How to Save Money House Sitting: The 2024 Ultimate Guide

Looking at how to save money by house-sitting?

Then you’ve come to the right place!

By house-sitting on and off worldwide since the end 2018, we’ve saved over $100,000.

House and pet sitting has been one of the best ways to save money on our travels by saving on accommodation costs, as well as an excellent alternative to renting.  

Wondering if you can do this too?

Absolutely!

Whether you’re looking at a couple of weeks of holiday accommodation or thinking of house-sitting long term, this guide will show you ways to save money on house-sitting.

And let’s face it, accommodation is one of the biggest expenditures we face,  whether it’s hotels, Airbnbs, or rentals.

Ready to jump into a world of fur babies and fun?

Join us as we share our story, savings, and savvy tips for transforming house-sitting into your ultimate money-saving adventure!

How We Started As House Sitters

Back in 2017, we sold nearly all our possessions and embarked on a year-long adventure across Europe in our motorhome. Little did we know that two pivotal events during that year would completely reshape our journey.

Firstly, we launched a travel blog to help other travellers find the information we were struggling to find online. This very blog has since evolved into the comprehensive website you’re browsing today.

And secondly, we stumbled upon the website TrustedHousesitters.

That completely changed our game plan. Free accommodation in return for home and pet sitting? Sign us up!

🐾 Get a TrustedHouse Sitters membership today and start saving your $$$ today! Get 25% off at checkout for new memberships with our discount code: LIFEJOURNEY25

We found Trusted Housesitters mid-way through our first year of travelling and haven’t looked back! The adventures we’ve had, the people we’ve met, the pets we’ve cared for, and the mind-boggling amount we’ve saved have been phenomenal. 

Diverse House Sitting Experiences

Throughout our house-sitting journey, we’ve cared for a variety of homes and pets, each offering unique adventures and challenges.

Here are some highlights that showcase the diversity of our experiences:

• Portsmouth, UK: Our first-ever house sit involved caring for two energetic dogs that loved sleeping under our covers each night.
• Dordogne, France: We spent nine months in France in a rural chateau, looking after three cats, seven sheep, and eight chickens—feeling like stars in, To the Manor Born.

• Esher, UK: We stayed a week at a high-tech property where I struggled to operate the advanced appliances.
• The Cotswolds, UK: This sit included two dogs, two cats, a horse, and forty sheep, memorable for an afternoon spent chasing and nail-trimming a sheep!

• York, UK: During a quick five-day stay, we explored the historic city and cared for two lovable dogs, though three walks a day proved a bit much!
• Scotland: At multiple places, including an estate in the Cairngorms, where we were served pheasant with a surprise crunch—a stray lead pellet! New Year’s in Edinburgh, loads in the Scottish countryside and one in the hometown of my ancestors in Campbeltown, on Scotland’s west coast.

• Prince Albert, South Africa: This house sit turned into a life-altering experience in a South African bush camp.

• Perth, Australia: Our long-term stay here significantly cut our living costs, exemplifying the wonders of house-sitting.

These experiences have not only enriched our lives and saved us significant living costs, but they’ve also brought us unexpected laughter and unforgettable stories, making each house sit memorable in its own right.

Without house-sitting, these enriching adventures would have been entirely out of our reach.

What Does House Sitting Mean?

House-sitting typically involves looking after someone’s home and pets while they’re away. Although most house-sitting assignments include pet care, some simply require someone to occupy the home or take care of the plants.

This arrangement involves no money exchange. You look after their home and pets in return for living in their home for free.

Is House Sitting Free? 

Essentially, yes. This type of house-sitting is free, except for an annual membership fee paid to a house-sitting platform and your travel costs to and from the property.

It’s important to distinguish it from a professional house-sitting job, where you would charge for your services. However, with the growing popularity of free house sitting, paid opportunities may become increasingly scarce.

House Sitting Responsibilities

In brief, house and pet-sitting responsibilities may include:

• Pet Care: Feeding, walking, and general care of the owner’s pets, treating them as if they were your own, including administering any necessary medications.
• Home Maintenance: Watering plants, mowing the lawn, and troubleshooting household issues, like resetting a breaker switch.
• Security: This includes keeping the home secure and handling security-related tasks, such as managing alarms and ensuring all doors and windows are locked.
• Admin Tasks: Collecting mail, putting out bins, and handling any necessary correspondence or scheduled appointments for home maintenance.
• Cleaning: Ensuring the house is clean before departure, which may include vacuuming, dusting, and washing any used linens.
• Communication: Regularly updating the homeowner about the condition of their home and pets, which can include sending photos or messages.

Financial Benefits of House Sitting

Embarking on a house-sitting journey isn’t just about finding free places to stay; it’s a strategic choice that has allowed us to amass significant savings while filling our lives with unforgettable experiences.

Over the years, our approach to house-sitting has not only alleviated the burden of accommodation and utility costs but has also granted us the freedom to explore without the financial strain typically associated with such adventures.

These savings reflect more than just financial figures; they represent a lifestyle shift that has allowed us to live adventurously without the typical constraints of high living costs.

This approach to travel and living can offer similar benefits to anyone willing to embrace the house-sitting lifestyle.

Maximizing Your Savings

Top Tips for Saving Money While House Sitting:

House sitting naturally reduces your accommodation expenses, whether replacing rent or holiday stays. Here’s how you can maximize your savings further:

• Seek Longer Stays: Reduces travel costs between sits.
• Cook at Home: Resist the temptation to dine out frequently, even if recommended by hosts.

So, How Can You Save Money by House Sitting?

Discover the art of saving substantial money through house sitting.

Here, we’ll explore not only how to replace traditional travel accommodation costs with more economical options but also how to significantly reduce living expenses. Let’s delve into the specific advantages and occasional challenges of this unique travel strategy.

Here’s how you can save money house sitting: 

• Travel Accommodation: Opt for house sitting over hotels, Airbnbs, or holiday homes to slash accommodation costs.
• Renting: Replace traditional renting with house sitting to avoid hefty rental and utility bills.
• Save Utilities: Choose a local house, sit just for a break, and save on utilities.

House Sit Rather Than Staying in a Hotel, Airbnb, or Holiday Home 

 Opting for house-sitting over hotels or Airbnbs can slash your travel expenses dramatically. Whether for long-term travel or short stints, it’s an ideal option for saving money while travelling.

With TrustedHousesitters, you can find house-sitting gigs in over 140 countries, predominantly in the UK, US, Canada, and Australia. Yet, exciting opportunities frequently arise globally, offering endless possibilities for adventure

As I write this and browse the site, there are house sits in Europe, South America, Alaska, Thailand, Japan, Malaysia, Taiwan, India, UAE, Hawaii, Singapore, South Africa, Tanzania, Kenya, and many more. 

So the world is your oyster!

And if you are like us, one lucky encounter ends up being very special indeed … but more on that in a sec.  

House sitting is the ideal way to save money if you want to travel and you’re willing to compromise a small part of your freedom by having the responsibility of looking after someone’s pet and home. 

For those looking to blend sightseeing with house sitting, consider assignments with cats. They often require less supervision, giving you greater flexibility.

In contrast, caring for a dog might restrict your ability to explore extensively due to its need for frequent companionship and walks.

In addition to house sitting and pet sitting in Australia, we have used house sitting to travel throughout England and Scotland, as well as pet sitting in France and South Africa. 

Most of the house sits in the UK lasted from long weekends to a couple of weeks when we had more time to spend in an area. When we were living in Scotland, we house sat several long weekends as we explored Aberdeenshire and further afield, including the areas around Inverness and Edingburgh.

However, our house sit in France, in a gorgeous village in the Dordogne region, lasted nine months. And our house sit in South Africa? 

That was our pearl in the oyster. 

That house sit opened up one of the greatest travel adventures on our lifejourney together. 

 Our initial five-week house sit, in the small town of Prince Albert, four hours northeast of Cape Town, just so happened to coincide with the COVID-19 pandemic.

The whole of South Africa went into lockdown, making travel impossible for six months. Those five weeks turned into five months at that pet sit.

And you won’t believe what happened next! 

We had an experience of a lifetime above and beyond our wildest dreams of where our house sitting would lead us. 

Here are a couple of teasers hinting at those adventures: 

“One morning, we pulled back the rondavel curtains to see two white rhinos grazing about 50 metres from us through one window and a giraffe through the other.”

Lars’s take on Life in the African Bush. 

“But there is a time in life when the collision of two worlds would prove disastrous.

Now was that time.”

Shelley, in the Klaserie Nature Reserve Guide.

House Sit Instead of Renting and Save on Rental Costs and Utilities

Comparing the costs of house sitting to traditional renting clearly illustrates the significant savings possible.

You save heaps! 

The only expenses you incur when house-sitting are travel expenses to and from the house, and the cost of your own food etc. Minor maintenance or pet food expenses may also occur, but the homeowner will reimburse you for these.

Long-term house-sitting isn’t for everyone, but if you can work from anywhere or you live somewhere where house-sitting is popular, then this option becomes a viable possibility. 

Our commitment to house-sitting continued to prove its value when we returned to Perth…

After our latest travels in Africa, we arrived back in Perth, Western Australia, to create more content for our travel website and decided to pet sit full time while here. 

 We also bought a 4×4 with a rooftop tent so that we have the option to camp if our house and pet-sitting schedules have gaps. 

We’ve had hardly any gaps and have purposely had to turn down some requests because we want to go away camping!

With a National housing crisis in Australia, Perth having the worst rental vacancy rate in the country, at 0.5%, and the average Perth rental at $600 per week, the decision to start house sitting for a year or more back home has become one of the best moves we’ve made. 

But this isn’t the first time we have been house-sitting long-term. One of my dreams was to live in France for a while. 

And that’s just what we did in our second year of travelling after we’d found TrustedHousesitters. For nine months, we looked after a chateau in the Dordogne.

Sounds like a dream, doesn’t it? 

It was awesome. We also looked after a few sheep, chickens and three gorgeous cats. For those nine months, we saved an incredible amount and we were only in the one house sit!

Life in the countryside, in a tiny French village, was simply enchanting. We explored the beautiful Dordogne area and returned each night to a beautifully renovated carriage house with expansive grounds to wander around at our leisure.  

So that was another bucket list dream ticked off, and it didn’t cost us a penny!

With all these savings and experiences, house sitting has transformed our lives. Could it change yours too?

House Sit and Save on Utilities

Housesitting locally is an effective strategy for temporarily reducing utility bills. By temporarily relocating to a nearby house sit, you can pause utility usage at your own home for a week or two.

While this approach won’t reduce your rent or mortgage payments, it does allow you to utilize another home’s utilities like electricity, gas, and internet, leading to savings on your monthly bills.

Additionally, for animal lovers without pets, this option provides a wonderful opportunity to spend time with dogs, cats, or any other animals in the mix.

Studies have shown that playing with a dog, cat, or other pet can increase your feel-good hormones, which help you relax.

For instance, during our year in Aberdeen, Scotland, we rented an apartment that struggled to retain heat. The high gas bills during winter prompted us to take on local house sits. This not only helped us save on heating costs but also allowed us to enjoy the company of pets.

I remember feeling particularly sad and low at the start of the Ukraine war. Lars was involved in helping some Ukrainians return home, many of whom were desperate to find out about their families’ safety.

The situation was heartbreaking.

I deliberately searched for a local pet sit in Aberdeen and found one with two cats for a week. It offered a comforting escape and much-needed cat cuddles during this tough time.

Why TrustedHousesitters is Our Go-To for House-Sitting

You may be wondering which housesitting site is best?

In our extensive experience spanning seven years and countless global adventures, we’ve found TrustedHousesitters to be the premier choice.

Not only does it offer the largest network of house sits worldwide, but its commitment to quality and user satisfaction makes it the ultimate platform for both new and seasoned sitters.

Here’s why we consistently choose Trusted House Sitters over any other service:

Trusted Experience: For over seven years, Trusted House Sitters has been our top choice due to its global reliability and extensive network.

Easy and Accessible: The user-friendly app simplifies the process of finding and managing house sits, and it is complemented by excellent customer support and flexible pricing options.

Quality Listings: Unlike platforms like Nomador, Trusted House Sitters offers consistently high-quality sits. Sites with free listings often have lower-quality options, which isn’t an issue with Trusted House Sitters.

Broad Opportunities: It provides a diverse range of house-sitting opportunities worldwide, far outpacing other platforms even in localized markets like Australia.

Types of TrustedHousesitters Memberships

• Basic Membership (€119): Allows application for gigs.
• Standard Membership (€149): Adds accident insurance, a vet advice line, instant alerts, and a money-back policy.
• Premium Membership (€199): Includes all Standard benefits plus compensation for canceled sits and airport lounge passes.

Why Choose Standard or Premium: We particularly recommend the Standard membership for its invaluable instant alert feature, which has proven crucial for snagging the best sits quickly.

Often, pet owners are overwhelmed with applications and have told us they chose us because we were the first to apply.

Having great references and reviews certainly helps, but being promptly alerted to new listings gives us a competitive edge. This feature is especially crucial for longer-term sits, which are highly sought after and can disappear quickly if you’re not fast enough.

For those travelling far, or to costly destinations, the Premium’s cancellation policy offers additional security, ensuring you’re not left out of pocket.

We chose the Premium membership to avoid any financial surprises, though we’ve fortunately never had to use the cancellation feature.

Recommendation: For anyone planning extensive travel, we also recommend securing travel and health insurance to cover all bases.

World Nomads offers simple and flexible travel insurance. Buy at home or while traveling and claim online from anywhere in the world.

🧳🚑 We are really happy with them and use them for our travel insurance — Grab a quote from them here

Getting Started at House Sitting

Begin with the Basics: Sign up for a free account at Trusted House Sitters to browse available sits and get a feel for the platform.

To apply for house sits and fully engage with the service, you’ll need to choose a membership plan. Each plan is priced annually and allows you unlimited house-sitting gigs throughout the year, depending on your availability and interest.

Creating a Winning Profile

Build Trust and Credibility: Homeowners are looking for responsible and caring individuals who treat their home and pets with respect and love.

To make your profile stand out:

• Secure a Police Clearance: Showing you’ve passed a background check adds a layer of trust.
• Gather References: Include references from past house sits or character references if you’re just starting.
• Showcase Relevant Experience: Highlight past experiences with pets or house care to demonstrate your capability and responsibility.

What to Look for in House and Pet Sits

Choosing the Right Sit: When browsing potential sits, consider the following to ensure a good match:

• Review Home Photos: Ensure the living conditions meet your standards.
• Check for Detailed Listings: A lack of photos or vague descriptions can be a red flag.
• Assess Pet Care Needs: Make sure you’re physically capable of meeting the pets’ needs, especially if they require extensive exercise or special care.
• Logistical Compatibility: Confirm that the sit dates and location requirements (like needing a car) fit your schedule and abilities.

Tips for a Winning House-Sitting Application

When you find a sit that feels like a good fit:

• Personalize Your Application: Mention details from the listing to show you’ve read it thoroughly and understand the needs.
• Be Prompt: Use instant alerts for new listings to apply early, increasing your chances of being selected.
• Communicate Clearly: Explain succinctly why you are the best choice for this sit.

Maintaining Standards and Earning Good Reviews

Exceed Expectations: Once you secure a sit, ensure you leave a positive impression to secure good reviews, which are crucial for securing future sits:

• Keep the Home Tidy: Treat the home better than your own, leaving it spotless.
• Update Regularly: Send the homeowner updates and photos of their pets to reassure them everything is well.
• Follow Through: Adhere strictly to any care instructions provided for pets and property.

Summary of The Pros and Cons of Saving Money by House Sitting

After understanding the substantial savings possible through house sitting, it’s important to consider the lifestyle implications of this choice.

Below, we delve into the pros and cons of opting for house sitting over renting or hotels providing insights into both the perks and challenges that come with this travel strategy

✅ Pros of House Sitting

• Lower Costs: Save on rent and utility bills.
• Stay in Great Homes: Live in houses with better facilities than you might afford otherwise.
• Flexibility: Enjoy changing your location and trying different homes without long-term commitments.
• Save on Food: Cook meals at home, which is cheaper than eating out.
• Local Experience: Live like a local, which helps you learn about the culture more deeply.
• Meet New People: Connect with locals and expand your social circle.

❌ Cons of House Sitting  

• Responsibilities: You must care for the house and pets, which can sometimes be a lot of work.
• Limited Scheduling: You must plan your travels based on when and where house-sitting jobs are available.
• Less Stability: Frequently moving can make it hard to feel settled.
• Risk of Cancellations: Sometimes homeowners cancel at the last minute, which could leave you without a place to stay.
• Less Privacy: Staying in someone else’s home may not feel as private as being in your own place.
• Unexpected Tasks: You might have to deal with sudden repairs or emergencies at the house.
• Legal Risks: There might be less legal protection compared to a normal rental agreement.

How to Save Money House Sitting … That’s a Wrap

Thinking about how to save money while travelling or living differently?

House sitting might just be your golden ticket!

Since starting in 2018, we’ve saved over $100,000 and discovered a lifestyle that’s enriching and cost-effective.

From luxurious properties in Scotland to charming homes in the Dordogne, house sitting has not only slashed our living costs but also introduced us to unforgettable communities and cuddly pets.

Could you do this too? Absolutely!

Whether you’re looking for short holiday stays or a longer-term living solution, house sitting offers incredible savings on accommodation—one of our biggest travel expenses.

Ready to dive into a world of adorable pets and spectacular homes?

Experience the benefits firsthand:

• Free Accommodation: Say goodbye to rent and hefty hotel bills.
• Exciting Locations: Live in and explore new areas without any long-term commitments.
• Joy of Pet Companionship: Enjoy the company of pets without the permanent responsibility.
• Maximize Your Savings: Implement our practical tips like cooking at home and opting for longer stays.

Join TrustedHousesitters today—your reliable partner in unlocking the best housesitting opportunities worldwide.

🐾 Get a TrustedHouse Sitters membership today and start saving $$$. Get 25% off at checkout with our discount code: LIFEJOURNEY25

Start saving more, experiencing more, and enjoying the freedom that house sitting brings.

Remember, every house sit brings new stories, new friends, and incredible savings.

Are you ready to start your own story?

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