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Complete Guide To Housesitting
I have been housesitting almost full time for the last four months and whenever I mention it I always get a tonne of questions. Trust me, I was exactly the same when I first heard about it. Like, you can stay in someones house while their away for free? Crazy!! Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links meaning if you go through them to make a purchase I may earn a commission. This comes at no extra cost to you <3 In the past four months I have spent a week in Chicago, a month in Seattle, two 5-day stays in Portland, a week in Cambridge…
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£5k Budget Update – December 2022
December, month four of my gap year and the first month I’ve spent fully abroad and zero nights crashing at my parents house 😂. As I’m following where the housesits take me to save on accommodation costs, I spent all of December in the Pacific North West. I’m here until mid-January then I’ll be flying over the east coast for the remaining 3 weeks of my time in the US. Disclaimer – This post contains affiliate links which means I may receive a commission if you use them. This comes at no extra cost to you <3 New here? Let me give you a little context... I graduated from uni…
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I Saved 63% Of My Income – 2022 Financial Review
2022 has been a wildride. I graduated, read 115 books, wrote a 10 thousand word dissertation, went to 2 weddings, ate countless bags of crisps, spent 48 hours on a train, saw my first west end show, slept in an airport, started housesitting for strangers off the internet, spent 7 weeks in the US, experienced an ice storm and so so much more… hands down the best year of my life to date!! But it’s all over and you know what that means! It’s time to review every penny I earned and spent over the year. Why are you sharing this? You’re probably thinking it’s weird to share all of…
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£5k Budget Update – November 2022
November has been an absolute whirlwind of a month! I surprised my parents, saw my first West End show (by myself 😱), slept in an airport, spent two crazy days in NYC, took a 48hr train cross country just to name a few things 😂 But how has this craziness affected my £5k budget, let’s break it down and see! Disclaimer – this post may include some affiliate or referral scheme links. This means I will receive a commission at no extra cost to you <3 New here? Let me give you a little context... I graduated from uni this past summer and have chosen to take a gap year…
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2 Nights in NYC – New York Money Diary
I recently spent two wonderful nights in NYC but as the budget conscious traveller I am, I was a little concerned about its spenny reputation. If you’ve read my plan to only spend £5k on my gap year, you’ll know that I only get £10 per day spending money. Obviously this wasn’t going to cut it in NYC. So I started hoarding little amounts each day in the two months ahead of the trip. By the time the trip rolled around I’d amassed a nice little pot of money and was ready to explore. So here we go, my New York money diary. Exactly how much I spent during my…
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I Slept At Heathrow Terminal 5 – Here’s How It Went
As I am writing this at 6.35am from a bougie lounge (thank you Trusted Housesitters for including lounge passes in your membership!) in Heathrow terminal 5, it is safe to say that I survived. Want to know how it went? Keep on reading! Disclaimer – this post may include some affiliate or referral scheme links. This means I will receive a commission at no extra cost to you! I had a nights gap between a housesit ending and my flight to NYC so I initially looked into airport hotels. Wow they are so so expensive! We’re talking over £150 for a room. One that I would have had to vacate…
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£5k Budget Breakdown – October 2022
Well, October has been a spenny month! Only two months into my year-long gap year and I have already spent over 20% of my £5k budget. Just writing that percentage down is a little panic inducing BUT surprisingly my projections have me still in budget! New here? Let me give you a little context... I have just graduated from uni and have chosen to take a gap year before deciding what to do next, career wise. I will be spending the entire year travelling and have set myself a strict £5k budget which needs to cover all costs and last the entire year! Seem a little tight? Check out this…
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Make These 5 Changes to Become Financially Confident
You don’t have to have a lot of money or a high income to be financially confident. Anyone can achieve this state of mind at any financial level. Get started today by making a few subtle changes to how you interact with your finances. Financial confidence is a state of mind rather than a number. It is that feeling when you are in control of your money and it isn’t in control of you. You could be in thousands of pounds of debt and be more financially confident than that guy at work who drives a Porsche. Reaching a state of financial confidence is something you have full control over…
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How to Save Money on Groceries
The current price of groceries is a big stress for a lot of people at the moment. Due to the cost of living crisis, prices just keep increasing and it’s hard to keep up. But with some planning and a little bit a savviness it is still possible to keep your food budget low. Enter today’s blog post – 8 easy things you can do today to save money on groceries. Shop your cupboards first Shopping your cupboards first will both save you money and reduce waste. Start by taking an inventory of what you have in. Check your fridge, freezer, and cupboards, and make a list. From this you…
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How I Saved Every Penny Of My Income
During my three years at university, I worked multiple jobs on top of my studies, and I saved every single penny I earned. Sounds crazy right?!? But it became second nature to me, and I would do it automatically without even thinking. You might have already called bullshit because like duh obviously you have to spend some money to live so this must be false. So let me start with a little disclaimer… Fortunately, I was eligible for almost the maximum student maintenance loan (around £9k) each year. This was more than enough to comfortably live on; hence this stream of income became the only one I would budget with.…
