Almost 4 years in and I love being a housewife

[msanniee]

I love it. For me it was getting a house so I could mow the lawn, plant flower gardens, and have dogs.

Made sure that the house I bought made housework easy - one story with hard wood floors. Makes cleaning house a snap.

Enjoy.

 

[HI Bill]

- Cooking (we do almost everything "from scratch" and it takes GOBS of time)

Yes, it can!

My wife:

• Makes bbq sauce
• Makes yogurt from milk that's about to expire
• Makes cottage cheese from milk that's about to expire
• Makes bread, kaiser rolls, etc.
• Makes fresh pasta (pasta machine)
• Makes pancake, waffle, and other mixes from scratch
• Makes tan tan (spicy sesame paste) from scratch
• Makes frozen yogurt

...and lots of other stuff. Lately it's been popovers, dutch babies, and eggs benedict.
We have lots of appliances that help speed up the processes (bread machine, Instant pot, air fryer, Philips Pasta machine, Belgian waffle maker, meat grinder, Breville smoker, blenders, food processors, stand mixer, Breville toaster over, Jamba Juice blender.....)

And no, I'm not losing any weight!

 

[SoReadyToRetire]

This was such a cool post to see, because it lets me know I'm not nuts! My trainer asked me the other day what I wanted to do when I retire, and my answer was "Help my sister and my mom clean their houses, and then clean mine." That is something I truly look forward to having time to do.

When you're working the 40+-hour weeks all the time, you tend to put off cleaning as weekends are far too short to spend on stuff like that. But oh, the feeling of having a REALLY clean house/basement/garage--I can't wait!

 

[SpinDoctorTX]

Congrats. I retired before DW and I was the house hubbie for about 6 years. Enjoyed it and did all the cooking, laundry, etc.

My hubby said he would do that too. With his cooking skills- not so much. He can BBQ, but when he tried other things I would get weird questions at work, such as, "when do I put the mushrooms in the chili"?". Ummmmm... good thing that I like to cook!

As for him cleaning, he wanted to let go of our weekly housekeeper. That one was immediately shut down. Our ideas of clean & sanitized never did mesh, & apparently, many things escaped his attention. I won't even speak to the laundry.

I don't mind cleaning & I don't exactly have a schedule, but I clean a room or two most days & the house is clean all of the time. I too like to grocery shop now that I don't have to rush (or shop during busy times). Cooking is still a pleasure.

 

[SpinDoctorTX]

I don't mind cooking, shopping and laundry and most of the cleaning ( DH helps when his health allows and I don't even mind cleaning the bathrooms) but I HATE dusting. I think it is because it makes me sneeze and cough and also requires a lot of bending and hurts my knees/back. I hate to hire a housekeeper just to dust. For any of you who are good housekeepers, any ideas to help me with the dusting? The house is small and not very cluttered so I really don't know why it is a problem for me.

I like the swiffer 360 dusters for surface maintenance between deep dustings (only 4 x/ year). You can get a long and short wand (I use both). I can dust my entire house (2200 SF) in 1-2 hours.

 

[Steeler75]

Congrats. I retired before DW and I was the house hubbie for about 6 years. Enjoyed it and did all the cooking, laundry, etc.

+1

Retired last November and took on the house responsibilities since my better half still has 3 years to go until RE. I like shopping for fresh ingredients and being at the grocery store with no lines. Love cooking so really enjoy having the time to kick it up a notch with gourmet meals during the week.

Not sure how she did it all before and worked full time for all these years... I need a vacation!

 

[athena53]

I've been retired 5 years and in my current house for 4. I've got a cleaning routine that keeps the place respectable but doesn't take much time. I'm starting to enjoy the garden now that I've gotten the weeds under control (sort of) and am adding plants I've chosen. Yesterday I actually did that thing where you tie the leaves of the spent daffodils into neat little clumps. I'm also making dinner for the guy I'm dating on weekends; my late husband used to do all the cooking and meal planning. Last night I brought out different placemats and used some of the Waterford crystal that had been in boxes forever.

I'm glad I had my career, which certainly enabled the life I have now, but I'm glad it's over. Last month I was at the Hilton O'Hare with my 5-year old granddaughter. It was full of business types- networking, checking their email, heading off to Powerpoint presentations in windowless conference rooms. I was having breakfast with a 5-year old very excited about going to visit the Aquarium. Definitely a shift in priorities!

 

[SpinDoctorTX]

I'm glad I had my career, which certainly enabled the life I have now, but I'm glad it's over

My feelings exactly!

 

[daylatedollarshort]

I spend more time trying to cook healthy food from scratch these days. I went to an Asian market and bought purple yams which are one of the Blue Zone Okinawan diet staples and steamed them for dinner tonight, along with a big stir fry and some healthy side dishes. We've enjoyed retiring early now we're trying to stay healthy and enjoy it further. I wish I had the same motivation for house cleaning.

 

[elisap]

Congrats on enjoying it!
Like my college roommate used to say, "whatever floats your boat!"

I think there is something wrong with me. I'm missing Molly Maid and Betty Crocker gene. I struggle through both but of the two I prefer cooking, good thing DH cleans up afterward, most times and when I worked we hired someone to clean. I was much better at making a paycheck and coming home to a clean house.

 

[Midpack]

DW would tell you I was a good wife (and personal chef) over the past 7 years while I was retired and she was still working. I did all the cooking, laundry and shopping/errands. Now we’re both retired, we’re still figuring our our “new” roles but I expect to keep some wifely duties...

 

[ugeauxgirl]

I've always enjoyed cooking, but until recently I disliked housework. Now I don't mind when I'm not in a hurry or tired. But I'm still working so that doesn't happen often. I can't wait to see how I feel about it a year from now!

 

[EastWest Gal]

Cleaning: For dusting, swiffer type duster on a long handle does wonders. Also, for surfaces that can handle a little dampness, a slightly dampened microfiber cloth is quite effective.

There are stories of nuns and monks cleaning floors with small brushes. Once in a great while, cleaning our tile floor this way has its rewards. Only in retirement have I had the patience to do this task, and I took a week to do it-2 hours in the early morning while listening to music or audio books. Tedious chores like these are something I look forward to due to listening with wireless earbuds.

Cooking: I was always interested in cooking. I bought an Indian cookbook in my 20s and learned many dishes-made my own garam masala, including roasting the spices. More recently, I’ve enjoyed Ethiopian cuisine and made my own berbere spice mix. I frequently do such dishes in the morning and reheat whenever we choose to eat.

With sous vide, pasteurizing eggs to make my own pure olive oil mayonnaise and making my own yogurt is a cinch. The Indian and Ethiopian foods are much easier in an Instant Pot, as are many other dishes.

Also, I’m going back on the Keto diet as of today, and controlling what you cook with and how you cook is really important for it to be healthy and to be successful.

In my previous retirement attempts, and this final one, one of the greatest pleasures is having the time, to take care of one’s personal well-being.

 

[Scuba]

I love cooking and grocery shopping, but hate cleaning. Our housekeeper comes every two weeks. This would be one of the last expenses I would eliminate if times got tough.