I always use this phrase
Please treat us the way youād like your pets to be treated by us.
Have a nice day!
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Not sure that I should respond to this post, but here goes! I am a sitter and have had only 2 sits that have been difficult. Most have been great. 1st Eat what you want, thereās more in the freezer downstairs, just donāt drink all the red wine. 2nd Use either car but take the dog to the beach in the small one. 3rd Itās cheaper to eat out, the girls will be here to clean Thursday and Sat so keep hold of the dog, they are scared of him. If you want to go out just call the driver and he will take you. 4th Eat what you want, Iāll show you the best places, donāt buy football tickets just take my pass, have any beer in the massive beer fridge and the wine in the kitchen, but donāt drink her whiskey, she will kill you! 5th Take the car and pick up Joe next door, he has my pass to the hockey. 6th You do have a key to your unit, a car and the big house? (big house only 9br and the 13 bathrooms), just feed the dogs at 6am and pm, take them for a walk and lock them in when you go out. Bad ones were being told by the government to come home early 2020 from Montreal to Brisbane and being in Noumea during the riots in 2024. I survived them all!
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CathyCat - you are meā¦ And I claim my Ā£5!
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yes Iāve heard that some US people wear outdoor shoes in the house, which most of the rest of the world is disgusted by
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There are lots of different norms, cultures and traditions, but I suspect ādisgusted byā may be a little hyperbolic.
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The stick of butter on a plate in the cupboard is to ensure that it is actually useable when you need it rather than being rock solid from the fridge 
. Many people do this with their butter.
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I couldnāt have said it better myself.
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@janestheone Iām from the US and I donāt know anyone who wears shoes in the house.
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I live in the US and most people wear shoes indoors here. Also in Ireland, where I was raised. I donāt wear shoes indoors, but many people in both countries do.
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Lots of British people wear shoes 
inside their homes especially those with pets as their muddy paws are already on the floors! And have never been in a farmhouse kitchen on any continent where people donāt wear wellies when they come in for tea or a snack #derigeur
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Weāre from the U.S. and we donāt know anyone who insists on taking shoes off when in the house. LOL 
Weāre all different but itās OK to have varying preferences.
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People often wear shoes indoors in Ireland, Great Britain, Australia, and probably loads of other countries. I am more disgusted by generalizations than by people who wear shoes indoors or leave a little crumb here and there 
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You really want to deny someone the use of a little olive oil and your washer/dryer? Totally against the spirit of working together and remembering what service the sitter is providing for you. Make sure you put such detail in your description, it will help the sitter get a clearer picture of what type of HO you are.
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I had a sit where people didnāt let me use their coffee.
Not that I canāt afford to buy my own, but it felt mean-spirited.
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We also had one sit like this - I donāt even drink coffee but it felt quite stingy to be told that their coffee was too special for their sitters to drink .
On the other hand we have stayed in a lovely home with a guest suite, where weāve were gifted 6x bottles of wine , flowers and a fridge full of fresh groceries including rib eye steaks from the local butcher - for a one weeks stay looking after a cat .
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I donāt care to eat hostsā food and prefer to buy my own. Iāve turned down offers when hosts have asked what food Iād like, so they can buy some for me. I even buy my own toilet paper, paper towels, laundry detergent in sheet form, and such, so I can use however or whatever I prefer. But if a host seems mean or stingy to me, I will automatically skip their sit, because that reflects a greater chance that theyāre not generous in spirit and would be more exacting overall and, if things went sideways, they would be less likely to show grace and partnership.
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I am trying to decide which I want more: The ribeye steaks or the chocolate cupboard. Can I have both? 
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Chocolate cupboard all the way! You can have the steak
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I agree 
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Not ALL āUS people.ā Maybe like finds like but I think all the sits I went to were shoe-free. I donāt think any sitters thought my shoe rules were odd and most understood as soon as they walked in and saw the shoe rack how things work. Please keep in mind that at least 1/4 of househoulds are 1st or 2nd generation Americans with immigrant family members.
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