How to Save Money by House Sitting
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It is with an ounce of reluctance that I inform you of how I managed to save $3000 in two months. I mention the word 'reluctance' because now I might be battling you when I apply for house sits.I have been house sitting for two months now. I am living like a gypsy and I am loving it! Previously I was renting a small flat in Paddington (Brisbane) for $375 per week. Now, I apply for house sits and look after people's animals, homes and plants whilst they are away on business trips and holidays. In the past two months I have looked after a mansion on the Brisbane River, an architecturally designed home in Cashmere, another beautiful home in Karana Downs with the most amazing kitchen I have ever seen and a quaint little house equipped with a heated spa which I will be testing out tonight. I have fallen in complete love with every single animal I have looked after which is by far the hardest thing – leaving them when the owner returns. In the next month I will be venturing down to Bangalow to look after an old Labrador and spend some time relaxing in a beautiful little town for 3 weeks.
I am now a member of two different websites –
Trustedhousesitter and
Mindahome . In the next 12 months I am booked to house sit for 5 months with three different owners on multiple occasions so I am building quite the customer base. To be honest with you, the membership fee to sign up for these websites was the best money I have ever spent.
When setting up your account, particular attention needs to go into creating your profile. The more complete and comprehensive your profile is, the better the chance you have for being accepted to house sit. You will need to obtain a police check and get a list of character references to complete your profile. Another important thing is your response rate. Emailing the home owners as soon as the advertisement appears looking for a house sitter has been the reason why I have received so many house sits. My age is one factor that goes against me (being 30 years of age), but I always offer to meet the home owners before we commit to anything. And often I have been told that I was the first one to email so they thought they would check me out first.
The home owners I have met have all been incredibly lovely and very welcoming. Because of this, I have felt at ease on every house sit and felt as if I was in my own home for the duration.
My plan is to continue on this journey house sitting around Brisbane to save money for the foreseeable future. One day very soon I hope to apply for house sits overseas.
Trustedhousesitter is an international website. I often long over the house sits available in Italy, France and the rest of the world.
I highly recommend this an option if you are looking to save some money, love looking after animals and enjoy a frequent change of scenery.
Mindahome costs $49 annually for house sitters and is free for home owners. Trustedhousesitters offers monthly plans, or you can pay an annual fee of $89.98.
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108207 - 2023-06-12 13:35:53