When you think of Dublin, a few things may come to mind, rainy
days, a pint of Guinness and maybe even leprechauns. However, what if I told
you Dublin
makes me think of saving money? You would call me crazy right? Wrong!
We are Brittnay and Jayden, an Australian and New Zealand couple who are obsessed with the nomadic lifestyle. Our story
starts in the snowy Australia Alps one Sunday afternoon. We found some
seriously cheap ($300AUD) one-way flights to London we just could not pass up. Before we
knew it we had brought the flights and were starting applying for our work
visas.
Fast forward two years, we were having a
blast in London,
and with 25 odd trips away or so under our belts we were not ready to leave.
However, like all good things, it was coming to an end, due to our visas
running out.
One of our house mates suggested we move to
Dublin. It was
very similar to the UK,
a visa was easy to obtain and best of all, they spoke English. Dublin it was! Unfortunately we were not
aware that Dublin was one of the most expensive
cities in Europe to live in. We were
absolutely shocked at house prices. Looking online we could not find anywhere
that was under $1450 for a room.
We had heard about house sitting through a
friend and quickly decided this is how we would work around the expensive
rental market in Dublin.
We signed up to several house sitting websites and set up our profiles. After a
few stressful days, we finally got a reply. An Australian couple wanted to have
a chat over Skype. They needed house sitters for three weeks while they were on
a family vacation in the South of France. The call went well and they confirmed
they would like for us to housesit.
We arrived we were greeted by the
Australian couple and chauffeured around the beautiful suburb of Dalkey where
their house was situated. Little did we know this was one of the most affluent
suburbs of Dublin
and celebs like Bono and Enya would be our neighbors for the next few weeks.
One thing the couple forgot to mention
until they were running out the door, was that they were actually looking after
a tortoise for one of their friends. They had never looked after one before and
advised us to ‘just google it’.
Our month in Dalkey with Roxy the elderly
lab & the tortoise was flying by. Time was creeping up on us and once again
we were going to be homeless. Back on to the house sitting websites, it was.
Luckily there was a house sit ad advertised just up the road which was starting
just a few days after our first was finishing. We applied quick smart and
explained how we were just down the road and would love to catch up with them
for a coffee and a chat.
We headed down to the local pub to meet up
for a wine and a chat. We bonded instantly and her two little chihuahuas loved
us! Success, we had a new home again!
We arrived at the new house sit, and we
were absolutely amazed at the house. The owner had told us that the house was
featured in (and won) ‘Home Of The Year’ in Ireland the previous year. The home
was a newly renovated, funky 70’s style home. Complete with huge walk-in
wardrobe, hot pink interior and artwork hung all through the house. It was to
date one of the coolest homes we have ever set foot in!
Fast forward another four months and we
have completed four more house sits in Dublin
and have managed to save just over $5000! Below we outline how we managed to
save this amount.
We are obsessed with the idea of house
sitting and the fantastic opportunities it gives both house sitters and house owners.
Below we have shared out top tips on how
to become a housesitter for anyone who is interested in starting out or
just genuinely interested how this idea works.
How did we manage to save this much?
Primarily house sitting saved us around $1450 per month on rental costs,
however, some other areas where we saved money were:
Food Costs: This was
something we did not think about. Every house sit we have completed we have been
told by the owners to consume anything in the house we please (especially any
perishable foods).
Utility Bills: Over 6 months
utility bills can add up, especially in Dublin. Living in a home where the
utility bills are covered managed to save us around $85 per month, over 4
months this adds up to a massive $340!
Transport: In Dublin, the
transportation system is slow, untrustworthy and expensive. House sitting has
enabled us to live in areas of Dublin that are very close to town, which would
otherwise be very far out of our price range. This was saving us both around $7
per day. One house sit we had we were even given a yellow mini! This was
perfect, it allowed us to see far more of Dublin than we would have using the
sub-par public transport system. Also with Jay having free parking at work, we
were able to save on really expensive parking fees.
General Household Goods: You
wouldn't expect it but buying household goods can also add up over the months.
Not having to buy items such as washing detergent, toilet cleaner, shower
cleaner, paper towel and floor cleaner ended up saving us around $30 per month!
How You Can Become a House Sitter
Sign
Up For House Sitting Sites
The first thing that anyone looking at
starting house sitting should do is sign up to house sitting websites. They are
the best way to get your name out there and get noticed. We have listed our two
favorite sites below. They are both websites that cost to sign up to, however,
once you lock in your first house sit you have already got your money's worth.
Getting
Started
The hardest part is getting that all
important first good review. The more good reviews you have the more likely
someone is to hire you. If you don’t have any house sitting references you
might need to get creative. Use Airbnb references, a character reference from
boss or even a professional reference. Every little bit helps!
Get
Accredited
For the most part, you will be looking
after someone's pride and joy. Make sure you are up to date with your pet first
aid. If something goes wrong while the owner is away they want to know that
their little bundle of joy is in safe hands.
Police
Checks
Police checks are the ultimate piece of
mind for homeowners. If you have never obtained a police check before they are
usually free and really easy to get your hands on - just get in touch with your
local police or countries Justice Department.
Apply,
Apply, Apply!
Get your name out there and apply for every
house sit that you can! It is a very competitive market out there so make sure
you don’t just count on one house sit you have applied for.
Don’t
Be Picky
You need to be open to all types of
different locations, pets, and homes. You are never going to find a house sit
if you limit yourself to specific pets, locations or homes.
