It started with 1 Christmas Holiday Housesit …
A couple of years ago I was feeling pretty lonely.
I had a lot of good people around me, I loved my work and I was enjoying being the mother of two but I was looking a bit further ahead.
I was picturing what my life was going to look like in two years time, when it was “just me” and I didn’t like what I saw.
I was six years into shared care with my teenage kids who would both be out of highschool in two years time. I couldn’t complain as:
- I had two amazing kids.
- I had a good job.
- I had a home in walking distance of work.
- I had wonderful friends and family
So, what did I see?
I saw myself in two years time walking to work, then walking home to an empty house and cooking for one.
I would have enough money for rent, food, power, internet, but nothing left to go to a movie.
No extra money for fuel to go visiting friends and family.
I wouldn’t be able to consider visiting my daughter at University in another town or having lunch out with my son.
I saw myself being trapped!
For the last six years I had watched my kids head off on Christmas holidays with their dad and I was sad.
I wasn’t sad because I wanted to be away on holiday with the kids and their dad, as I had left my marriage.
I was sad because I missed my kids, and I also knew I couldn’t afford a big Christmas holiday with the kids as I was pretty much living week to week.
I had a job where we shut down every Christmas for three weeks.
I saved hard and one Christmas while my kids were away, I stayed in a campground, read books and went on day hikes. I caught up with friends and family that were holidaying in the same area.
I decided that this wasn’t ideal. Staying in a cabin wasn’t cheap and I also found my heart hurt a little as I would come back to the campground and see families all together and it was a little tough.
I LOVED the break away, but even six years out of marriage, not having my family unit together still hurt!
It got me thinking — How can I do my Christmas holidays differently….???
I came across housesitting. I took a deep breath and went through the process of joining a housesitting company.
My first Christmas I stayed in a gorgeous house by the hills. My new friends were a gorgeous cavoodle pup called Ralph and a gorgeous cat called Rosie.
Ralph and I walked the hills and every day he made me laugh…alot!
Rosie would come and have cuddles on the couch in the evening and then come and curl up on my bed at night.
I liked this housesitting idea —actually scratch that!
I LOVED this!
I suddenly saw a future that wasn’t so lonely and could be a really big adventure.
Little did I know where this was leading!
My first housesitting holiday was actually the beginning of a new lifestyle…
Five months after my first housesit, I asked the kids if they minded if I didn’t have a home base for a bit and explained what I was up to.
They were on board as they were already basing themselves at their dads between Uni and work.
I took a deep breath and I went out FLATTING!!
The flat/housesitting blend had surprising benefits…
- My flatmates and I didn’t get too sick of each other — as I wasn’t always there.
- The housesitting allowed me to get my alone time fix — which I needed!
The main benefit was that flatting relieved half of my overheads and gave me room to breath financially.
Fourteen months later, I took another big leap…
I moved out of my flat!
I found I was not at the flat much and was paying my weekly rent even when I wasn’t there.
I was given an amazing opportunity by a friend, and I now rent a room by the night.
I am not at my in-between home very much as people are travelling again which means my housesits are getting longer. They can sometimes be four to five weeks at a time!
I can have a few days between housesits or sometimes a couple of weeks.
I am now finding I am looking at my housesit calendar to see when I have little windows to get out of town for a hike, to visit my daughter, explore or visit friends and family.
Now, over 18 months after my first Christmas with Ralph & Rosie, I have completed 31 housesits and my world is VERY different!
- I can SAVE or SPEND all the money I used to pay in rent, power, and internet.
- I get to TRAVEL and am looking forward to heading further afield to the UK and Canada to see where my parents were born.
- I have FREEDOM as I have money for movies, fuel and meals out. I can visit family, friends and go on adventures. I can pay for a flight and visit my daughter. I can have lunch with my son.
- I have LESS STRESS wondering how I will pay for my mortgage when interest rates and costs are rising.
- I LOVE that each year I could put any extra money I have (after travel) on my mortgage — as I still have a home, I just don’t live in it.
As time passes, how much extra money I have will be interesting…as there is a very good chance I may come down with a very severe uncurable case of the TRAVEL BUG!!!
To be honest I didn’t see this lifestyle AT ALL two years ago.
Nearly two years in, I am really starting to sit into this now and I can see this is my world for a few years yet!
And what is my next?
I feel I am sort of back to the start.
I am pretty excited to be looking for a “Christmas holiday” housesit again — this time though, I am thinking a little further away as I am looking abroad this time!
I have had fun going down the rabbit hole online and sussing out some potential northern hemisphere housesits.
Who knows where this will lead me…
In the meantime I will have fun looking at the possibilities and imagining what could be!
I am thrilled to say that my new lifestyle started with 1 Christmas Holiday Housesit…
I would encourage everyone to give housesitting a little bit of thought …
You never know where that one housesit may lead you!
Take care and happy adventures!
- Please CLAP to let me know you have read this and feel free to comment with any tips, tricks and ideas.
- A little encouragement would be amazing and definitely appreciated as it always takes that little bit of extra courage to press PUBLISH!
