Nicole Sundin has moved 17 times in the past two years, a hassle that has saved her up to $31,200 in rent.

Fed up with paying $300 a week to a landlord, and seeing no chance of ever buying a house, the 35-year-old turned to house-sitting to live rent free while she saved a deposit. ''I'm single, on my own, and I know it's going to be tough,'' she said.

Mobility: House-sitter Nicole Sundin, with a client's dog, moves between homes to save money. Credit:Steven Siewert

Her current home has views over the bush at Frenchs Forest in Sydney's north and she said house-minding let her experience suburbs she could never afford on her salary as operations manager at BridgeClimb in Sydney.

With a few small gaps, she has gone directly from one house-sit to another, fine-tuning the art of living out of a suitcase and slowly moving unnecessary possessions to a storage unit.