I have been doing nomadic for 2 years. Spent 2 winters out of the north, which were great. But I am now having feeling of wafting. I buy inventory of stuff, put in storage and then forget to get something, like toothpaste, have to buy more. And not having my belongings. For a while I was traveling with so much, thinking if the HO didn’t have something. Now it is frustrating because the HO may not have something and I travel with less. I just want to stabilize for a while. It was great and useful. As I took my kid from USC in LA to UBC in Vancouver, for her PhD, got a great sit across from campus to get her settled. She is also doing a law degree online with Northeastern, so had to be in Boston, got a sit for that, when something was going on in Boston and basic hotels were starting at $750 a night, really, it was crazy. And the winters out of the north were sublime, particularly when the northern midwest was suffering one of the worst winters in a while. But nomadic exhaustion has set in.
I’ve never done nomadic but have moved to tying up sits for longer periods now but I’m pretty much fishing in the same area to reduce my travelling costs, help me to make friends in the area and get sits that aren’t THS sourced. It’s tricky not having a plan B . My flat is in Madrid, 5 hours’ drive away and diesel isn’t cheap! So far I’ve managed to negotiate so it’s been seamless jumping from one to another.. but it takes its toll especially the stress of finishing and starting up on the same day . Congratulations on making it work for two years ! You must have saved so much on accommodation as well as the expenses of home ownership.
I used to have a Campervan so that was my plan B but it was stolen, so I have to try something else. It is wearing that’s for sure. I don’t like having to say yes when it should be no way! lol
Wishing you the very best. I know being in the area and really getting local knowledge were vital factors before we bought what we did. It’s a big decision that shouldn’t be made lightly. Location and local knowledge are key.
Don’t plan to buy yet, housing prices are dropping. And the market has been excellent for me the last few years. I was a Wall St. strategist, so I invest my own money. Though mentally it was hard to spend money on rent after not doing it. My daughter yelled at me at one point. It was like being on drugs not spending money on rent. With the economy going downhill I expect much better deals on housing so just renting. It took me a bit, but now I am getting a 3 bedroom just to sort through my stuff and be able to hang my paintings and other artwork which have been in storage forever.
Yes it was not seeing my paintings that really got to me too! We don’t have mortgages and are pensioners so don’t pay rent. House prices are rising in the areas we bought so that’s a plus!
Saving is addictive. I also find living in lovely homes with pets is addictive. It keeps my Maintenance bills down. I guess I will stop when it becomes physically too much. At the moment the dogs are keeping me fit and healthy. Cats.. not so much! Although having pets on your lap like cats and rabbits helps lower blood pressure too!
Yes, the walking with dogs is so great. If the dogs are active, I usually get 5 or 6 miles in. I have been walking to the stores here, so getting 4 or 5 miles in but if I don’t have to go to the store, I don’t walk. But still doing my weights and core. You are lucky the housing prices are rising there. Mortgage rates in the states are rising. But there is always ways to make money. I covered my daughter’s law school tuition ($200K USD) with a position in gold that I made when it was 1100. Locked it in mid 4000. Now I bought put ETFs on the market and it has dropped several thousand already. All good. Whether you build your equity in a home or other ways works. I don’t do short term trades since I am retired. I look for a big return on a trend. Safety is my motto.
You should set up looking after pensioners with financial planning but I guess the mileage might be considerably lower than looking after dogs’ requirements!
Your daughter is very lucky to have such a shrewd parent!
Best wishes going forward.
thanks. I only manage my own money now.
I went nomadic in January 2019, sitting in the UK for 6 months having rented out my home then flew to Auckland & sat in NZ’s north island for 6 months. Over to Aus for the Aus Open January 2020, travel in Tasmania then about to do my first Aus sit when Covid happened. I flew straight back to the UK & got back into my home 2 months later with no furniture as had sold it all! Then in November 2022, having re-rented my home, I flew to Christchurch NZ, sitting in the South Island for 6 months then in & out of Australia for a year. I went back to my home in July 2024 feeling exhausted from constantly being on the move - hats off to those who have been doing it for years! I continue housesitting, but just fewer & going from home. I’ve also ventured into paid sits. However next year, age 70, I may rent my home out for one last hurrah or sell it, go back on the road while still fit & healthy. It’s the best life!
Part of me thinks about getting settled for a while, going through my stuff, selling a bunch of stuff and then maybe doing the nomadic for a while again.
I’m busy getting rid of stuff at the moment
Stuff, don’t you love it, first half of your life accumulating, second half getting rid of it. She says with an online cart full of potential purchases
might need to rethink that.
so true. Just picked up 2 more cookie cooling trays from dollartree, because…though, I do have a lot of vintage glassware for my daughter that comes from her paternal grandmother. Because I know she will want parfait glasses, compote dishes – because she is definitely making compote, long silver ice tea spoons. Though there are 2 sets of vintage water glasses in the group. But it takes up room. And since she is in grad and law school now, it will still be a few years they have to stay with me. And the odd silver things. Like 2 silver olive spoons. (from my mother in law ) because you never know if you need 2 olive spoons.
It’s more of an attachment thing than it being hard to get rid of things. Because if you want to give things away, it’s actually not that hard (unless worthless junk or such). I say that, because there are many places to donate and many buy-nothing groups or such, where you can post things for free.
I enjoy my stuff, but when I decide to downsize, I will just give it all away.
Ah Maggie but your good stuff might be worthless junk to me 
or vice versa, olive spoon? What’s an olive spoon? (I know that was @Huronbase).
I don’t know about the US but in Australia charity shops etc are groaning with excess stock. Free neighbourhood give aways often just no takers. The influx of cheap goods make more things seem disposable. Sometimes is harder to give away stuff than you might imagine.
When giving away stuff, the items would have to be appealing to the recipient, right?
You folks in Australia must be well off if you can’t give stuff away. I’ve given away almost an entire household worth of stuff at one point. (Helps if you’re near a college campus.) I was moving abroad. And another time, I moved from a large home to a two-bedroom corporate rental, so kept only what fit, because I wasn’t sure where we’d end up, since we were new to the area.
@Huronbase I am feeling the same way. After 3 or 4 years of petsitting full time I’m now narrowing the areas where I’m sitting with a view to settling there soon. I will then just do 3 or 4 sits a year. I’ve had fun and saved loads of money, but its become too lonely and tiring.
An olive spoon is a specialized, long-handled serving utensil featuring a perforated or slotted bowl designed to retrieve olives, capers, or cocktail onions from jars while cleanly draining away the brine.
Here in Scotland I used to pay around £45 for the local council to pick up bigger items that I didn’t want anymore… until the day I figured out that if I left them outside the house with a “free to good home” sign… turns out there’s a few people that drive around in vans looking for that sort of stuff who will just pick it up and take it away. I suspect they might renovate and sell some of it on Facebook, but to be honest, I admire the hustle!
Thanks for the info. I guess I could struggle and get by with one of those.
I was lucky enough to come across a faux leather sofa left in the street for a finder. I had gone back into my home when Covid struck, having previously rented it out and sold all my furniture! It was very comfortable and just needed a throw to cover the worn patches. Then when I rerented my house I paid the council to take it away!!