saving

One woman is becoming a nomad, leaving her permanent home in favour of travelling around the world, staying in strangers’ houses, all while saving £1,500 a month with ‘no bills to pay’

Now more than ever, people are looking for innovative ways to travel around the world, all whilst saving some serious cash. It might seem impossible, but one woman is willing to give up her permanent home to make it happen, potentially saving herself around £18,000 a year.

Michelle, 63, is giving up her flat to travel around the UK and Europe, with hopes of venturing globally. While she’ll have no place to officially call home and a car packed with everything she owns, Michelle has the opportunity to stay at some rather lavish properties she otherwise couldn’t afford and will also save thousands of pounds every month.

So what exactly is Michelle doing to make this dream a reality? “I’m giving my time as a full-time house-sitter, looking after the pets, making sure the house and garden are cared for while the homeowners are away, and in exchange I get to live in their house and don’t need to pay the utility bills,” Michelle revealed. With just a membership fee to pay on house-sitting websites, alongside no rent or bills, Michelle will save up to £1,500 a month.

Michelle, who has already begun house-sitting before going full-time this year, typically looks after pets in homes while the owners are on holiday, all while staying somewhere new for weeks at a time. “The main focus of it is the pets, as it’s a nice alternative to putting dogs in kennels or cats in catteries. It keeps the pets happy at home in their normal environment,” Michelle shared.

Sometimes longer house sits are required, even for people without pets who simply want someone to keep an eye on their home while they’re away. At the time of speaking, Michelle had just begun a two-month house-sitting job in southern Devon at a 16th-century Devon farmhouse spanning 25 acres, with plenty more booked into her diary for the next six months.

She’s already made plans to send her furniture from her former flat to a charity shop and to have a serious clear-out, keeping only the necessities and sentimental mementoes. But there’s one aspect that has proved challenging.

“I love my clothes, and it’s quite tough to try and thin out my walk wardrobe. The default while house-sitting is comfortable clothing, so there’s not much call for fabulous ball gowns or sparkly tops, but you want to hang on to them.”

Michelle added: “The difficult thing is when it comes to getting rid of stuff, including the mementoes, which is really difficult.” Luckily, she will still have her car for additional storage, with the aim of fitting everything she needs in the boot.

On becoming a nomad in her 60s, Michelle shared: “Sometimes, it can be a bit challenging, particularly as I’m single and on my own. You can sometimes feel that you’re kind of on the periphery of society, but other times it’s very freeing, and I’m not in that Monday to Friday, 9 to 5. My life is changing, potentially every few weeks, and I’ll be somewhere new to explore.

“I try to find the balance between newness and familiarity, so I’ll have my favourite mug with me and a wool blanket, so you create these little rituals; that’s what home is.”

This won’t be the first time Michelle has willingly opted to stay in a stranger’s home, as she began house-sitting in 2017, when she lived in Cyprus, looking after pets across the UK, Italy, Spain, and France. She would often take her beloved dog, Eddy, with her, before they were forced to take a hiatus in 2020 amid the pandemic. But after Eddy passed away at Christmas, Michelle was eager to get back into house-sitting and become a full-time nomad.

“Having got back into house-sitting, I just thought, perhaps, becoming a nomad and primarily using house-sitting as a way of having a roof over my head would be something to try. I’m not in a position to buy a place for myself, or know where I’d want to be permanently, and I checked how much house-sitting I could get booked into the diary,” she explained.

Michelle is now booked up for the next six months, aside from two weeks over Christmas, where she plans to stay at a friend’s house before taking on another job. “It made me realise that there is enough demand out there for house-sitters, so rather than renting myself again, I can make house-sitting work full-time,” she added.

Additionally, Michelle can work from her laptop while travelling around house-sitting, with the option to sell on Vinted and eBay for extra income. And if there are times that Michelle has a gap in the diary, she’d happily book herself a holiday or stay at a friend’s house, who have all been “very supportive”.

Michelle uses a few websites to find house-sitting jobs that best suit her, including HouseSit Match, with dreams of expanding her house-sitting duties globally. “House-sitting allows me to explore different parts of the country and around Europe, hopefully. As well as looking after pets, it’s actually quite fun trying on other people’s lives, and it’s nice to be able to experience that,” she said.

Lamia Walker, founder of home-sitting service HouseSit Match, added: “Michelle is a brilliant example of how house-sitting can become a lifestyle, not just a holiday. She lives in some beautiful places that would otherwise be completely out of reach, and also takes rent and bills out of the equation at the same time.

“More and more people are discovering that house-sitting is an affordable way to travel, and many get hooked on the way of life. Michelle is a fantastic sitter, and homeowners rebook her again and again because she goes the extra mile for their pets. Every sitter on our platform is verified, so owners can feel confident about who’s looking after their home and their animals.

“Anyone who fancies a change of scenery should search online to see what house-sitting opportunities are available and where they could go next.”

Do you have a travel story to share? Email webtravel@reachplc.com

The epic war drama is based on a true story and viewers have hailed it an ‘outstanding masterpiece’ that’s ‘as good as Saving Private Ryan’ – it’s leaving Netflix on November 5.

For most film fans when the subject of war films arises a handful of reliable titles dominate the conversation and establish the standard. Movies such as Saving Private Ryan, Black Hawk Down, and The Hurt Locker have long been regarded as masterworks in the genre, with discussions inevitably returning to these films.

However, audiences are now claiming there’s another war movie by a legendary actor and director that rivals, if not surpasses, the Holy Trinity referenced above.

Viewers have just a few more days remaining to watch the ‘masterpiece’ war drama, though, as the film is departing the Netflix library on November 5.

Featuring an outstanding Bradley Cooper in the central role – who has received endless praise for his titular performance in the picture – this 2014 war drama has been helmed by acting icon Clint Eastwood.

American Sniper is presently streaming on Netflix – and audiences simply cannot get enough of the war drama, reports the Express.

The picture’s official synopsis states: “Navy S.E.A.L. sniper Chris Kyle’s pinpoint accuracy saves countless lives on the battlefield and turns him into a legend. Back home with his family after four tours of duty, however, Chris finds that it is the war he can’t leave behind.”

Sienna Miller plays the female lead of the picture alongside Cooper, and the leading duo are supported by Luke Grimes, Jake McDorman, Cory Hardrict, Kevin Lacz, Navid Negahban, and Keir O’Donnell in additional roles. American Sniper draws from the 2012 memoir of the same title written by war veteran Chris Kyle alongside Scott McEwen and Jim DeFelice.

The war drama proved a colossal box office triumph, raking in $547 million against a production budget of roughly $59 million.

Beyond its commercial triumph, the picture garnered critical acclaim, securing six Academy Award nominations including Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Actor for Cooper, while ultimately claiming an Oscar for Best Sound Editing.

Audiences are completely taken with the war drama, as one fan writes on Rotten Tomatoes: “Powerful, emotional and very gritty. Directed to a tee by Clint Eastwood and Bradley Cooper excels as usual exceptionally well in character. Top class cinematography and writing. Succeeds in gripping you to the point where you can almost experience the settings physically. Outstanding on absolutely every level. Truly a memorable movie about a memorable man.”

Another viewer said of the film: “I can’t remember a movie in the last decade, that was as riveting and captivating as “American Sniper.” I kept seeing the trailer on TV and when I finally went to see it, I was already jacked-up…and it delivered. A+ Script A+ Director A+ Lead Actor A+ Supporting Actors A+ Cinematographer. Eastwood, Cooper and the screenwriter made a great team…which eventually became a great film.”

While another audience review reads: “One of the best war movies of our time. The character is really in focus and has a lot of development which makes it stand out in the sea of meaningless war stories. Really emotional and intense throughout. Amazing performance from Bradley Cooper too.”

Critics have been left equally bowled over, as one writes: “… a mature film of the toll war takes on its warriors, and you should see it, regardless of your politics.”

While another reviewer noted: “What a surprise that rather than an uncritical testament to the might of the armed forces, Eastwood delivers this complex, conflicted and profoundly moving look at the military machine, and the toll it takes on the soldiers.”

A third critic added: “American Sniper is devastating on the emotional level, especially with a very buffed-up Bradley Cooper in the lead role.”

American Sniper is available to stream on Netflix till November 4.

JAMES Bourne’s brother has issued a health update after donating his kidney to save the Busted singer’s life.

We told yesterday how Chris, James’ youngest sibling, helped extend his life by donating a kidney.

Following the revelation, Chris has now shared an old snap of him and James to Instagram and wrote in an update: “When you find out that everything’s going to be ok”.

The picture showed the siblings as children, both beaming with their hands in the air.

The brothers underwent the surgery earlier this month and are now in a six-week recovery period.

Chris said of the op: “I was told that the op was going to happen at some point this year, it was all dependent on James’s wellbeing. Suddenly, we were given a date for early October.”

MY AMAZING BRO

Busted’s James Bourne reveals brother has ‘saved his life’ in health battle

SAY WHAD!

Huge actress reveals she turned DOWN Celeb Traitors – despite co-star taking part

James, who has never spoken openly about the illness he is living with, is also said to be recovering well.

James was due to go out and perform on the Busted vs McFly arena tour in Autumn 2025, until he fell ill.

Not only did Chris volunteer to give an organ, but he also stood in for James in the tour.

Chris, who is younger than James, stepped in to play on the 35-date tour without a minute of rehearsals.

While he waited to find out if his kidney was a match to James, Chris started using music as therapy.

With his Call Your Friends bandmates, he started work on a new track, Selfless, which started out as a poem Chris wrote during the hardest moments of his health journey with James.

They have now released the song as a fundraising track, which is helping mental health charity Mind.