Hey @Nya, you sound like me when I first started out. Too cheap and trying too hard… !
There are some really good threads on here about the mistakes we all made at the beginning, here’s one of them:
Just search for “doormat” ! It’s kind of embarrassing how many of my own posts contain that word but it’s a truth - people don’t respect someone who tries too hard and acts like a doormat. And if you’re too cheap, they won’t respect your place. I’m a budget listing too and I love my budget guests but there is a sweet spot - if you’re TOO cheap, people somehow think it’s not worthy. Weird but that’s psychology for you. Pay more and, as long as it’s decent and you haven’t clearly been ripped off, you will value it more.
I guarantee that if you stop trying to please guests and just focus on making sure everything is clean, comfortable and exactly as you describe in the listing, you will be a lot happier!
Also, I suggest that you dedicate a shelf or an area of the kitchen that is for guest use. And make it clear during the house tour that everything else is off limits. You do it nicely “Everything here is for you! This is where you can keep your food so that we don’t get mixed up over whose it is” Etc. YOU need to set the boundaries, otherwise how are they supposed to know what’s ok or what isn’t?