expatuk2014 Posted May 28, 2020 Posted May 28, 2020 our situation here in Los banos is like most expats, I havent been outside the compound since march 13th, the wife and her sister can only do shopping on certain days of the week with a 10am deadline as thats when the free electric Trikes stop! I can pay most bills online Internet,credit card bills etc, Our Electric bill this month is just over 3000 pesos double the usual, but then we are using more fans due to the heat ! and the wife is cooking by electric as gas is getting hard to get ! somedays can be a bit boring but I just listen to my scanner finding different frequencies to listen too im amazed that even in Los banos I can pickup signals from Slex, Manilas C3 and even Cavite ! on my handheld scanner overall compared to Jan and Feb we are saving approx we are saving approx 15000 pesos a month due to the fact we are not going out at weekends , so no petrol or driver costs and no japan surplus ! the wife and her sister with our driver went to S&R on Monday and was able to buy me some Fundador no restriction on Alcohol sales there ! and stocked up on cleaning products,coffee, burgers and my favourite flounder fish ! and cinnamon rolls and apple strudels, Bobs a happy bunny !! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrettGC Posted May 28, 2020 Posted May 28, 2020 6 hours ago, Jack Peterson said: I'm sure it is not just me but this long Lockdown is proving to get even more expensive. We here on Negros have just had notice that we are extended on GCQ until june 15th Whilst we don't have rent or mortgage to pay, our outgoings are as with many I am sure are escalating even without Moving and doing things we normally do, my Wife is on a 5 day 12 hour week so she is not here Locked up with us all the time, Our Daughter of course is Home but does escape to Family when Passes permit, With extended Payment systems in operation, We are paying what we can although on estimated Bills which we up to try and cover any increase in our usage which is happening, I am buying extra Data for the internet as Our daughter needs it to do online work set by the Uni ( when she is at home that is) It is getting like trying to save money, when Saving we try hard yet, we tend to spend more. So for us here just now it is costing us More to stay ay home, I have not been beyond the 50/90 meters of my Gates as set by the Quarantine rules ( I am 72) fo over 3 months. As with most of us I would guess, the Cash is still coming in as normal BUT it is going out a damn site quicker than Normal and we Have not been out as a family to meets, Dinners etc: Goodness only knows how the local and less fortunate Expat is coping, Many around us here that had or have a Job are not going to get over this in a short time. Not a rant but just things as we Find them just now The Angry Midget just told me that they opened up alcohol sales again last week, so it's not all bad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freebie Posted May 28, 2020 Posted May 28, 2020 i sympathise with the poster. Fortunately in Makati I seem to be able to og out whenever i choose and Im in the over 60s group. No one has ever asked me a question about me being out. Have a pass although no spuermarkets have ever asked for it. Saving a lot as no haircuts needed, no date nights , no restaurants, no bars... no flights and no trips whether domestic or international. So that side of things goes well.. fortunately no one asking for ( or getting ) any money from me either. Just shows how there is no uniformity in the lockdown and everywhere does it differently. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeoffH Posted May 28, 2020 Posted May 28, 2020 1 hour ago, Tukaram (Tim) said: What expenses have gone up? I'm stuck in Australia so my expenses are up (it's more expensive to live here) and I'm keeping two houses running, plus I've been sending food to some of the family members that haven't been working. But mainly... my income is down. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hk blues Posted May 28, 2020 Posted May 28, 2020 20 minutes ago, BrettGC said: The Angry Midget just told me that they opened up alcohol sales again last week, so it's not all bad We're now on our 3rd separate alcohol ban. The 1st reprieve lasted 1 day and the 2nd about 6 or 7 days! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrettGC Posted May 28, 2020 Posted May 28, 2020 (edited) 11 minutes ago, GeoffH said: I'm stuck in Australia so my expenses are up (it's more expensive to live here) and I'm keeping two houses running, plus I've been sending food to some of the family members that haven't been working. But mainly... my income is down. Same but different here... I'm not full time there yet but since the Angry Midget hasn't been working, I've had to send her money. She's left Dumaguete and moved back into our place about 2 hours north in Guilulngan City. So we're feeding Momma, Bro (normally working but lost his job with the lock down) and neice which I don't mind at all. Makes you wonder how those that don't have income from any source are fairing. The crunch is it's made us realise how much the place needs some finishing off after the rennovation so that's costing, but on the upside, she's there to supervise. Just means the impending buying of the lot in Dumaguete will be postponed, but that was going to happen either way due to COVID. Edited May 28, 2020 by BrettGC 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hk blues Posted May 28, 2020 Posted May 28, 2020 1 hour ago, Tukaram (Tim) said: What expenses have gone up? My wife tells me the weekly grocery bill is up a little and my beer is absolutely more expensive. Otherwise, no changes to our expenses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heeb Posted May 28, 2020 Posted May 28, 2020 My expenses are up, we normally eat out a lot but including myself I'm feeding 7 people, I have 4 nieces that got out of NCR before they went into lockdown and then got stuck here, our dog had puppies so I have 7 shih tzu's running around. Food is definitely getting way more expensive, my wife buys a lot of apples and oranges, and they are way up, 3 oranges are like 7 bucks now. I try to do the shopping and i buy local fruit like pineapple, and papaya, much cheaper, my wife doen't realize that some items you are better off buying the cheaper version, the stateside stuff is very high, and since the price isn't marked on them, on purpose i think, she just grabs it without thinking, yes some stuff it's good to buy imports. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnMyWay Posted May 28, 2020 Posted May 28, 2020 1 hour ago, expatuk2014 said: my favourite flounder fish Are those nice thick filets? I love those and must look for them next trip! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huggybearman Posted May 28, 2020 Posted May 28, 2020 Our expenses are way down. Electric is higher, mainly the A/C, but not by much. Biggest saving is gas for the car. Not doing nearly as many miles. My wife is doing much more home cooking and baking, which is a big saving. That said, we are helping a few family members in small ways, which is an added cost, but that is fine! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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