One way that people are saving money on their rent is by becoming a caretaker. There are a lot of different options for doing this, depending on your skills and your age, and even the area that you live in. Many self-storage units hire live in managers, as do some mobile home parks, and campgrounds. Other places need a cook for a cafe or bed and breakfast. Some just want you to do yard work. It all depends on what works for your situation. Websites like Innkeepers have a lot of listings of what is available, and you can look for free, and then register if you find something that looks good for your needs. This might not be for everyone, but if buying is not an option, and you are wanting to save money and work for your rent, then this might be an excellent idea.
This is a very interesting concept. There are so many small hotels and guest houses in Jamaica. The tourism industry is booming here. This is the perfect opportunity to not only to provide employment, especially to young adults, but to provide them with a place to live as well as to hone their hospitality skills. I really love the idea.
My first job right out of college was something that provided housing. The salary was relatively low, but when housing (and food) costs were taken into consideration, I made more in that job than I did in the next five years of teaching public high school. It is a great gig if you can swing it. Park rangers have a fabulous set up IMO. They get to live on beautiful property basically rent free. I've also had several friends who landed teaching positions in private schools with similar benefits. Now that I'm married with 3 kids, it is hard to imagine being provided housing that would fit our needs, but right out of college it was a really easy way to transition into the "real world."
These are great opportunities to help people save money to buy a house, but you don't get a solid rental history from a landlord to be able to present to a lender to show that you have a good payment history. This can be important when it comes time to get a mortgage and may be a hindrance to you. So make sure that your credit is top notch if you go this route and intend to get a mortgage at some point so that you can be sure and qualify when the time comes.
Paying for housing is one of the highest monthly expenses we have. Getting free rent is a way to save some very serious money for a new home or while in school. There are also live-in child care positions that would allow you to make money have housing and a big savings account. Some people coming into the states get their first job as a live-in. It is a good place to begin getting experience while saving money.
