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Money Saving Hack #54 – Meal Planning

Meal Planing, save moneyPlanning for your meals while on house and pet sits will help you save money. Sounds simple, right? While most of us can appreciate that meal planning is a great way to ensure we don’t waste the food we buy, few of us go that extra step to physically writing down our meal plans – and sticking to them!

Meal planning is particularly useful when you have back to back house and pet sits. It will help you manage the fresh food you need for a particular period and, as time goes by, you will get better at estimating how much you will need for any meal for any period.

Fresh fruit such as bananas, can ripen very quickly, so only buy enough to last you for your house and pet sit period.

Meal planning not only helps you plan for meals on the go, it saves you money because you only buy items that you’ll be cooking with, and it will encourage more healthy meal choices.

Here are a few ways to make meal planning work for you.

Start with a Weekly Calendar

Create a calendar for every day of the week. On this calendar, include the days that you will be transitioning from and to different house and pet sits and the times you’re expected to arrive and depart. Based on your movements, write down the meals you plan to make, take out or eating out options and the days and times you’re going to be able to shop for groceries and other items.

Make a Shopping List

Once you’ve created your meal plan, write down the ingredients you need to make your meals. By having a list, you will know exactly what you need so you only have to make one trip to the shops and can enjoy living like a local as a house and pet sitter the rest of the time.

Don’t Impulse Buy

You have a list for a reason. Don’t stray from your list and you won’t overindulge in unhealthy snacks and foods. Being in almost holiday-like mode for a house and pet sit, you may be tempted to indulge every now and again but having a list and sticking to it is a great way to stay healthy during your travels.

House and pet sitting is an adventure. Book your next position anywhere across the UK.

A New Lease on Life: You’ll Love Our Rising Rent Quick Fix

Save Money housesittingJust when you thought it couldn’t get any more expensive, your rent goes up … again!

While the major cities are generally at the top of the leader board, demand for rental properties has pushed prices up right around the country.

One bedroom flats in London can command rent anywhere from £850 pcm and well above. Add your annual utilities bills – gas, electricity and sometimes water to those super-sized rent payments, and the chances of saving your hard earned dollars for any big ticket items, let alone a deposit on that dream home of your own, quickly shrink from slim to very, very skinny. Continue reading “A New Lease on Life: You’ll Love Our Rising Rent Quick Fix”

House and Pet Sitting: A Mutually Beneficial Relationship

The relationship between a home and pet owner and house and pet sitter is meant to be one of mutual benefit. Owners benefit from having personalised care and attention for their home and pets while they’re away, while house and pet sitters enjoy living rent free for a period of time.

Just like any agreement, there is a little give and take both ways and so long as there are reasonable requests asked of the house and pet sitter, both parties should enjoy the experience.

Household Maintenance

Most house and pet sitters are able and willing to do some routine home and garden maintenance, such as keeping the pool clean, watering plants and attending to the repair of any items that break down during their sit. Engaging a house and pet sitter isn’t an opportunity to call in free labour for household odds and ends, but rather, it’s having someone care and maintain your home in your absence to ensure all is well when you return. Sticking to reasonable household duty requests is a must to respect the relationship between both parties. Continue reading “House and Pet Sitting: A Mutually Beneficial Relationship”

House and Pet Sitting as a Lifestyle – What You Need to Know

Living a nomadic lifestyle presents many opportunities to save money, see and do more and meet people and pets from very diverse and interesting backgrounds.

House and pet sitting is your ticket to experiencing some of your life goals and dreams today rather than delaying them for another day, but there are a few things you need to consider before you plunge into a house and pet sitting life.

Must Love Animals: 99% of Mindahome’s house and pet sitting positions involve the care of animals, so being an animal lover is a must. House and pet sitting could involve the care of pets in a city or urban environment, through to caring for farm animals on a rural property. A true affection for all creatures big and small is your biggest advantage when applying for house and pet sitting positions. Continue reading “House and Pet Sitting as a Lifestyle – What You Need to Know”

5 Hacks For Living Big For Less

You don’t have to miss out on life’s little luxuries to save money. Try these 5 hacks to enjoy some of your fancy desires, without spending a fortune.

Live Rent Free

Paying rent is like watching your money burn. It doesn’t help you work towards home ownership and it isn’t the most successful savings strategy. Want to live rent free? Try house and pet sitting around the UK. Whether you’re looking to live near work, near family or wanting to try out different places before you decide to settle down in a particular town, house and pet sitting can allow you to live in other people’s homes, while caring for their pets, without paying for things like utilities and internet. House and pet sitters have saved thousands of pounds every year by choosing this nomadic lifestyle.

Buy, Save and Give Back Too

Gone are the days when charity shops smelt musty and like your grandma’s well worn cardigans. Today, charity shops offer savvy shoppers the chance to grab a bargain of some  impressive high-end brands that will make you look and feel like you should be on a Fashion Week runway. There are a variety of charity shops across the UK in all towns and cities such as Edinburgh, London, Manchester, Shropshire and Weymouth, where you can save money on some of the latest fashions, and you’re also giving back to support worthy charities. Win/win! Continue reading “5 Hacks For Living Big For Less”

A Pet Sitter’s Guide to a Healthy Goodbye

There are loads of bonuses to caring for or owning a pet, and of course, many responsibilities as well. Pets should enjoy a safe, loving environment, a good diet, and be given regular health checks.

They should also be suitably cared for when their owners are away on holiday. While a reputable kennel or cattery can provide a solution, many owners prefer to have their pets cared for in their own home environment where they are familiar with their own smells, toys and sounds.

Another awesome option is to engage a live-in pet sitter through a service such as Mindahome, one of the UK’s most trusted house and pet sitting websites. Knowing that pets are receiving loving care in their own environment is an obvious win-win for both pet and owner. But how about you, the pet sitter? Continue reading “A Pet Sitter’s Guide to a Healthy Goodbye”

5 Cleaning Tips for Pet Loving Homes

Whether you are house sitting someone else’s pets or at home with your own, many of us share our homes with pets and sometimes, extreme weather conditions mean that our pets may need to stay inside for extended periods.

But that doesn’t mean that poochy smells need to become our home’s new overpowering scent.

When you have one or more fur-friends sharing your home, keeping a pet loving home tidy can be easy by following a few simple tips.

Brush, brush and brush again

Brushing your dog or pet everyday can limit the hair flying around and getting stuck to furniture in your home. Brushing also helps in removing any flaky skin by distributing natural oils through your dog’s coat. Not only will regular brushing save your home and furniture from unruly hair and mess, it will also provide you with some important bonding time with your fur-friend. A DIY methods for removing hair from clothes, is to use tape rolled around your hand with the sticky side on the outside. It’s also great for furniture but otherwise an upholstery tool will do the job too. Continue reading “5 Cleaning Tips for Pet Loving Homes”

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