How many hours in day??

While back we got to doing the sums and checking over the finances. Same time a largish contract job I have gets pushed back from January to April next year. This means I wont get paid until probably July:eek: . Ssssscreeech. Instant halt on the family budget...more sums... We will be OK just Dad's new shed goes down the toilet along with the new fence and retaining wall.

So I gets to talking to SWMBO and (like most people who run their own business) we decide we need some supplementary income, something to keep us from digging into savings. I decide to look for some work that has nothing to do with ships, engineering or computers (my current line of work). Something where I can be constructive, get my hands dirty and hopefully feel the sun on my back. (and also to get me out of the house and away from the whip;) )

Before I've even had the chance to put out some feelers friends talk me into putting in their new kitchen. No worries I say:D . Well I currently have the kitchen half in, now doing the skirting boards, bogging all the walls and painting, french doors out the back sanding and oiling, doing the laundry, plumbing, plastering, tiling:D . They now want a new timber framed kitchen window, new rangehood, rip up the floor and in with some yellow tongue etc etc etc. Well it keeps me out of trouble.

Then a Mate rings and needs a hand/days work on Sunday driving the forklift at the markets, meatball work but its good dough. Another call today got a couple of days work doing retaining walls starting tomorrow (at 5am). Lady friend of friends with kitchen comes over and now wants her kitchen done:D . Hang on I still have my real job!...client faxes through another purchase order for for an extension of my current contract for more work next week:confused: .

Mate at market calls back tonight and asks if I can fill in the Sundays for a couple more weeks until his regular gets back on deck.

Jeez.. all I wanted to do was feel the sun on me back and put some dosh aside for the save Squizzy's shed fund......mutter mutter...might head off to Centrelink give this dole bludging a shot..

Oh yeah, friend with commercial workshop rang today. He has bought all the materials and wants to know when I can come down and build all his shelving in the shop stock room????. I like my weekends for wood salvage expeditions.

I must be too cheap... I heard thats its really hard to get a real job..I sure could use one. Has anybody seen my family??

Cheers

look on the bright side squizzy

a) you aren't going to get bored
b) the knowledge that your skills mean that your family will never starve gives you more confidence in every aspect of your life. I suspect that negotiating contracts with other people suddenly becomes a lot less stressful because you know that worst case you can just walk away from any terms and conditions you don't like - you're suddenly the one with the power. enjoy it :)

um, I could use some help too Squizz. I want to build an internal wall to keep the noise of people downstairs away from me. oh yeah and a shelf :)

Maybe I can pay you some money? or if you like I will visit your family for you instead, and tell them how great you are doing :)

Have you considered getting a "Three Phone" so you can almost kinda see you family all the time, even when you are helping people out? maybe a good solution.

Hope all goes well for ya mate, good luck.

Squizzy has just reminded us that we have more options than the common belief of "I must stay in my current job and become stressed but well paid or I can resign and be on social benefits for the rest of my life and be depressed."

There are other alternatives and just realising that fact can make life at work less stressful. You can take on more an attitude of “you need me more than I need you, I can easily find alternate sources of income but perhaps you will have trouble replacing me”.

This is good therapy for work related stress.

Thanks for the reminder Squizzy, I feel better already.

Squizzy mate,
If you reckon you're busy now, wait 'til you retire!
Seriously, since I retired earlier this year I've never been busier. The time in the workshop flies past, SWMBO has lots of things for me to do, my neighbour (also retired and making rocking horses) is also flat out, so give him a hand...how did I ever find time to go to work?

Oh, and the people who made me redundant a couple of months ago are talking about getting me back as a consultant...reckon they'll pay through the nose for that!

ooohhhh...some muscles that haven't been used in awhile are letting me know they are still there. I got the sun...Burn:( . Well somebody has to make the mud and push the barra when the boy doesn't turn up!

Mr Benny, friends with kitchen told SWMBO if they want to know how I'm going just call them:) . Oh and your wall, I'll give you the name of a good builder no worries;) .

Actually I think I broke the de-railing record. My original post was supposed to be along the lines of hey, there's plenty of work out there if your prepared to work hard in not the best conditions, but I de-railed before I railed or something:confused: . Point wasn't to have a crack at the unemployed just to say something....ah...what Woodborer said:D .

AlexS - Make em pay mate thats exactly what my real job is contracting back to the mob I used to work for:D .

Cheers I'm back to the kitchen tomorrow. The Retaining wall bloke was so amused with my incompetence today hes going to get me back again, seems I keep the team amused (bloody whipersnappers).

Oh..and lastly I got some bad news today... :( have to go to Real Work on Friday. All this work is just leading up to full time production in retirement it seems.:rolleyes:

Its not that bad Squizzy - you've still got enough time and read and post to this forum! :)

I must be too cheap... I heard thats its really hard to get a real job..I sure could use one. Has anybody seen my family??

Cheers[/QUOTE]
Squizzy,

I don't reckon that you are cheap mate, you are just a good bloke that everyone wants to have around.

I wish someone would offer me "paid work", I am always asked to do something for someone, but "Just to help you fill in a bit of time" they say. "Can't pay you they say" and then when I knock them back they go out and pay someone else $40 an hour.

Have a bit of a rest, life is short.

Peter R.

There's an old saying "If you want something done get a busy person to do it"
Thats probably coz most of them that aren't busy yap yap rather than make sawdust!!

So Welcome to the Busy Achievers Club.
At least we get things done!

Well its all happening. I finished the kitchen and me mates stock room. In the kitchen reno I knocked out an old timber window and fitted a lovely piece of Tas Oak in as a big ledge. The Aluminium window guy who came to instal the new window was so impressed he wanted me to do rip-outs three days a week....I said get in the line mate!. I apparently have a gift for cutting stone that has seen me in constant demand (too much) and I got some real sun on me back.

The limestone wall guys put me on the trowel for about 1/2 hour and then had a look at my handiwork...they told me to get back in the excavator or Bobcat and stay there..."Only come out when we need some stones cut" I was told:o . (Make note to self - to get some mudwork tips offa Al). Anyway its all going so well the current job we are doing is actually mine:D woooHoo mine mine mine...cept I don't get paid for this one:confused: . Squizzy's new shed might get there yet:D

Cut to the chase: I'm booked up to the end of Feb with retaining wall work, I have two new RFQ's sitting on my desk for about 2 months work and I'm knocking back other work left right and centre.

Anybody who says there is no work around needs to have a look at the building or construction game. A mug can push a wheelbarrow 4 days a week and earn twice the dole...It ain't hollywood but hey...I've lost 4 kilo's:)

Cheers

If you can really cut stone there's good money in that too. Of course, unlike 'real' brickies, they don't go surfing/drinking if 4 drops of water hit a double spread Sydney Morning Herald.

As for Woodborer's comment way back - I got stressed & they pensioned me off.

I can remember a couple of brickies years ago.
Start work at 7am. Come 10am head off to the pub for morning tea.
See them tomorrow at 7am.

Hey Sqizz, maybe u wanna swap jobs...?


I am in the same boat, wondering if a ewll paid but sometimes stressful and essentaily dead end job is worth chucking in and doing woodwork and buildiong that up whilst risking the mortgage and revenge of SWMBO.

So the conundrum continues.

regards
john

John,

This problem is continually being churned over in my mind every day. Some of my thoughts are:

What’s the worse thing that can happen? – Eat snags rather than eye fillet steak.

What’s the best outcome? Be able to do fine woodwork for a comfortable and enjoyable living.

What’s the most likely? T bone steaks, a few nails and screws but some good work. Probably retire a bit later but what the heck.

Is there an escape route if I resign and take on something associated with woodwork but it doesn’t pull in sufficient income? – Most likely.

What income do we need? We think we could easily live on about a third of what I am earning now, but could we? With all the tax breaks business people brag about plus splitting the income with SWMBO, I probably don’t need to earn heaps anyway.

How could I adjust to making mediocre things below my current personal standard? For example most things I make I avoid nails and screws and I use dovetails and mortise and tenons with close fitting joints. Could I adapt to making things trade quality (nails, screws gaps filled with bog)? I am not knocking tradies, but the public aren’t prepared to pay the extra for jobs well done.

Finances – Well the mortgage has been paid off so I would probably have to spend about $2000 on trade type tools (LN planes and saws and expensive chisels probably wouldn’t be good for carting around) and a van.

When am going to do it? My new shed hasn’t begun yet so perhaps hang around work for another couple of years to get the shed built and paid for plus in that time I could buy my trade type tools and a van. In that way, I would be starting out owing nothing except for the cost of a business if I bought one.

That’s my current thinking at the moment. If I crack it at work and resign earlier, I am sure I could survive.

Hey Woodborer
At 48 you are starting to get to a stage in life where if you don't move soon inertia will overcome any effort that you may put into change.
Go for the gold. You can afford to do it; you want to do it; so do it.
You can still make your good stuff on the side. If that sells then you could possibly start to make more of the good stuff and less of the poorer stuff until you are only making good stuff. :)

I look upon my job as a way of earning money that enables me to do the things that I want to do rather than the things that I have to do.

An esteemed colleague once said to me a job must be "ethical, profitable and enjoyable" . I value this philosophy but reckon its up to the individual to prioritise those three.

I find as I get older its more important to acheive something tangible and constructive. I like to finish the day and see something real for my efforts, not a pile of paper or an updated database. I need the touchy feely thing....:D and yes I can't keep my hands of a piece of freshly dressed timber.

I like building the limestone walls because they will probably still be there in a 100 years time. I like the ideas that my Grandkids might be able to say "look, Grandad built that"

FWIW

Cheers