Living your dream

[PaulB]

Steve

Just my two pennies worth and i know this will not suit everyone but might you. What I have done is planned to get all the expensive costs out of the way before I move full time. House, furniture, Businesses, pool, car etc. This means when I get there full time it is just living costs I need to worry about. For anyone who has not jumped yet but wants to I would recommend this. Work seems so much nicer knowing it pays for our future in the Philippines.

 

just a thought.

 

Paul

[Dave Hounddriver]

4 hours ago, Gratefuled said:

Being on a "low budget"  one can always live here on the expat forum as many do day in and day out. 

Sometimes it seems like we are on here day in and day out.  I feel like that sometimes.  Today I cooked my breakfast, did my dishes, showered and dressed, went to the autobody shop to check on the progress of my car, caught a ride to town to have 4 beers with a friend.  Met another pleasant expat and chatted for an hour.  Ordered supper, took a 2 hour walk to come back home, chatted with the gf fro a few hours and here I am, spending all day on the forum again.  What did you do today Ed?

[stevewool]

6 hours ago, PaulB said:

Steve

Just my two pennies worth and i know this will not suit everyone but might you. What I have done is planned to get all the expensive costs out of the way before I move full time. House, furniture, Businesses, pool, car etc. This means when I get there full time it is just living costs I need to worry about. For anyone who has not jumped yet but wants to I would recommend this. Work seems so much nicer knowing it pays for our future in the Philippines.

 

just a thought.

 

Paul

We have the house already if it is where i would like to call home  for ever, but i am not sure on that, that is one of the reasons i ask so many questions about living cost like renting  for the just incase i would like to move somewhere else.

[stevewool]

8 hours ago, bigpearl said:

Hi, my names Steve,,,, and I'm an alcoholic. Jokes aside at the end of the day no matter the country we (sensible people) live, we do it on a budget within our means and live accordingly, whether 1K or 50K a month in any country. Life style wants and needs are dictated by our incomes/nest eggs/pensions along with our perceived life expectancy, what we will bequeath to others, all come into play and we all have to individually juggle our own personal situation/different scenarios at that level. Perhaps a thread should be started as follows: "Hi all I have a budget of 500 bucks, what can I expect (living conditions and lifestyle) for that in the Philippines? "Hi all I have a budget of 5,000 bucks etc". Instead of how much does/will it cost to live in the Philippines, does this topic become boring for you? The sums and situations are there for all to see, again boots on the ground and diligence/observation as also stated in thousands of other posts.

At the end of the day with thousands upon thousands of posts on this topic and related topics on the web one simply needs to research, on the ground experience is not always available to some would be/potential expats but surely helps. Instead of asking bloody research, that's what god made google for. Go and visit, personally a prerequisite, experience for yourself. Only my observation but for 4 to 500 bucks a month we live local in one of the backwater provinces and go with the flow, above that? What do you want? What are your needs? Your budget dictates where you fit in all countries, including your own. Your budget dictates your lifestyle and an acceptable contentment for a future in a new country and culture with or without a loved one. NUMBEO.COM offers figures. Between you I and the goalpost, the Philippines is an inexpensive retirement destination that will suit all budgets, even mine.

BTW piss is cheap there if you are an alcoholic, (like me) fuel is cheap if you drive an economical diesel, food is cheap if you eat local and cook the local diet, property is cheap by western standards, to hold and maintain the property is 2 bob and a bottle of beer once purchased or renting similar. 

As for a low budget Dave "Hounddriver" Nada, you are not plastic and very much to the point; appreciated whether slapped or agreed with. I am sure I/we would enjoy many drinks together, coffee, coke or alcohol (please pick alcohol) and still agree to disagree but in the end agree about our chosen destination.

BTW my name's Steve and I'm an alcoholic and all others slide to the back, finances dictate your lot in life and each individual needs to open their eyes and formulate their budget verses lifestyle parameters  within a great country (Phills), many other countries offer more or less. Where do you want to live? Obviously here (PH) as you I and others follow this forum. Phills is cheap but doesn't suit all, offers less and more. But hey, seems to suit many including me. Cheap beer or JD? Doubt it, the least of our worries, for most of us it's the people, culture, climate, economics, beauty, our loved ones and the challenge of assimilating/enjoying our new life that at the end of the day suits an individuals achievable budget and preferred life/style. Educated choice, right or wrong. Time tells all.

Wow that was a bit of a rant, soz; another JD please.

Cheers, Steve. 

What a great write up, and its something that may have bored you too.

Yes there is google and you tube and even books, but there is also friends and other folk  who are living in the places that someone may be looking at moving too, so if these people have the time and are happy to give that time to help or advice to stop people falling into something that may be wrong well i am all for that, well unless they start charging that is.

[Gratefuled]

6 hours ago, Dave Hounddriver said:

What did you do today Ed?

Today I woke up early as usual. I'm an early riser. Stepson is getting ready for school. Wife is making breakfast. I'm having a cup of coffee. 

Later this morning I'll do 5 KM. Wife and I will go to the mall, go to China Town ( Urangurin), S & R, then back home. I'll drop by the Expat forum and see what mischief you've been up to. Then, whatever else I can occupy myself with. I may challenge my neighbour to a friendly game of Dominoes or Rummy. It's Thursday today, so not much going on anywhere. 

What else do you want to know? What I will have for breakfast? My bowel movement? 

[davewe]

22 hours ago, Dave Hounddriver said:

One would think that drinking some beers pushes the budget higher but that is not so.  At our last gathering, one of the gents had 2 cokes while some others drank 4 bottles of beer.  The coke drinker was surprised to find that his bill was as high as the others.  Beer is cheaper than soft drinks OR bottled water in many Philippine locations.

Good news - I'm trying to cut back on caffeine!

[Dave Hounddriver]

1 hour ago, Gratefuled said:

What else do you want to know? What I will have for breakfast? My bowel movement? 

Your budget.   Because I felt a dig when you previously commented:

12 hours ago, Gratefuled said:

Being on a "low budget"  one can always live here on the expat forum as many do day in and day out. 

So I am wondering if you and I are doing pretty much the same things as anyone else and budget has f*ck all to do with it other than getting your digs in, or perhaps you too are on a low budget and I just misunderstood.

[sonjack2847]

21 hours ago, Dave Hounddriver said:

If you say so then it is true for you.

I wonder what @sonjack2847 has to say about that.  "I" believe you will find its cheaper to sit and drink 6 or more beers each time (to use your example) than to go sit with the expats in the coffee shop and have one Bo's coffee.  So this is one area where I have to disagree with you.  Reason being that I am on a low budget, as is Kevin, and we both drink as many beers as we like without significant effect on the budget.  So I'm thinking one would have to be an alcoholic to raise the monthly budget considerably.  But that's just my thinking and you will see for yourself, once you are living here, that there are a LOT of low budget alcoholics who know where to buy cheap beers and consume lots of them.

In short, this place is an alcoholic's paradise and it attracts a few of them.  Just for comparison, when I go sit with Jack for a bit, I can buy 4 beers for 100 pesos, (US$2) in the local shop.  What would it cost to do that in Thailand?  Is there anyplace left that is cheaper?

Just to drag this out for one more statement.  I could not handle 6 beers a day, but if I could I would go sit with Jack and drink them.  It would increase my budget 150 pesos a day or 4,500 pesos a month, but no it wouldn't because if you deduct the coffees, soft drinks, bottled water and what not that I would have spent that 4,500 on I believe it would be budget neutral.

The way we drink Dave it would not raise it significantly but I think Ron means the people who sit in bars all day most days.I know that if we did that our budget would be shot to pieces.I go to my corner shop and get SM for 29,ice cold ,clean toilets and a fan.I also go to the red table in Valencia where it is 30 per bottle or down with jack where it is 21-22 per bottle.When I go out with you guys later it will be roughly 25% more per bottle if we hit the happy hour.

The prices around here vary from ( bars) 30 to 70 per bottle.

[mogo51]

17 hours ago, Steve GCC said:

How much.........the question is always interesting to me.  Another couple of years for me for early retirement and plans coming along well to support that.

I see the MIL/FIL live comfortably on 20k Peso a month and eat well and have a tipple.  I see other familys close by work as labour or farmer and get 350 peso/day so around 9000 month.

I have friend who lives very well on 60k peso a month and that includes rent 15k, daughters nursery school, live in maid and running a car.

So for me I think the 60k peso a month is more than enough..................

But, each to there own lifestyle

Agree Steve.

[mogo51]

17 minutes ago, sonjack2847 said:

The way we drink Dave it would not raise it significantly but I think Ron means the people who sit in bars all day most days.I know that if we did that our budget would be shot to pieces.I go to my corner shop and get SM for 29,ice cold ,clean toilets and a fan.I also go to the red table in Valencia where it is 30 per bottle or down with jack where it is 21-22 per bottle.When I go out with you guys later it will be roughly 25% more per bottle if we hit the happy hour.

The prices around here vary from ( bars) 30 to 70 per bottle.

Thanks Kev, that was exactly what I meant.