How one couple managed to house-sit for 16 months to save for a house

A young couple are well on their way to building their first home, thanks to 16 months of house-sitting and hard saving.

Frustrated by their other options, Matt and Astra Wright started house-sitting in 2017, intent on a six-month stint that would help them build their dream home, but things didn’t turn out as they expected.

“We were meant to do it for six months, but it’s been 16 months and we’ve absolutely loved it,” Matt said.

After a stint travelling, the duo were hunting for a home to rent near Astra’s family in New Zealand early last year when they happened upon an “amazing piece of land”.

The couple, who both work as nurses, had two options in front of them – rent and not be able to afford their dream property, or move in with the in-laws. Not content with either choice, they investigated a third alternative and decided to go house-sitting to get some serious savings in the bank.

The Wrights find most of their house-sits through word of mouth and via The Housesitting Company, a subscription-based house-sitting service, and have house-sat everywhere from a family home in the middle of town to a farm.

“It’s not only an affordable way to live, but we’ve also been able to develop great relationships with people and experience things we never would have if we’d decided to go renting.”

Thanks to their new lifestyle, the couple have managed to save “a large chunk” of money for their mortgage and have been able to fasttrack the construction of their new home.

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“We thought we were going to have to wait at least another year before we could start building, but we’ve earned enough now to get the house well on it’s way to completion.”

But it’s not all roses. The couple have lived out of a suitcase for the past year and have had to balance last-minute cancellations, hospital night shifts and rogue animals including a pig that broke into a vegetable patch and 50 loose cattle.

“A couple of times I’ve been so tired after a night shift that I’ve driven to the wrong place,” Matt said.

When they’re between homes they visit friends for a few days or stay with Astra’s parents.

Despite the challenges they’ve faced, Matt said they have no regrets about the path they chose.

“For every broken fence or late-night clean, we’ve had the opportunity to live in the most beautiful parts of the region and care for dogs, cats, chickens, cows, sheep, pigs and even bees.”

Their new home might be nearing completion, but the couple aren’t willing to hang up their house-sitting boots just yet.

They plan on keeping their subscription with The Housesitting Company and will use it to find house-sits around the country for holidays in future.

Do they have any advice for prospective house sitters?

“Make the most of it,” Matt said. “Be proactive, learn to be flexible and just give it a go.”

“It’s definitely been a learning curve, but it’s been one that we’ve both really enjoyed.”

– This originally appeared on Stuff