We rent out our house in Venice when we go on long vacations using Airbnb and VRBO. I’m already pretty good at paring down as a KonMari organizer but renting our house out a couple times a year has been an awesome way for us to A – get our vacations paid for. And B- go through ALL of our stuff again. I let go all sorts of toys, papers, books and clothes that have accumulated over the year.
I purged a couple bags of kids toys, so many papers that were stuck in the “pending” file, old food in the pantry. Oh it feels so good! This tip is not for everyone since you have to own your home to do it – unless your landlord allows it. Also, you have to be okay with strangers inhabiting your space.
All tidy and clean, ready for guests!
I never realized this was an issue until I started talking to people. Many people don’t like the idea of random people touching their stuff. This never occurred to me! Guess I don’t have attachment issues and I’m definitely not a germophobe!
We pack up all of our clothes so the closets and drawers are totally empty. I leave my everyday china but pack up my Waterford crystal and Le Creuset pots. I leave all the books, cookbooks, kid books.
My empty closet.
But of course I pack away the Waterford.
We have separate sheets and towels for our guests. So if you’re like me and not freaked out by people in your house, this is the best way to get a free vacation! Hey, it’s like having guests over who also sleep in your bed! Plus, when you pack up your things it’s the perfect time to go through your drawers and closets and kitchen to make sure there’s no excess. Your house will be cleaner than ever because we always clean better for guests than for ourselves.
I see it as free money. We get to live the life we want and travel the way we want without killing ourselves working because we rent out our house. We took a month long trip to Indonesia last summer. It was amazing. Beaches and massages everyday. It’s work to prepare and pare down and pack up but it’s so worth it. Check out the finished product on YouTube and don’t forget to subscribe!
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4AFTxR3KC0[/embedyt]