So... I have moved here with the hubby as a dependant - on a non-working "wife visa". Given up the job, have no kids... have no idea what to do with myself all day... cant drive here yet... stuck in the house all day... anyone in a similar situation? If so what keeps you sane? Am already bored with the CSI and Law and Order repeats on TV!

Where in Colorado are you?
Learn to drive.
Get a car.
Open a brothel.

Longmont, the countryside... is hiking and stuff to do but boring on own...

Easy, get ready fot the ski season

Hi

I moved here with out a job and got bored very fast. So I set targets for myself to do things. i.e. by next week I will have finished painting a room etc etc. I also started a walking group for women in my local area, that forced me to get out of the house, I advertised it on craigslist, I have over 20 people that walk every week, we go 3 times a week. I also had a look on Meetups.com to see what groups were in my local area.
I have a little boy now but I still walk and I have started so many hobbies that I would never have done back home, sewing, baking I make sweets every week. I also dug a huge veggie patch in our garden so that helps keep me busy. Also another thing I do is buy second hand things (furniture mostly) fix it up and sell it on Ebay - Craigslist, keeps me busy and gives me a little money so I don't have to rely on my husband all the time.

I find one of the keys is structure. You're lacking the normal 9-6 routine of work or school so you have to build in some things that take place at a normal time and then work around it. This breaks up the day into more manageable segments of time instead of one big onerous 'day'. Schedule a lunch, or get addicted to a specific show you watch each day at a certain time, or write something each day, or take an online class. Do one or two things that are time specific and then build around that.

Second, get out of the house. The house can be this awful life sucker with easy distractions that produce very little. TV, computer, cleaning, etc. You should absolutely learn to drive, and if you have then you should explore. Go to the public library just to read a magazine. You might actually discover 'hey, they have free DVDs of some of my favorite shows in the UK'. Or go to the mall and walk around and look for a sale. Find a couple of roads on a map, or a new grocery store. Explore, discover. It will take your mind off things.

Finally, try to develop a new skill. On my last 'trailing spouse' assignment (my wife and I alternate being the dependent) I developed a few websites that I later ended up selling for 6-figures. Was quite a nice way to spend 7 months stuck in an apartment. The skills I developed then I've put to use in my new job, so it was sort of a double benefit. On my next trip (a few years from now) I'm going to write a novel I've already decided.

In the end, just try to keep a positive outlook. Being bored can lead to being miserable which leads to being depressed which leads to much worse things.

Good luck.

Yeah, make sure you get your Colorado Pass from snow.com.
Be there, or be a tourist paying an arm and a leg.

Isn't there a thing where resorts will let you act as "ambassadors" where you get a free ski pass so long as you hang around on the slopes, answer visitors' questions, and act as an (unpaid) guide? Sounds like a good way to pass the time, keep fit, and go skiing with a different group of people from all over every day. I suppose it depends on the resort's individual management policy, but I have heard of it in Wyoming and BC.

The concensus on these boards seems to be the consumption of large quantities of wine...

abso-bloody-lutely copious amounts darling...*hic*

I've been in this situation for 8 months. Like penguinsix says, establish a sort of routine. I don't care much for US TV, but have a huge collection of radio plays in mp3 format, so I tend to put one of those on in the afternoon, make a cup of tea, a couple of biscuits and settle in for an hour.

Getting out is a good idea. I don't drive, unfortunately, due to my eyesight, so my exploration options are limited to where I can walk or take public transport. The thing is it's so easy to just veg in the house/apartment, getting ready and going out, especially if it's not for any specific purpose, is really hard for me; I'm not one of those people who can just go out and wander about aimlessly, I have to have an errand to run. Also the weather is a factor; it has been in the 100s here the last week, though it's a cool 85 today, thank goodness!

Another problem I find being on my own all day is that when my wife comes home from work, I tend to talk her ear off when all she wants to do is slump in the chair and switch off for half an hour.

Please, please - I hope I find a job soon!

Good luck, and I hope it gets better for you.

I could have wrote this!!! Ive been doing this for 6 months now, and while im not dying just now as have started making friends who we do thinks with at weekends (helps break up the week), i find myself more and more plonking myself in front of telly or computer when I should be out just doing stuff!! I dont drive (am still waiting for hubby to buy me a car), i cant find a job, and awful US tv is somewhat appealing now...I spend most of my life cleaning or going to the supermarket tho!! And I read a hell of a lot, I managed 4 books last week - thank god for the library!!

Hit the local bar for an all-dayer

My day consists of keeping the kids from killing each other; trying to stop myself eating and drinking too much; bloody housework; surfing the net; playing scrabulous on facebook until it was pulled; avoiding doing exercise; drinking starbucks...........

Its been a bit easier for me as I have children, and if nothing else, they force you to adopt a structured day and routine. However, if I was in your position, I would try and get out and do some volunteer work in an area that you enjoy until you find what you really want to do to occupy your time.

Dr Phil, Dr Phil, Dr Phil

Grow a mullet, lose a front tooth, get jiggy with neighbour Dwayne?