I make £10,000 each summer renting my house to rich tourists – I live with my daughter in a caravan in mum's garden
LIKE many mums, I'm already planning the summer holidays in Cornwall.
I'm budgeting carefully to make my money stretch as far as possible but unlike many of my mates, I'm not just watching the pennies this summer - I'm making them, too.
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So as my daughter Mabel and I splashing about at Jubilee Pool in Penzance, watch a kids' show at the Minack Theatre and wander around the Eden Project, we'll be earning while we're relaxing.
I'm renting our family home in Cornwall to tourists, so we can earn an extra £10k over the peak summer months.
To make it work, Mabel, 7, and I are swapping our house for a caravan at my parents' farm in north Cornwall.
People tell me that I'm mad to give up our comfy home to live in a less-than-glam caravan for six weeks with a small child.
PRECIOUS TIME
But while they're glued to laptops or forking out for childcare, I'll be bringing in enough money to cut back my working hours and spend more precious time with my daughter.
I'd much rather give up my sofa and Wi-Fi than work flat-out all summer, feeling like I'm failing my boss and my child.
My daughter and I live in a standard three-bedroom house at the edge of Cornwall's Roseland Peninsula.
It's not in one of the posh tourist hotspots like St Mawes or Portloe, where the seafront rentals go for between £4k and £8k a week.
But it's definitely close enough to the sea to tempt holidaymakers looking for a more affordable base.
A 10-minute drive gets you to the fairytale-like Caerhays Castle or the long stretch of sand at Carne Beach and Pendower.
The seaside town of Newlyn in Cornwall has been dubbed as one of the 'coolest' places to relocate
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Go a little further, around 20 minutes, and you've got the Lost Gardens of Heligan and Mevagissey's working harbour and quaint shops.
I've teamed up with a friend who owns several holiday cottages nearby. Her properties get snapped up early, mostly by returning guests, so when someone misses out, she recommends my house.
Holiday costs in Cornwall have shot up since lockdown, and many people are pleased to find somewhere peaceful for well under half the price of a typical seafront stay.
Getting the house up to scratch for paying guests is the most labour-intensive bit.
I charge £2,000 per week and pay my friend a 10 percent commission, which works out at around £200 a week.
In return, I get lovely, respectful guests and none of the marketing and admin stress.
Our bookings for this summer are confirmed, and Mabel and I will be making the most of the great outdoors by July.
Anyone can rent their property out - you just need to ensure you have fire doors fitted and check the terms of your house insurance and mortgage.
In London and some other places, you're limited to a maximum of 90 days rental.
Most people I speak to assume that the hardest part is living in a caravan. But honestly, getting the house up to scratch for paying guests is the most labour-intensive bit. It's no small task, so I do odd jobs here and there.
Though it's only May, I'm already repainting scuffed walls and doors, booked a plumber to replace the shower, and filled the flower beds with marigolds and petunias.
In all, I'll spend around £1,000 on repairs that probably need doing anyway.
It's the thought of guests arriving that motivates me to get them done, instead of endlessly putting them off.
As for our own summer living quarters, the 20-year-old caravan isn't exactly boutique.
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It's been sitting, mostly disused, between an outhouse and polytunnel at the bottom of my parents' garden for years. But it's got everything you need for an outdoorsy summer.
There's electricity, a toilet and sink in the outhouse. And I've kitted it out with a kettle, microwave, a second-hand fridge-freezer and a cheap double electric hob.
We're bringing bunting, solar-powered fairy lights, an inflatable paddling pool and a fire pit for marshmallow toasting.
HOLIDAY HACK
I love to give the place a proper holiday vibe, even if there's no fancy hot-tub or Instagrammable outdoor pizza oven.
We'll venture into my parents' house to make the most of the shower and bath, but even though mum asked us to live with them for the holidays, our different approaches to parenting make this nearly impossible.
A caravan seems like a healthy compromise, as we all get our own space, yet they will be close by on the farm.
Plus, my mum is happy to help with Mabel a couple of days a week, so I can keep my freelance business going.
Every Saturday, I'll make the one-hour drive back to the house to clean, wash the sheets and towels and tackle any urgent maintenance issues.
Last year, I took a month off work and also paid off a chunk off the mortgage with the extra cash.
I first tried this money-making trick back in 2011, when I was a grad student in Devon living on a £14k a year grant.
Each summer, I'd rent out my waterfront flat for up to a week at a time, while working at residential summer schools and sleeping in student halls.
Instead of spending the extra money, I saved it up and eventually used it to put down a deposit on a second property in Cornwall.
But now I'm a single parent and mortgage interest rates are high, I've found myself relying on this holiday hack for the last few summers.
Last year, I took a month off work and also paid off a chunk off the mortgage with the extra cash.
It's not always smooth sailing as caravan life does have its challenges, especially when it rains.
Come September, we'll be grateful not to dash outside to use the loo in a downpour.
I would love to put the cash towards a summer spent abroad one day, in a place with guaranteed sunshine.
For now, a rustic British summer with my little one will do just fine.
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BBC News
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