What do you do with a stand mixer?

A lot of it's going to depend on how much you cook or bake.

KitchenAid is a good, stable machine. I've had one for almost fifty years (I was nine, and bought it out of my allowance), and I love it.

Depending on the accessories and tools, you can...

• ...mix dough for cookies, breads, pasta, and/or cakes.
  
• ...mix the makings for a meatloaf, meatballs, corned beef hash, or similar.
  
• ...make butter from heavy cream (great for entertaining and teaching kids, plus it tastes great).
  
• ...beat eggs, mix omelettes, or — as a friend of mine states it — Eggs With Stuff In, for omelettes that don't fold properly.
  
• ...mix batter for pancakes, waffles, French toast, or crépes.
  
• ...assemble and combine dry goods for the baking of granola or dog food or the like.

There are also appliance attachments, too, that will allow you to make (extruded) pasta, grind your own meats, slice or julienne vegetables...

If you enjoy cooking and other kitchenly pursuits, you'll love your mixer.

If you're more into crafty things, then let it be known that you can mix dyes in your mixer, or paints (I don't recommend trying to mix house paint), though if you use anything other than natural fibres you won't want to use it to do anything with actual food. For small enough items, you can even dye the fibre itself within the bowl, although I recommend extreme caution doing so. (Dye splatters, and even Kool-Aid stains.) Paste, for the making and repairing of books. Anything that needs stirred, combined, or blended, can be done with your stand mixer.

Plus which, if it's older, it's probably made in the US, with good sturdy steel and aluminum. Those things will last forever if they're well cared for!

I would be a very very sad person without my mixer.