- Newlyweds Adriana and Jade ditched rent by pet-sitting
- This allowed them to move interstate and focus on their music careers
- They’ve lived in homes across Qld and NSW for free, caring for animals and saving roughly $300,000 in six years
Here Adriana shares her story in her own words.
Sometimes you have to think outside the box to make your dreams come true – and back in 2016 I was doing a lot of thinking.
I’d recently married my partner of four years, Jade, then 21, in a small ceremony in Melbourne.
We’d met in New Zealand in 2012, when we stayed in the same share house while working in the disability and aged care sector. Both being singer songwriters, our connection was instant.
When I returned home to Australia, we made a long-distance romance work for a while – until Jade moved to my family’s property in Wangaratta, rural Victoria, in 2014 to be with me.
A year later he popped the question in a paddock on the farm. But, after tying the knot, we had a big decision to make about our next chapter.
‘I had a brainwave.’
We both dreamed of moving to Brisbane to work on our music with a producer friend of ours. But with me planning to study nutrition and only working part-time, we had few savings to pay for a rental unit.
That’s when I had a brainwave. ‘Why don’t we pet-sit?’ I said.
Jade had grown up with Jack Russell terriers back in New Zealand, and I’d lived with pets and farm animals all my life.
We wouldn’t get paid, but we’d be saving on rent – all while having some fluffy friends to care for.
With Jade’s agreement, I created a profile on the website Aussie House Sitters. It works as a barter system, with home owners offering free accommodation in return for their pets and house being looked after for free.
Can you please come and cat-sit our girl Kit Kat? one lady wrote. She lived in a lovely brick home in Brisbane, so we quickly said ‘yes’.
‘Hello darling,’ I cooed to the beautiful grey Burmese as she wound herself around our legs on arrival.
The home was bright and airy and had a leafy back garden where Jade and I could work on our music, which we recorded and shared with our community on YouTube.
‘It’s a win-win,’ I smiled.
Our savings were soaring while we focused on our passion.
Over the next year, we house-sat across Queensland. From dogs, fish, cats, chickens, snakes and horses – you name it – we took care of them.
We were lucky enough to find homes with room for Jade and I to set up our instruments and cameras.
By mid 2018, we had enough saved to settle in one spot, so we rented a tiny cottage from someone we’d house-sat for!
‘It was the best year.’
The owners, Susan and Ben, had two dogs and a cat and we kept pet-sitting for them in return for discounted rent.
It was the best year.
We became firm friends with their three kids too, often having them over for board game nights.
After that, the lure of travel had us heading to the Whitsundays for a new house-sitting adventure.
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There, we got to call a mega mansion on the water home for a while.
‘I can’t believe we’re living here – for free!’ Jade gasped.
Next, came a farm stay in Toowoomba, where we put down roots until Autumn 2020.
Feeding the chicks each morning and bottle-feeding the baby cows became our new routine.
‘We’ve got the whole of 2020 booked out!’ I grinned, keen for another exciting year travelling all over Oz.
Unfortunately, that’s when the Covid pandemic hit – and as communities were plunged into lockdown, all our pet-sits were cancelled.
To stay safe, we went in on a lease with our mate Michael on the Gold Coast, and we isolated as a trio.
‘During Covid, we built a campervan.’
In the months that followed, we used the time to build a campervan from scratch so we could continue our travels on four wheels.
Jade was crafty, having learned from his builder dad, and our mate’s tools and materials came in handy to create a place we could sleep and stay.
By December 2021, the van was ready!
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‘She’s gorgeous!’ I gasped, as I lay on the cosy double bed, gazing at the white kitchenette with brass fittings.
Finally, it was time to get on the road.
Our next sits included places in Kingscliff and Byron Bay, NSW, as well as Coolangatta and the Gold Coast in Qld.
Along the way we shared our music with strangers, sometimes performing at weddings and birthday events. And in between house-sits, we’d live in the van until we heard from a new family.
To make money on the road, we also worked in content creation for brands and businesses.
I’d mostly copywrite for nutrition companies, while Jade did videography for a children’s toy brand.
To date, our favourite house has been a beautiful Greek-inspired farm with two labradors – a black one and a golden one. The place had a pool which we indulged in every day!
Since June 2025, we’ve been renting a place in Northern NSW for $550 a week, so Jade can focus on his videography in a proper studio.
Our days consist of walks, music, beach days and homemade tucker.
‘We’re always looking for the next adventure.’
With Aussies paying anywhere between $500 and $800 a week on rent, we are amazed to have saved around $300,000 over the last six years, if you count water and energy bills too.
We’re always looking for the next adventure and adore travelling around our sunburnt country.
We’re so grateful for the way we’ve got to see it.
