Hey hey… I was first to apply for this, withdraw thy application 
Thanks Maggie. I saved up for this trip for a while and paid for most of it ahead, but some unexpected needs/issues/costs popped up while there. It was a once-in-a-lifetime adventure, and I’ve found a way to have the credit cards paid off within two weeks. All good there!
I am not asking anyone for a refund but do plan to ask the sitter for her SSN for tax reporting purposes. I only reported her to THS in hopes this doesn’t happen to other HO in the future.
Please read this post and all the replies and suggestions. Inviting sitters is not an effective way to secure a sitter. Inviting Sitters - Need Guidance
Frankly the comments on how you manage your finances were rude. You are an adult and are not asking for any financial advice. You do you, and no need to listen to any advice that is invalidating to your choices, or the advice you asked for. There are some that just can’t help themselves when it comes to highlighting there privilege but that has nothing to do with your post.
@Felinelover I just want to say that I genuinely appreciate your comments, and I think your perspective deserves to be taken seriously.
At the same time, there is a real tension here. It can be difficult to remain silent when you see someone digging themselves deeper into the mud while all the alarm bells are going off. And sometimes it is hard not to make a joke when someone slips on a banana peel.
For me, that duality is important. We should be able to value someone’s perspective and treat it with respect, while also leaving room for humour, discomfort, criticism and different interpretations.
Perhaps that is one of the biggest challenges of a platform like this: holding several realities at the same time without becoming disrespectful, but also without ending up in a bland, overly friendly kind of AI nothingness where only safe and practical answers remain.
Maybe we will all eventually end up there. Who knows? 
Thank the universe that we will always have books 
, our memories and the conversations that still dare to contain some friction.
There are respectful ways to offer opinions. But jumping to judgment and telling someone they couldn’t afford a trip, is not offering any useful opinion.
Posting a topic can invite a different perspective but it isn’t an open invitation to harshly judge others who may have different circumstances than you do.
For example - “THS is a matching service, and although payment isn’t allowed it also means you may not find a match. So travel planning involves considering the cost of a paid sitter as a plan B”
Vs. You can’t afford to travel because you have credit card debt.
Both offer an opinion but very different deliveries. And while everything doesn’t need to be dumbed down, a one paragraph post doesn’t give a reader any meaningful insight into a poster’s life.
The individual specifically said that they couldn’t afford to pay other bills after paying the sitter $1,200. What’s a reasonable solution to that?
If you put that out there, you’re inviting comment. And I empathized, because I started off poor and had to figure out how to not stay that way. If that’s rude, shrug. Sounds like projecting over financial problems.
@Felinelover Thanks for elaborating. I agree with the core of what you’re saying
At the same time, I think it’s good to leave some room for opinions that are a little less subtle. Not everyone uses AI, and not everyone naturally writes long, carefully nuanced responses.
For example:
“You might want to consider organising your finances a bit better next time by saving up in advance, including a buffer for unexpected expenses. Wishing you all the best in resolving this situation.”
Or even more directly:
“Using up your credit card probably wasn’t the wisest decision.”
Both can be respectful without becoming hostile. Sometimes a straightforward observation is appropriate - and sometimes even necessary- . Otherwise, before you know it, everyone is tiptoeing around the elephant in the room, and no one says what many people are actually thinking. The key is to express it with empathy rather than contempt.
Completely agree!
Perspective from an experienced horse-person who has no concerns about them or the number of animals :
The two factors that are negatives for me are the location (too far from a more significant town) and the lack of wifi. I hope that you find a great sitter, though !
Hosts should read and understand the rules they agree to, the sitter could not take advantage otherwise.