I recently met a woman in Tucson, Arizona who gets paid $200/day to provide House/Pet sitting, so Im going to get a LOT more discerning about the sits I apply for. As nice as it is to get free accommodations in exchange for looking after their pets (which I love), I’m not going to give up basic creature comforts any more.
That’s big bucks indeed @Diane13! At the other end of the spectrum, a paid house sitter in Turkey gets the (un)princely sum of £7-£10 a day!!! And that’s for multiple animals. Would never be worth it in a million years…am with you on the creature comforts though, whatever the market value.
Very odd that someone would think a person (or couple) could live in their home for a week or more completely out of a suitcase and having to shop daily.
When we talk to HO during the interview, we usually get that conversation started by saying, “Of course any perishables we eat, we’ll replace. Is there anything else we should be aware of?”
90% of the time that opens the conversation about what the HO expects & prefers. Most HO say, “Have what you like from the frig that’s fresh but not the freezer…”
As HO we always left at least enough for a 1st & 2nd meal and told sitters they were welcome to anything in the pantry. But we don’t assume the same as sitters.
In general we’ve found most HO are quite generous, thoughtful and welcoming.
That said, one sit this year arrived to find that the HO had left nothing in the frig but some condiments - some of which had mold on them.
A second HO had not left even condiments in the home. The frig was ENTIRELY empty. Nothing. In the cupboard? About 25% of a bottle of oil, some past date vinegar with no cap, and some seriously ancient spices (including a box of salt with two hard rocks the size of marbles at the bottom). End of list.
Of course not everyone likes to cook but this was the first time the HO didn’t even have really basic stuff like salt, pepper, etc.
Happily in both cases markets were convenient. But having to stock up on stuff you’ll only use a small % of is no fun - just as having nowhere for your own things.
I’m not a meat person so I’m not packing away any kobe steaks in my freezer. To me it just makes sense to treat sitters as guests and tell them they are welcome not only to the perishables, but to soups, canned food, frozen food, etc. So far, anyone sitters haven’t eaten much of the food, and in one case where a sitter was ill for a few days and had to go to my shelves, she did her best to replace stuff and leave us stuff.
I agree 100%. HO and Sitters do best when they treat one another with respect and consideration. Not that different than when you are a guest in someone’s home or have guests in your home. Be reasonable, be thoughtful, be kind.