How Much Could You Live On? One Month.

[tothevictor]

 

 You're absolutely right, I'll stop engaging in forums like this and just let people bitch about how miserable they are while they convince themselves there's nothing they can do about i

 

No reason to do that if its just a few people rubbing you the wrong way.  I mean you're bound to have people get under your skin from time to time.  Once you understand what my 'signature' is all about you will be great on the forums.  People don't want to be told, unless they are being told:  You're right.

 

Bottom line.  Sometimes we're right, but others don't "get it".   Sometimes we're wrong, and its we, ourselves, who don't "get it"  .

 

If I could modify the words in your signature to read: My truth is based on evidence and experience and I am more than willing to accept other people's points of view simply because it was by listening to others that I obtained that evidence and experience it might make more sense to me. I'm not suggesting I will walk away from the forums, I find them entertaining, I may just stop sharing the way I do (you may remember my post about buying and flipping houses) though.

[stevewool]

Wow, now i know why i dont want to be involved in any sort of business, i am going to retire and do bugger all what i dont want to do, just enjoy the days as they come and i may even go to these places and help towards your income some days, would  i get discount

[davewe]

Wow, now i know why i dont want to be involved in any sort of business, i am going to retire and do bugger all what i dont want to do, just enjoy the days as they come and i may even go to these places and help towards your income some days, would  i get discount

I agree! 

 

I think tothevictor makes some excellent points. To paraphrase his view - live good, better than in the West, and work to make the money to do it. That's certainly a valid scenario - just not one I'd want. I know several people with successful businesses in PI, so I am sure it can be done. But as for me - I already make money, spend it and live well. But I am also tired of it and want a different life in my retirement.

 

But this does prove that not only do different guys have different notions of Philippines happiness, but that it can be accomplished in different ways. 

 

However, if any of you see me retire in the Philippines and then start up some businesses and start working hard - please feel free to hit me upside the head and remind me that that's not what I retired for :)

[Jake]

I am not wealthy, but I make sound investment choices. We set up all the various business ventures for a couple thousand bucks. They were all profitable in month one. I often ask myself why it is that people who come here insist on living on so little when it so easy to take a TINY amount of capital here and have it generate an income that is higher than most pensions.

 

Just my two cents, sorry if I went a bit off topic.  TL;DR: How much could I live on in the Philippines for one month? About 200,000 pesos.

Hello Victor,

 

Through hard work, perseverance and business savvy.....you also have mastered the local jungle rules.

CPA'd of international Asian flavor, you know how to get your spices -- one way or the other.

 

Respectfully -- Jake 

[stevewool]

A long time ago , i wanted to leave my stress full life here in England, working and sleeping , more working less sleeping , bills and more bills, the weather, cold and wet, stress

The stress was just doing my head in,

I wanted to move to the Phils and get ride of all the stress, no work =no stress, not so many bills= not so much stress,warm weather but then i thought about looking for something to do, lets start a business Ems to make some sort of income,

A  pension house maybe, even a computer shop, how about a sari sari store, Taxi service, we could make a little and keep ourselves busy at the same time i thought and it would give Ems something to do too,

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW, STRESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS,

Edited August 7, 2015 by stevewool

[BrettGC]

sh&t guys, this isn't difficult. Don't invest a dollar that you won't make two on. Why am I getting sh&t about this? 

 

 

No sh&t from me mate, I'd like to quiz you on all the costs, I'm looking at setting up something similar to make up for the AUD tanking.  Much kudos for making it work.  Frosty and I have seen a very similar setup working very well in barangay Basak in LLC, with similar outcomes.  Family concern so the outgoings are minimal with regards to wages, decent food, and cheap beer with a videoke machine available at a cost.  I'm assuming your margins are much the same as hospitality in Australia so about a 25% markup on the drinks, about 300% on food and anything else from the Sari-Sari being about 50% paying for convenience in general thing.  PM me mate, I'd like to know more, as to how you competed and won the "one on every corner" battle amongst other things.  

[Thomas]

First I say I don't know "anything" about bars, because I'm not interested in such business type, so I can't coment the told VALUES, but many business actions are general, so I tell in general:

And as for your 30% mark up on groceries, come on. That's large volume so you must getting from a wholesaler and overselling,

Of course geting things from a wholeseller - or from the producer.

(A Filipina friend of mine had a sarisari with very small margins - until I told her how to get contacts to local cheaper suppliers. (=Offer to work for FREE a few days for someone who knows, and follow him/her to their supplier   :)    If she would have had a vehicle, she could some products even cheaper.)   

So how about you don't buy from Puregold? How about running a vehicle down to a wholesaler in Manila for stock? It's not really that complicated.

 

I'd just like to say that you guys seem to be pretty screwed up on the concept of doing business. I go out, I network (we gave away a LOT of beer to various people when we started) and I do the same thing here as I would anywhere else. That's business. 

The big mistake that locals make (and it is not their fault) is being under capitalized.

  Yes. Having more capital add options they don't have even IF they would think of it. Some Filipinos are street smart, but many do realy big misstakes, by not understanding business basics.

To earn better than the locals, we need to THINK DIFFERENT than - most -  locals...

Some Filipinos are very clever and earn very good, although they started with litle money. I have told one type = FINANCING farmers work.

An other type I don't tell, because I haven't decided if I will do it myself, and I want to be first  (It excist allready, but I plan to do it different.) But I tell some hints by telling some values:

A Filipino opponent company managed to sell the product for around 7000p rather easy.

I have found where I can buy same type in BETTER type in "bulk" for as low as 500p each sometimes, under 2000p I have found in several places, but no Filipino seem to have thought of that!!!  PLUS earning not so good, but ok at the "service" after it's sold.

BUT that opponent company has MESSED IT UP by NOT FULLFIL what they promised, they made a SCAM  :bash:  and run with the money without deliver, so now they have to pay MORE than they got paid to the customers to avoid going to jail  :mocking:  

Idiots! Instead of doing it proper with good profit, just some more DONE work needed :1 (103):            

So by that scam they have damaged the REPUTATION for such business among common customers. It's left to see if they have forgot that,  when I can be ready to start. 

Otherwice I believe there is an other product, which same basic idea can be used at. I'm still researching that, I don't have all values yet, but I believe it can be similar proportions between buy and sell price. Still for BETTER products than the opponents sell now.  (I don't know if there are any such companies in Phils, but there are such in other countries and I compare with their prices and products.)

 

I will NOT confirm if anyone figuere out what it is   :) (At least until AFTER I have done it, or chosed an other of my favorites.)  I just told as examples of it's possible.

[Ray61]

Hello, to everybody. I'm newbie on this forum. I live in Agoo La Union, from 3 months. Some years ago, I was living in Mindanao and Angeles City and between, I was living several years in Thailand, in Pattaya and in the rice fields in the North of Thaïland. Total, about 10 years in different places in SE Asia and 1 year (last year), in Madagascar (South of Africa). The main reason of this, is that I can live almost anywhere. I'm not retired, but I work through and on Internet. I'm such like an IT globe trotter.  Any way, in Thaïland and in Madagascar (and in Morroco, 15 years ago), I created small companies, because I like to develop also my own business, where I live.

 

In Agoo, La Union (The place of Victor), we are living 4 adults in a full furnished house 3 bed rooms, near the beach. (10K a month), Internet 4.3K (+/- 6Mbps), electric 2.6K, food and all for house and cares 18K a month. We live very well and we eat what we want. I go myself with my gf to buy food in the local market, almost every day. I'm surprised to discover on this forum that some foreigners are living in Agoo, because, I've never seen one of them anywhere here. I travel in motorbike and in Agoo center, everybody know my face, but I've never seen a foreigner here. There is a place, in Agoo, where other foreigners go to take a drink ?

 

About cost of living, I keep every day, a list of all expenses. I know eactly the price of chicken, baboy, fish, vegeatbable and so on. I can say that, with the same kind of food, coming from the same market, we can eat for 500PHP a day (4 adults, me and my son 23yo, little disable, my gf and another full time girl to help) like 1500PHP a day. All depends on the way of cooking, and on the month, it's really a very big difference. I know, because, I changed last month the way to prepare dishes. Before, I had an housekeeper, to take care of cooking and now, it's my gf. I don't look at all about her choice of food in the market, but I saw that the bills goes down from 1.5K a day to 0.6K a day, only by changing the way of cooking. We eat much more filipinos dishes, and yes, it's less fat, less meat, more vegetable, better for health... For most of us, important is to save money or to use money for something else than food. 

 

Of course, if you go to buy this same food in hypermarket, in San Fernando, La Union, the bill will be much higher again; for almost the same dishes. So, it's really important to look what to eat, where to buy food, and how to prepare the dishes, because, for almost the same food, you can multiply the cost by 4 to eat almost the same.

 

We don't smoke and we don't drink beer or wine. I stopped last year to drink to loose some weight, but I'm very "good" drinker. To make me drunk, I need a third or a half of bottle of whisky. I'm not addicted with anything. I can drink a lot a night and stop for several months the day after. I don't need to drink to enjoy of life and I think that drinking and smooking cost a lot. But, we can enjoy of life differently, with outings on the beach, in parks, in travel...

 

Any way, I'm used to live in many places. I know very well Thailand too, Pattaya and the country side. Thaïland is currently much more expensive than Philippines, to have similar life. I think that living in Thaïland is about 30 to 40% more expensive than the same living in Phils.  

 

And last point, I plan to move in the area of my gf, Western Samar, Catbalogan. I don't know yet, if there are many foreigners there, but I'm above all interrested to enjoy visiting islands, caves, waterfalls and so on. In Agoo, there is not many places to visit. We went to Pugad and Baguio (in the clouds), but that's all. So, if some of you know about Samar or live there, please tell me what you think about it. Thanks. 

[Dave Hounddriver]

So, if some of you know about Samar or live there, please tell me what you think about it. Thanks. 

 

If you search Catbalgan in these forums you will find a lot of posts by member Bruce.  He spends a lot of time there and posts some good information.  You could possibly send him a private message to ask him about the area.  Here is one of his posts:

 

http://www.philippines-expats.com/topic/20716-retarded-girl-update-novermber-2014/?p=135235

[tothevictor]

 I'm surprised to discover on this forum that some foreigners are living in Agoo, because, I've never seen one of them anywhere here. I travel in motorbike and in Agoo center, everybody know my face, but I've never seen a foreigner here. There is a place, in Agoo, where other foreigners go to take a drink ?

 

 

Hi Ray, I sent you a PM. If you ever want to come and grab a pizza and a refreshment let me know, same goes for anyone else who is around. I just came back from a run to San Fernando to buy some electrical equipment and the bar is jammed full of people. I was not aware of any other foreigners here either, until you weighed in. Anyone else? Perhaps we could start a small social club!