Today, I’m sharing a fantastic story from Brittnay and Jayden, professional house sitters who have saved over $5,000 by house sitting. They also offer a course on how to become a house sitter. Enjoy!
We are Brittnay and Jayden, full-time travelers from Australia and New Zealand. We saved over $5,000 in just three months while living in one of Europe’s priciest cities. Here’s how we did it.
We met in the Australian Alps and quickly bonded over our love for travel. Initially, we planned a trip to South America, but a spontaneous decision led us to book $300 AUD flights to London instead. After securing our UK work visas, we spent two thrilling years in London, visiting over 21 countries across Europe and Africa.
As our UK visas were nearing expiration, we decided to move to Dublin, despite its reputation as one of Europe’s most expensive cities. The high rental prices shocked us, but we remembered our previous house sitting experience and decided to give it a try in Dublin. After extensive research and applications, we landed our first house sitting job via Skype.
Four months and four house sits later, we had saved over $5,000. Here’s a breakdown of how we did it:
**Rent:** By house sitting, we saved $1,450 per month on rent, totaling $4,350 over three months. This allowed us to save most of our wages for future travel plans, like purchasing a campervan.
**Transportation:** One of our house sits included access to a car, saving us $124 per week on public transport. This added up to $496 in savings over a month.
**Bills:** We avoided utility and internet bills, saving us around $85 per month, or $255 over three months.
**Household Goods:** We didn’t need to buy household items like cleaning supplies, which saved us about $35 per month, totaling $105 over three months.
**Our Favorite House Sitting Jobs:**
1. **Finsbury Park, London:** Our first house sit was close to home, looking after a kitten named Arya in a lovely apartment overlooking Finsbury Park.
2. **Country Home in Enfield:** We stayed in a beautiful, secluded cottage and looked after two Siamese cats, two Scottish terriers, and two chickens.
3. **Bullocks Harbour, Dublin:** We looked after an eight-bedroom estate and an older lab named Roxy in one of Dublin’s most affluent suburbs.
4. **Killiney, Dublin:** This house won Ireland’s most beautiful home award. We cared for two long-haired chihuahuas, Bruno and Lance, and two other dogs.
5. **Inner City, Dublin:** We looked after two relaxed cats in a smaller home, conveniently located 20 minutes from Dublin’s city center.
**How You Can Become a House Sitter:**
1. **Sign Up for House Sitting Sites:** We recommend Trusted House Sitters and Nomador. Both charge a yearly fee but are worth it.
2. **Get Started:** Start with house sits during high-demand periods like holidays to build references.
3. **Get Accredited:** A pet first aid course can give you an edge.
4. **Police Checks:** Have an up-to-date and clean police record.
5. **Apply, Apply, Apply:** Be prompt and personalized in your applications.
6. **Details, Details, Details:** Make sure the homeowner provides all necessary information.
House sitting has allowed us to make lifelong friends and explore new places. We highly recommend it to anyone looking for adventure or just some furry companionship.
**Where to Next?**
We’re heading back to the southern hemisphere for Jayden’s sister’s wedding in New Zealand. We’ll spend December 2017 and January 2018 in Thailand, then explore New Zealand in a campervan starting February. We have a house sit lined up in the Bay of Islands for three weeks in March. After that, we’ll attend another wedding in Port Douglas, Australia, spend time with family in Melbourne, and then head back to Europe to explore Croatia, Greece, and Turkey. We plan to travel in a van, alternating between two weeks of travel and two weeks of house sitting each month.
If you want to follow our adventures, find us at The Travelling House Sitters or on Instagram.