How a 27-year-old swapped hire for house-sitting

Drowning in scholar debt, Nicole Green, a 27-year-old from Pennsylvania, did not assume touring the world was potential. Then someday, in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, Green got here throughout a video of somebody sharing how they secured free journey lodging by pet-sitting. “I honestly assumed it was a scam at first, but then I looked into it (and) I realized it was a legitimate thing,” she says. As a cat lover, looking after pets while eliminating the high cost of rent was a no-brainer. After getting started with local house-sits in 2022, she has been house-sitting and pet-sitting full time since 2023.

This lifestyle is not without its challenges. Green works in a data analytics role that allows her to work from anywhere. But to ensure she always has a place to go, she has to stay organized, scheduling her bookings at least two months in advance. She also maintains a minimalist lifestyle, limiting her belongings to whatever she can fit in her backpack and a carry-on. The rest, like seasonal clothes, she leaves at her parents’ house.

While Green relishes the opportunity to experience so many “pinch me” moments — from staying in a five-bedroom house in Colorado with a fluffy cat to house-sitting at a Swiss home overlooking the Alps — she stresses that it’s not a vacation. “You’re still caring for someone’s home and their pets,” she says.

This new way of life has done more than satiate Green’s travel ambitions. It’s also enabled her to accelerate payments on her student loan, which she estimates she’ll be able to pay off in a year or two. She’s putting the rest into savings and other life experiences, like skiing and traveling to Japan. While she doesn’t expect to do this forever, she says it’s what works for her for now.

“I’m going to maintain doing it till I do not need to do it,” she says.

The Wider Trend

Ashley Foster, a Houston-based financial adviser, says house-sitting can be a great solution for saving to buy a home or paying off a loan. “If it’s for a specific goal and if it’s for a short-term reason, I think it makes perfect sense,” she says. “It’s like living at home with mom and dad.” she says. “It’s like living at home with mom and dad.” However, she cautions that the risk is not having stability, and this can be stressful. It’s important to prioritise well-being.

Takeaways

Plan ahead but leave room to pivot. In her first year of house-sitting, Green booked out the whole year, which gave her no flexibility. “I had no wiggle room,” she says. “I could not again out of stuff. There was no like, ‘Oh, perhaps I need to really go right here.'”

Beware lifestyle creep. As your savings grow, it’s tempting to splurge on travel and eating out — but don’t let those costs undermine your financial goals.

Consider other avenues to reduce student debt. Instead of house-sitting, Foster suggests considering options that won’t upend your living situation, such as low-income-based repayment plans or applying for a forgiveness loan if you qualify.

Have a money lesson or story to share? Tell us what worked for you — or what didn’t — by emailing hani.richter@tr.com.

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