A full-time traveller and house-sitter has revealed the incredibly low outgoings she pays each month while living rent-free – leaving room for her to spend hundreds of pounds on dining out and fun experiences.
Emma Truscott has been using an app to source homes looking for a caretaker – usually to care for pets – while the owners are away, and has been able to keep up her travels for over three years.
The 38-year-old is currently house-sitting in London, but has travelled across the UK and Europe without paying for accommodation.
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She estimates she saves around £12,000 a year by not having any bills or rent/mortgage payments – and that money can instead be used for more fanciful endeavours, including £195 a month on restaurants.
“The majority of my expenses are spent on fun rather than overheads,” Emma, a freelance travel writer, originally from Cornwall, told What’s The Jam.
“I can eat out more often, shop in the pricier supermarkets and go to concerts or activities that a lot of people can only afford as an occasional treat.
“Without the pressure of big monthly bills, I’m also able to pursue work I genuinely enjoy, take more risks in my freelance business and work fewer hours overall.”
Looking back on her 2025 spendings, Emma worked out that she spends just £22 on bills – including her phone plan and iCloud storage plan, and £195 on business expenses, while accommodation cost her just £86 per month due to the occasional stop gap in her house-sitting itinerary.
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As for her highest expense? It’s tied with what she spends on her business expenses, with Emma spending an average of £195 per month on dining out.
Meanwhile groceries set her back £188, with Emma opting to choose more luxury goods, and she spends £63 on ‘fun’ – including going to festivals or other experiences.
She also spends more money on shopping these days, racking up an average of £78 per month on non-essentials, £54 on essentials, and £58 on gifts.
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Her travel costs, unsurprisingly, are where things start to rack up – with major travel like flights costing her £148 a month, and day-to-day transport like buses costing £14 per month.
Emma first dabbled with house-sitting in July 2022 during a visit to London, realising she could stay for free in other people’s homes free of charge – in exchange for keeping things in order, watering the plants, taking out the bins and often caring for pets.
She has since made it a full-time endeavour, working remotely as a freelance writer and virtual assistant.
Emma said: “The biggest perks are being able to live like a local in neighbourhoods around the world, see places I didn’t know existed, and pay nothing for accommodation.
“To me, there are no cons, and I’ve had nothing but positive experiences so far.
“I understand it won’t be for everyone, but I love living like this.
“It’s not exhausting like backpacking – you’re in a comfortable home, you can do a big grocery shop and unpack.
“Sure, there’s usually a day or two of travel every month, but that’s a small sacrifice to pay.
“Right now, I don’t see any perks to staying in one place and spending most of my money on bills.
“I feel like I’m really living – seeing things, meeting people, and having incredible experiences that will stay with me forever.
“Perhaps I’ll be lucky enough to make it to 70 years old and still be house sitting – what a life I would have had!”
Looking ahead to the new year, Emma added: “I’m planning to use some of the money I’m saving to take more trips outside of house sitting.
“I’d love to spend a month in Sri Lanka, and perhaps think about rescheduling an adventure through South America that I had to cancel in 2020 because of the pandemic.”
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