Pensioner 'making significant savings' in retirement as she finds side hustle to cut bills
Sandra has been homesitting for over 10 years
Homesitters Ltd
Sandra French has been able to boost her retirement income by thousands over the years by home and pet sitting.
The retired sales and marketing professional has completed over 100 homesits since she retired in 2007 and has gained financial independence.
The 78-year-old reflected on the past 16 years as a homesitter and is urging other pensioners to consider working throughout their retirement due to the many benefits.
French explained to GB News that through her time with Homesitters Ltd., she has gained extensive experience in caring for a wide range of animals. She has looked after 61 dogs, 63 cats, 4 small pets, 2 birds/exotic pets, and 14 livestock.
The time spent caring for other people's animals has meant she has been able to travel the country whilst earning cash.
One highlight she explained was looking after a giant African snail, specifically an Achatina. French found the experience fascinating and enjoyed the novelty of looking after such an unusual creature along with the family tortoise.
French has looked after 61 dogs, 63 cats, 4 small pets, 2 birds/exotic pets, and 14 livestock
Homesitters Ltd
She told GB News: "Homesitting is more than just a job; it’s a lifestyle that keeps me very active. I really enjoy the variety of assignments and the opportunity to explore different parts of the country.
"With almost two years spent away from home on homesits, I have made significant savings on my water and electricity bills.
"This reduction in household expenses, combined with the earnings from homesitting, is making my retirement more financially comfortable."
Over the years, French has amassed an impressive record of 110 homesits, amounting to 758 days – which is over two years spent away from home.
Retirees can earn hundreds of pounds extra each month for taking on homesitter duties.
At Homesitters Ltd, the minimum pay one can expect to earn for caring for a home for two weeks - without pets - is £333.06.
This includes a daily food allowance with 1 hour 45 minutes of duties a day.
The minimum pay to care for a home, with 2 dogs and a cat, for 2 weeks is £367.92 which also includes the daily food allowance.
On top of this, their mileage (to and from, and preliminary visit) is reimbursed to them.
Another benefit is that homesitters also make savings on their home utilities as they are away from home, and can stay at the home for free whilst homesitting.
French retired in 2007 and joined Homesitters in 2008. Due to the flexibility of the job, she chooses not to work during the winter.
Fortunately, French worked non-stop for over 40 years so she could afford to retire, and she was lucky enough to do so before the age of state pension went up!
"An advantage of being old!" she joked.
As her national insurance record was full, she was able to benefit from the full basic state pension, as well as other savings to fund her retirement.
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Sandra has been homesitting for over 10 years
Homesitters Ltd
She continued: "I wasn’t entirely sure of what to expect from homesitting but I thought it might be fun, would help cash flow and Homesitters seemed a very professional company to work for, as they have proved to be.
"My very assignment set the scene for me. I was staying in a 16th-century house, sleeping in a four-poster bed and caring for two dogs, two cats and a parrot.
"I was so nervous the first morning that I crashed the parrot’s cage - much to his disgust - set the alarm off, dropped my glasses on the river bank with the dogs. It improved thereafter."