusty Skills
One of the other things I did was resurrect some of the skills my mother had taught me. I pulled out my crochet hooks, knitting needles and sewing machine. I also pulled out my embroidery needles and floss and discovered that I still hate embroidery and am terrible at it to boot. But enjoyment came back with practicing crochet, knitting and sewing.
All of the holiday gifts that year were home-made. I knitted clothes for my daughter’s bears. I sewed a pencil roll for my husband’s art supplies. I made a purse for a good friend of mine. I created gifts for neighbors and friends, putting everything they needed for a batch of soup in a jar.
My daughter has since told me that the things I created that year were the best presents she received.
It’s something to think about. If you suddenly find time on your hands, is there something you can do for someone else that will give them the gift of time?
Articles In The Series:
- Dealing With A Job Loss: Introduction
- Dealing With A Job Loss: Getting Through The First Days
- Dealing with a Job Loss: Cutting Back Expenses
- Dealing With a Job Loss: Home Workload and DIY
- Dealing With A Job Loss: Starting the Job Hunt
If you would like the free e-book of the articles (available now), please visit my store.
