If you didn't have to work

I've been a stay at home dad for the past 10 1/2 years. Best decision my wife and I could have ever made. I regret nothing. The end of next August things change. For the first time I'll be home but all of my kids will be in school all day. My wife has made it crystal clear that she would rather I keep staying at home, kids or no kids. She loves knowing that if someone gets sick or needs to go to the dentist then I'm there. I drop them off at school and pick them up. She finds it incredibly comforting to be able to go to work and not have to worry at all about anything else for the 8-10 hours that she's there. She honestly believes that my non monetary contributions are more important than the monetary contributions I could make. The fact that she makes 4x what I would make contributes to this.
I'm not asking what you think I should do, I already know that I'm going to spend a year finishing up projects around the house and rebuilding the garage. At the end of that I'll re-evaluate. I'm curious what you fine gentlemen think you would do in a similar situation. You don't have to work, but you still need to tend to the responsibilities of raising a herd of kids. No lavish spending. No reinventing your life on a different continent. Just figuring out how to fill your extra time productively and perhaps giving back something to society. Or not. Either way suits me.

I've been a SAHD for.... 14 years now. I'm also full-time nurse to my Mom now. I'll tell you what I do with my spare time: Sleep.

To be honest, I would probably try to find a small part time thing (like flipping cars or parting cars or something with cars) I could do from home. I think I would get bored at home without projects and if it wasn't something making money I would spend all the money. But I am not a dad so I really have no idea how little time you will have or not.

I have 2 dozens reasons to stay home and finish some of these freaking cars

well just how much free time do you now have every weekday? presumably there's some "stay at home" duties that still occupy some of this time.. .but do yo u have a legitimate 5-6 hours/day now?

In that time I would personally go a little nuts not being able to generate some kind of income but I'd want to adhere to the "available at the drop of a hat" request of the wife... so that would negate most typical part time jobs. I'd want to find some way to generate a hobby/niche business out of the garage or home to support my habit and peak my interests.

i.e. if you're handy with construction, pick up side jobs. If you like turning wrenches, part out a car and/or look for one to flip. etc. Go estate/auction hunting and look for lots to split up and sell (buddy of mine flips tools this way... buys complete boxes via CL and sells wrench sets / socket sets / empty box, etc.

If income is literally a non-issue and you're happy with your race car budget, then i'd look for volunteer opportunities to contribute to a cause that you stand behind, or one that has a positive impact on your community. Put your skills to work for the greater good.

When work got cut for me in my previous employment life (cut from 5 days to 4), I took to wrenching on VW's on the Friday's I now had off. Flipped a couple and made a decent side salary doing what I knew.

93EXCivic wrote: To be honest, I would probably try to find a small part time thing (like flipping cars or parting cars or something with cars) I could do from home. I think I would get bored at home without projects and if it wasn't something making money I would spend all the money. But I am not a dad so I really have no idea how little time you will have or not.

^This

Build a locost?

xflowgolf wrote: well just how much free time do you now have every weekday? presumably there's some "stay at home" duties that still occupy some of this time.. .but do yo u have a legitimate 5-6 hours/day now?

I don't now, but I will. Right now a good day gives me 3 hours to fill, but my youngest is napping during two of those so I'm still limited. Next year I'll have from 8:00 to 3:00. That's going to be the big change. I have two motorcycles to rebuild, a challenge car from $2004 that I need to either finish or send to scrap, and a legitimate years worth of work on the house/garage/yard to do. There will come a time in the next year where I will transition from where I am today, with a decade long backlog of things to do, to having everything done. Oh, and I have to break out the welder and build a go kart too. I promised my 9 year old I would.

Once I had my dozens of little projects finished, I would probably start doing a little bit more eBay selling to support my hobbies. Something like parting cars as 93ex suggested. Nothing reaching an actual business level - that gets to be a j-o-b too fast. Just something involving vehicles that I enjoy and the possibility of making a decent return.

I might even get back into the surplus electronics gig, buying from auctions and reselling at a markup. But at a much lower volume than I used to do. I would keep my focus on the high margin stuff.

In terms of "giving back," I would probably help my friends with their car issues more, and perhaps participate in some Habitat for Humanity builds. As long as I was the one swinging a hammer and not the one managing the volunteers.

Oh, man. If I didn't have to work, I would have so much time. To get work done.

jg

I'd probably have a stab at some sort of niche, hands-on stuff. Bicycle framebuilding or woodworking.

So, stuff I already do or want to do, but with more time to do it

Find a part time job that I could do at home, or start an online business selling some small trinket. Something that I could drop at a moments notice for a week or more without any worry.

Build something cool--car, guitar, boat, whatever.

Play a lot of guitar.

Get in shape.

Become a really, really good chef.

Take a welding class at a community college.

Write a book.

I'd probably go fishing a bit. One of the things I miss most about living in my parents house was I could go fishing before school, or during my lunch break.

mtn wrote: Find a part time job that I could do at home, or start an online business selling some small trinket. Something that I could drop at a moments notice for a week or more without any worry. Build something cool--car, guitar, boat, whatever. Play a lot of guitar. Get in shape. Become a really, really good chef. Take a welding class at a community college. Write a book. I'd probably go fishing a bit. One of the things I miss most about living in my parents house was I could go fishing before school, or during my lunch break.

Interesting list.

I want to build everything you mentioned. And more.

I'm going to play violin more.

I finally get to run consistently.

I already cook pretty damn good (if I do say so myself) but I want to do more baking.

I spent 3 years taking every night welding class I could when my kids were little babies in order to get out of the house just a bit and stay sane. I love welding class.

I have started writing a book twice. Need to get back on that horse.

A lot of us are a lot alike aside from the cars it seems.

I am a SAHD, that really needs a JOB. While the kiddo does go to pre-K 4 days a week, I can't ever get anything done because if it's outside, I get interrupted with having to take the damn dog I don't want out to pee and poop or have to come inside to do some piddly BS crap that could have waited. Can't do anything on F/S/S since the wife works nights. Can't do anything else for consistently being asked either "When are you going to be done." or "What/where are you doing/going?".

Besides that, I would love to knock out PT Cruiser water pumps and timing belts in my spare time in my driveway. Couple days of work for a few hundred bucks including new Mopar parts.

I have the knowledge and equipment to sand-cast aluminum, bronze, and iron. I have a list as long as my leg of things Im CERTAIN I could cast and sell (a vast majority of the items on that list are automotive...)

I would have no trouble busying myself for 30 hours a week between 9am and 4pm with that hobby.

Besides that, Id have one baller-ass mancave garage, on the cheap, possibly financed through the sale of automotive castings.

4cylndrfury wrote: I have the knowledge and equipment to sand-cast aluminum, bronze, and iron. I have a list as long as my leg of things Im CERTAIN I could cast and sell (a vast majority of the items on that list are automotive...) I would have no trouble busying myself for 30 hours a week between 9am and 4pm with that hobby. Besides that, Id have one baller-ass mancave garage, on the cheap, possibly financed through the sale of automotive castings.

Now that's berkeleying cool. How does one go about learning that sort of craft?
I sort of want to build a forge and blacksmith.......stuff.

Maybe see if you could babysit some of the neighbors/friends kiddos now. Make a little money, but don't gouge the hell out of them like mose childcare places do. Keep the number of kiddos to a minimum in order to avoid all the headaches. Sounds like you're good at that. Could make a little money on the side and also afford you what you need as far as being home.

mazdeuce wrote: I'm going to play violin more.

Fiddle. You want to play the fiddle.

I agree with the people who said to teach yourself a craft (woodworking, welding, etc.) and do a bit of that while you're home.

Flipping cars is a big commitment, since if you sell over a certain number a year, you're supposed to have a lot (at least where I live).

You didn't say what your core skillset is, though.

Ask your wife you can work my job, and I will hang out at your house all day.

4cylndrfury wrote: I have the knowledge and equipment to sand-cast aluminum, bronze, and iron.

That's a retirement plan of mine. Anybody here ever do a thread on it?

Very cool btw

Hand lotion, lots of hand lotion....

Well that's what I would do all day anyway.

I've just retired .... haven't done much of anything in the 2 wks since my last day at work ... guess it's time to start lining up the at home jobs ..there's enough here to keep me busy for the next several yrs

I would finish my projects and then buy one last one. Then just drive and maintain. Listen to lots of music. Sleep.

My house would be cleaner...a lot cleaner. And all the little remodeling projects would get finished around here.

Project cars would move along quicker and I'd probably do a much more car flipping to keep with my "cars pay for cars" policy.

If I ever caught up on that project list then finances willing I know my spouse would support buying properties to fix and rent.