One of the more unusual temporary jobs I have taken involved helping a man after his brother passed away. His brother had left behind a house full of belongings, and everything had to be dealt with.
The house needed to be cleaned. Things needed to be sorted. Some items were being kept, some donated, some thrown away, and others needed more thought before anyone made a decision.
There was simply a lot to do. So I was hired to help.
Most of the job was sorting through a life
Cleaning out a house after someone dies is different from cleaning out an ordinary property. You can’t just start filling trash bags. There were personal belongings, paperwork, photographs, furniture, household items, and years of things that had accumulated.
Some things obviously needed to go. Others weren’t my decision to make.
My job was mostly to help create some order so the family could work through everything without having to physically handle every part of the process themselves. That meant sorting, cleaning, moving things around, organizing areas, and getting rid of items once a decision had been made. It was pretty straightforward work, but there was a lot of it.
You also have to know when not to make a decision
One thing I was careful about was not assuming something was worthless. A piece of paperwork that meant nothing to me could be important. Something sitting in the back of a drawer could have sentimental value.
There were plenty of things where the answer was simply, “Set this aside and ask.” That slowed the process sometimes, but it was better than throwing away something that couldn’t be replaced. At the same time, you have to keep working.
When an entire house needs to be cleared, you can spend forever going through every little item if there isn’t some kind of system.
It was also a job built on trust
I was working inside someone’s home and around very personal things. You may come across financial records, family photos, jewelry, electronics, personal letters, or other things that aren’t any of your business beyond making sure they end up where they are supposed to go.
That kind of work requires someone who can be trusted to stay in their lane. I wasn’t managing the legal estate or deciding who received what. I was helping with the physical work of getting the house sorted and cleaned. That distinction is important.
This wasn’t a job I went looking for
I didn’t wake up one morning and decide I wanted to get into estate cleanouts. The opportunity came up because someone needed help and I could do the work. That has happened several times throughout my working life.
Some of the jobs I have taken didn’t come from job boards or applications. Someone had a problem. They needed another person who was dependable and willing to work. I happened to fit what they needed.
Estate cleanout work can fall into that category.
Families may need help after someone passes away. Someone may be downsizing. A house may need to be emptied before it can be sold. An adult child may live several states away and need help dealing with a parent’s property.
There is real work involved in all of those situations.
Temporary work fits travel differently
One thing I like about jobs like this is that they have an end. I can work hard on a project for a period of time, earn money, finish what I agreed to do, and move on. That can fit road life much better than committing to a permanent local job.
It also gives me another option when I am staying in an area for a while. I don’t need every job I take to turn into a career. Sometimes I just need the job to make sense right now.
I pay attention to problems people need solved
When people think about making money while traveling, the first question is often what jobs they can apply for. I consider that too, but I also pay attention to what people around me need help with.
Someone may need a house cleaned out, a property watched, animals cared for or temporary help with a project. Those opportunities may never appear under a neat job title, but that does not mean there is no money to be made from them.
A lot of temporary work comes down to being useful, dependable and willing to handle something another person does not have the time or ability to manage.
Estate cleanout was one of those jobs for me. It was not something I planned or went looking for. The work needed to be done, I was able to help, and for that period it provided another source of income.
Looking for more ways to earn while traveling?
Inside the 4Runner Nomad Academy, I have downloadable Income resources covering different ways to make money while traveling. Some can be done online. Others involve temporary work, local opportunities, service trades, or skills you may already have.
The idea is to give you more options to look at rather than depending on one way of earning money.
