THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME

In my colourful life I have moved countless times, probably close to 52 times, over the years, between Sydney, London and Egypt.

What I have come to realise is that Home is truly where the heart is, and within the body. If you can feel anchored and fully present in your body on most days then it truly doesn't matter what happens on the outside.. Not gaslighting or downplaying trauma or homelessness, which I have been twice..But through my many moves I have tose this truth, that the vessel of our bodies, the ones that most religions want you to escape or transcend, are our first and forever homes in this life..The sooner we can come back tour bodies and looove our bodies, minds and spirit, the sooner life will flow with ease...

In saying that I am writing this blog of the many ways of living in London that have frustrated me but in hindsight I see now has been an absolute blessing.

SHARE AND CARE HOMESHARE:

This is a beautiful way to live in reciprocity with another..Bascially the idea is you move in with an older person who is either less mobile or has some kind if illness and you become a companion to them. Companion not Carer! Which means you volunteer to commit 16 hours a week of your time to helping an elder with whatever task is urgent and important, in exchange for a room in their house for a fee that’s pretty close to free, really. The tasks are discussed ahead of time through the agency in the e interview, so that everyone is clear o what is being received..Then they run a DBS check on you and setup a meeting with the older for you to meet and chat and hopefully vibe and then voila you’re in within no time!

I was setup with an artist Nicky who had Alzheimer’s that kicked in hard as soon as his partner died, so my tasks were communication, cooking and cleaning and in general checking things behind him, like the stove wasn’t on, door wasn’t left open etc etc. I developed a deep friendship with this guy, he was an incredible artist and painter and I learnt so much from him, his house in Nunhead was so creative and colourful and it was honestly one of the most joyous years of London life.

So if you have time, energy and wat to be of service in exchange for a cheaper living accommodation, do get in touch with the agency below..

Share and Care Homeshare: Homesharing in London and across the UK

PROPERTY GUARDIANS:

This is a great option for people who are not into conventional housing setuos, I e dont care to live in a residential house or flat. With guardians you are basically living in empty commercialk properties that the landlord does not know what to do with. You are filling the gap where squatters would have traditionally stepped in really, so in theory they shuld be paying us, but since it has become a trendy way of living it’s now cheaper than the market rate but not as cheap as it used to be..Average rentals are around 6-700per month. As it is commercial properies, you coudl be living in a former police station, warehouse, restauarant or evn pub, which was my arrangement righ before Covid hit. There are often many rooms and people in these properties so you must be social I guess, and the only real donwfall is that if the landlord wants the premsises back, then they only have to give you 1 month notice and you’re out..But posotve are you often have loads of soace, areliving with usually really creative or interesting people and there’s never a dull day..Checkout a couple of the agencies below:

Vacant Property Specialists For Guardian Schemes | Live-in Guardians or Property Guardians Scheme in London and the UK | Low Cost Housing | LOWE

CATSITTING OR HOUSEMINDING;

As it says on the tin really..Basic duties of minding someone’s furry little friends while they travel, so you have to actually have a love or desire to care for an animal which cannot be faked as animals are infinitely smarter than most of us humans, so they know if you’re just looking for a freebie!

I honestly absolutely LOOOVE cat sitting, as since living in Egypt, I really do see them in a different light, as they are from the underworld and they KNOW shit, plus they give the best abdominal massages and teach you how to unashamedly purrr with pleasure.!

House-minding is along the same lines, though you often have more to look after; watering of plants, mail; deliveries, annoying neighbours and other little but totally manageable responsibilities that are easy enough to do to help maintain the home owners zen den while they’re enjoying their holiday basically. I’s a fairly straightforward arrangement and has many rewards, including letting you live for free (apart from annual agencies fees) in London and many other expensive cities.

Usually, I go by word of mouth through the many people/ clients I’ve known over the years, however this year I’ve signed up fo a pet- sitting site called Rover as I’ve heard good things about them Link below..So if you do want to live free and dont mind moving every couple of weeks then this option is definitely for you!

https://www.rover.com/

There are many more ways to live cheap or close to free in London, one that I’m exploring now is a house swapping in a warehouse complex in North London, which has been absolutely fantastic as you are obviously living with creatives and people who are unconventional and living outside of the boxes and lines of your standard societal norms…Will update on my socials when the experience is over, but so far so good!

Please do share if you have any unconventional ways of living in London or any other expensive cities that can help us all save money and get reconnected back to other likeminded humans!

Much love and be kind to one another! Inhale..Exhale..