What is a childless homemaker?
Whether you are child-free by choice, trying for children, or just aren’t ready for children yet, you may wonder if being a stay-at-home wife is for you and what you can do with an empty home and no career. In the modern girl-boss era, there is a lot of pressure on women to be in the workforce, especially when there are no children in the home.
If being a homemaker is your calling, you might worry that people will see you as lazy or unproductive. But that’s not true, and you don’t have to give in to the shame that may come your way from judgmental people who don’t know your situation. Being a homemaker or a working woman is all about a woman’s choice and what you and your spouse decide what’s right for you. And there’s nothing wrong with being a house-husband, either!
Just because you don’t have children doesn’t mean you can’t make homemaking your career if you want to invest your time. There are so many ways you can contribute to your marriage and family that don’t involve working outside the home. A marriage is a partnership, after all, and you both have domestic and financial responsibilities to one another and your future children if you are having them. How you choose to divide those duties is completely up to you and your spouse.
If you decide to stay home and handle the domestic duties while your spouse handles the responsibility of working outside the home, there are plenty of productive and enjoyable projects you can do. They contribute to your family, regardless of whether children are part of that family, and they have value. They are functional jobs, and a lot of them can even bring in some extra cash. So let’s explore the things you can do as a childless homemaker.
Learn to cook from scratch
Cooking is extremely valuable; you could devote much of your time to learning how to make homemade meals from scratch. It’s no surprise that obesity-related lifestyle diseases and disorders are on the rise in the West, and convenience food is to blame. Full of preserves and chemicals, yes, it’s easy and quick, but it will ultimately cost you. And when both spouses work, it’s hard to find time or energy to cook at home. This is where being a childless homemaker can be an immense advantage to you and your spouse. And when/if you bring children into your lives, you can involve them and pass on these valuable skills to them.
You can learn how to cook nutritious meals for yourself and your spouse. You don’t have to become a gourmet chef, although you could if you wanted to. Nothing stops you from taking culinary arts classes and creating dishes just for you and your family.
Learn to make pasta, sauces, and even ethnic cuisine.
I taught myself to cook using Pinterest. To help you get started, check out my blog post about kitchen essentials.
Learn to sew
This is my latest hobby, so I am a complete beginner. I’m starting with a kit I got from Amazon, some practice fabric, and lots of YouTube videos. This takes a lot of time and practice, but if you learn to do it, think of the money you’d save just by creating your own clothes instead of shopping at designer stores.
I’ve never been very good at textiles, and I don’t have space in my apartment for a sewing machine. Sewing machines are an expensive investment, and I’m not ready for either, so I’m starting with hand sewing. There was a time in human history before sewing machines existed, and people had to wear clothes back then. Hand sewing is a good place to start. Here is a YouTube video I found on basic stitches.
Learn to weave
You could get yourself a nice loom and learn to weave. You could make beautiful and functional rugs to decorate your home with.
Learn pottery
Pottery can be an expensive hobby to get into, but it has a pretty low learning curve. You can learn how to use a pottery wheel and how to work with clay. Having a home kiln can be pretty expensive, but many cities have pottery places where you can go to get your pieces fired. It can be a great way to get out and be social.
This is another activity that can pay off. Create your own plates, cups, and other functional pieces for your home.
Have a side hustle
Just because you have chosen to focus on domestic duties doesn’t mean you are exclusively barred from earning money. If you have an interest in writing, art, blogging, etc., you could start a side business.
There are far too many people who believe that being a homemaker has to mean that you can never earn money. That’s not true at all.
I am a writer and a blogger. That is my side hustle. Even though my primary job is to be a homemaker, I spend most of my time outside of home management on my side hustle. If you like to write, check out my blog on how fan fiction can help improve your writing.
Learn leatherworks
This is another functional art you could learn. You could make leather belts, wallets, etc., and sell them at art and craft fairs.
Learn to can, dry, and preserve
Preserving food so that it lasts a long time is an important survival skill everyone should know. You never know when disaster may strike. Even a minor natural disaster can affect you. What would you do if the power was out for a few days because of a heavy storm? Do you live in a tornado alley or in a place where hurricanes or earthquakes are common? Having a plan is important.
Preserving food keeps it fresh for months, even years, sometimes.
Gardening
Start a garden. You may end up with far more produce than you and your spouse can consume, so you could sell the excess at your local farmer’s market, use it to barter with other farmers, or even donate it to charity. And imagine the money you’d save on produce!
Foraging
Learn how to forage for wild plants and mushrooms. You should never try to do this without proper research because you want to identify poisonous plants, but just the chance to get out into nature is time well spent.
Learn to make dairy
Learn to make your own butter, cream, yogurt, etc. Butter is pretty easy to do by hand; if you have access to a farm selling raw milk, that’s even better. Raw milk is nutritious. If you live in Southern California, you can check out Knotted Leaf Ranch for some fresh dairy products.
Learn to bake
Learn to bake your own breads and pastries.
Babysit or nanny
Just because you are a childless homemaker doesn’t mean you can’t involve children in your life. If you like children, even if you don’t want or have any of your own, you could offer to babysit, nanny, or even provide homeschooling services for children in your neighborhood. It would be great to bring back the old country teacher and schoolhouse from earlier times.
Volunteer
Volunteer in your community. If you get involved, you can have a positive impact. You could organize beach or park clean-ups, volunteer at homeless shelters, or volunteer at museums.
Care for a pet or livestock
If you don’t want children but still have that maternal drive to take care of something, get a pet—or many pets. Make sure to do your research and understand what it takes to care for your animals. Research the dog breed; they all have different needs, and dogs can be a handful.
That goes for livestock, too, whether it’s some backyard chickens, goats, pigs, or anything else. They all have certain needs, and it’s up to you to provide them.
Make your own cleaning supplies
Learn how to make your own laundry detergent, counter cleaner, dish soap, and more. It will cut down on costs, be better for the environment, and eliminate harsh chemicals that can be hazardous to your health.
Learn to work with wood
Learn how to build or refurbish furniture. You could learn to carve, do woodburning, etc. Check out Rogue’s Hollow if you want to see some beautiful wood decor for your home.
Start a book club
Start a local book club for all the other homemakers in your neighborhood, or you could start one online.
Take a hike
Go out into nature. You should never go out into the wilderness alone, so you could organize a meetup.com group in your local area in order to connect with other nature enthusiasts.
Learn some basic home repair skills
Learn some home maintenance and repairs. If you are a homeowner, it’s inevitable that you’ll run into some need for repairs. Learn what to do about minor plumbing issues, like a clogged drain. Learn how to do minor electrical work. This could save you from having to call a professional or at least help you understand when it’s time to call a professional.
Become a prepper
You could take your preserving and foraging game to the next level and become a full-on prepper. Stock up on canned goods, water, etc. It never hurts to be prepared.
Learn to ferment
Learn to make and maintain a sourdough starter, kefir, or maybe even your own fermented sodas.
Conclusion
There you have it—lots of potential hobbies and skills that you can learn that are fun and relaxing, functional, and a good way to contribute to your marriage if you are a childless homemaker. Remember that you and your spouse are partners, and both have responsibilities. Also, remember that even without children, you are still a family—a family of two.
For further reading, check out my blog on Homemaking skills.
