Curley Posted July 10, 2013 Posted July 10, 2013 US Social Security is intended to be a supplement to other pensions, 401k, annuities, savings, etc. It's only one part of the puzzle. If you are retiring solely on monthly SS income, with little or no savings, you are likely to run into problems somewhere down the line, wherever you are. For every person who says it's no problem living on that amount there are plenty more who couldn't and don't contribute to forums. hi mike, sorry im just working this forum out,i was in the philippines last week,manila,alabang,very busy place ,but some how i liked it ,but could not live there,i have a philippino partner of 3 years,but she lives in japan ,me in australia,but we spend a lot of time together,and are thinking just thinking of moving to the philippines to live one day,i have a heart problem and need medication that i get cheep in australia,but when in the philippines dont know just how i will get them yet,we would be on about $2,400 a month,living on an island some where cebu,somw where like that,should be enough do you think,no drink no smoking, If you read this whole thread you'll have your answer, I don't think anyone has said that it's not possible to live on $1262 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Posted July 10, 2013 Posted July 10, 2013 sorry im just working this forum out,i was in the philippines last week,manila,alabang,very busy place ,but some how i liked it ,but could not live there,i have a philippino partner of 3 years,but she lives in japan ,me in australia,but we spend a lot of time together,and are thinking just thinking of moving to the philippines to live one day,i have a heart problem and need medication that i get cheep in australia,but when in the philippines dont know just how i will get them yet,we would be on about $2,400 a month,living on an island some where cebu,somw where like that,should be enough do you think,no drink no smoking, It depends of what your heart problem will cost you extra. Otherwice no problem, at least if you stay elsewhere than in the most expensive places. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeB Posted July 10, 2013 Posted July 10, 2013 i have a heart problem and need medication that i get cheep in australia,but when in the philippines dont know just how i will get them yet,we would be on about $2,400 a month,living on an island some where cebu,somw where like that,should be enough do you think,no drink no smoking, More important then cost is the quality of health care you're going to get here. Manila has some good hospitals but the rest of the country is far behind. That doesn't mean there aren't good doctors but the standard of care and facilities is going to be, in general, way below the west. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Posted July 10, 2013 Posted July 10, 2013 hi mike, sorry im just working this forum out,i was in the philippines last week,manila,alabang,very busy place ,but some how i liked it ,but could not live there,i have a philippino partner of 3 years,but she lives in japan ,me in australia,but we spend a lot of time together,and are thinking just thinking of moving to the philippines to live one day,i have a heart problem and need medication that i get cheep in australia,but when in the philippines dont know just how i will get them yet,we would be on about $2,400 a month,living on an island some where cebu,somw where like that,should be enough do you think,no drink no smoking, There are heart problems and then there are HEART PROBLEMS! Which do you have. Since you have been in Phils, have you ever gone to a pharmacy to price your meds? Generic available? If so and you do not give the generic name just the brand name, you will quoted the higher price for that brand name. Care as in care provided by a care giver is much cheaper in Phils than the US. I do not have any idea on what you would pay in Oz. Even if you do not need any care now, you can project costs in Oz and Phils for your future. As for your heart issues, If you simply do not need a transplant or a valve replacement or related surgery, and are just on a maintenance dose of meds, then you can stay for extending times in Phils. Death awaits us all. Some sooner some later. But if you (like many do) allow your future to revolve around your health, you will move near the hospital and the doctors office and never venture far. As long as you are able to get around well, enjoy the rest of your life. When you do die, you will be just a dead in Phils as in Oz. Enjoy your life while you can. It is not how ling you live, but how well you live. Both Manila and Cebu have US / UK / OZ trained doctors. Just live with in 1 hr drive and you will feel safer and still be able to live on a budget and enjoy yourself. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chriseleanor Posted July 10, 2013 Posted July 10, 2013 hi bruce,what you said makes a lot so sense,im ok now had a stent put in when i had the heart attack,and feel fine now,just on meds,and i am 2 scared to stop them ,but dont want to pay much either ,well cant afford much,when i was there last week we were in manila ,alabang,we had no time to go to cebu or the islands ,but thats where i would live if we do make the move,but would have to have a look first of corse,she is a philippino ,and would like to go home ,lives and works in japan now,i would have about $2,400 a month to live on,but we are supporting her 3 kids though,but one works now and one is looking 4 work and one at collage ,so it wont be long and they wont cost much to keep,i like this forum and thanks 4 the reply. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Posted July 11, 2013 Posted July 11, 2013 Sounds as if you are in the recovered and stable status. 1 stent is not a big deal. I have known people with 12. Yes 12. I am assuming you are on either coumadin or Plavix to keep any clotting from forming around the stent. Coumadin is a generic and Plavix became a generic not too long ago. So either should be available for the asking at any pharmacy. Check at one the of foreigner rated hospitals for a cardiologist. See him so you can get to be his patient and he has a copy of your history. This way if you have an issue in the future, you get yourself to that hospital and tell them you are Dr xxx's patient and to call him. In any event, if you are stable and able to afford the meds, not going to Phils is a mistake. As for the GF and her kids. Before you make the move, set up a ' contract' so to speak in writing that you will support kid a,b,c, for x amount of time. After that they are one your own. You justify this by explaining that 'your' future is being held up and limited because you are spending money for them that you need to spend on your life (with their mother). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chriseleanor Posted July 12, 2013 Posted July 12, 2013 hi,im still not sure how to reply to the thread i want to on here, but in australia im on a ds pension disability suport ,and we can only leave australia for 6 weeks now and still be paid ,it was 13 weeks but the goverment in there wisdom have now made it 6 weeks,we can get indefinet portability but we have to sit a work compasity assesment and its very hard to get, i want to marry my girl and have her live in australia but she needs to work to suport her family and in tasmania where i live unenployment has just reached 8%,so my head is spinning just wondering what to do next,im thinking of the philippines but i will be burning all my bridges if i do ,so just dont know . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jollygoodfellow Posted July 12, 2013 Posted July 12, 2013 hi,im still not sure how to reply to the thread i want to on here, Do you mean to a particular post in this topic? Use the quote button. Perhaps this will help you, http://www.philippines-expats.com/index.php?app=core&module=help Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chriseleanor Posted July 12, 2013 Posted July 12, 2013 hi,im still not sure how to reply to the thread i want to on here, Do you mean to a particular post in this topic? Use the quote button. Perhaps this will help you, http://www.philippines-expats.com/index.php?app=core&module=help thanks ,i think i have it now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taz13 Posted July 19, 2013 Posted July 19, 2013 Some good ideas in this thread. This is my first post on this forum. My name is Mike and I live in Indonesia; I have been an Intl School teacher for the last ten years over here. I am not a teacher by trade; I came from the business world. But at the age of 45, I was looking for a paradigm shift and something that would be a challenge. in 1990 there was an article in a sailing magazine that dealt with people sailing boats out on the ocean i.e. 'cruisers', for the long term; and why some of them had to come back early; that is, why did they run out of money. at that point, i started keeping a daily accounting of every penny i spent the money. I had used a Daytimer for years (I now use a cheap notebook that fits in a shirt pocket) and so it was readily available to record the amts in. once in a while, i will miss a month out of sure laziness, and a couple of times i have gone three months. but it is interesting how that one simple strategy affected my life. i know exactly how much money i spend; and never think of saving money - only about spending it; the savings are merely a by-product of the strategy. I still maintain this strategy e.g. the latest recording in my notebook took place about six hours ago, and it is no more effort than brushing my teeth i.e. it is a habit. I started that habit over twenty years ago as i had a sailboat and my plans were to sail around the world. in the south pacific, i had an epiphany, actually two, and decided i very much enjoyed working and that a sailboat in a distant land was like a child, it had to be watched 24 hrs a day. the result of the epiphany was the boat was put up for sale and sold. starting out working at an Intl School in a third world country, i still lived frugally. and why not? there are so many things to do that give one a lot of pleasure. basically, the less i spent, the happier i was. I lived on 750 dollars a month ten years ago. i have lived in two houses; but generally prefer an apartment for the convenience and at about 14x28 feet for a studio, it is more than enough room for a girlfriend and myself. i havent driven a car in a very long time and have no desire to. six years ago, an expat had an up market bike. he had worked around the world and thought the bike one of his better investments. not jumping into new ideas, i pondered the purchase of a bike and after a year, bought one. not cheap; but one of the best things i ever did. i only wish i would have done it earlier; and wished i had also bought a good collapsible bike for travel purposes. I tried three times to get rid of the TV and the third time was maybe the charm. I have been TV free for over five years now. two years ago, i thought about 'retiring' and looked at a place in Indo that i liked a lot. it was remote, buccolic, but beautiful and had a number of special aspects to it. in the neighborhood, as i had visited the place several times, i had gotten to know a swiss lady who had moved there twenty years earlier and had a small but successful business. she wouldnt live any place else; not even back in swiss. no matter how much money she had. one day i asked her much one 'needs'.... Her reply was $300/mo was just fine; but noted that 400 gave one a little comfort. being overseas and talking with expats, one comes to realize that many people can look at the exact same thing, but have a very different view. Nice to have freedoms. for me, the simpler life gets, the higher the happiness quotient; 1300 dollars to live on in a third world? other than emergencies, i would love 1300 as it would mean i could use half of it on investments in the stock market. could i spend 1300, absolutely; but it wouldnt make my life any better. five years ago I lived on 1200 a month, but it didnt give me any more pleasure in life. A year ago, I decided to see just how low could i go. I arbitrarily set the bar at 600 dollar/mo i.e. with the exchange rate, it actually works out to 572. I have made it a year, struggled at times, but it is doable. (*knock on wood - i havent had any emergencies and that budget is for in country daily requirements living in a large city, and would not include plane tickets home, surgery, etc.) . Air-con. Have never had it. Back home a filipino friend offered some advice that has worked out: AC is like a drug, once you have it, you get addicted to it and have to have it. If i lived in a place where i absolutely had to have AC, i just wouldnt live there. otherwise, i pretty much acclimate and the heat doesnt bother me. Another thought that also has worked, "Two fans equal one air conditioner." Perhaps the Phils is on my radar for the future. God bless all. P.S. for living simply, ideas from people like Proenneke or Nearing might be of interest. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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