Living well and not breaking the bank

[stevewool]

Here we go with the peso rate as it is and we do not know what is coming next, what is a modest budget we are expected to live on.
I am referring to the Philippines, and I do know many have a great budget and do not spend it all and there are a few who are on a smaller budget too.
I do know we are all different in our outlooks and what suits one will not suit another,
Emma has told me she wants £400 a month to live well, that's paying the household bills and buying the food and maybe a few extras each month, she has also said she could save money from the £400 too. And who am I to say she cannot.
Remember there is no rent or mortgage coming from that figure.
We have more then that but that will pay for the goodies the extras and trips .
So why is it she would like me to stay here and work for X numbers of years I keep asking.
Well you did say you will retire at 60 when we first meet is her answer,
Not a chance I told her for the last 8 years:doh

[Terpe]

OK, this is just my personal opinion.
It's based on my own experience of living here recently and based on my own demands of quality of life.

Sorry if it sounds a bit 'hard nosed', but here goes.

Firstly, I really wouldn't want to relocate to the Philippines (or anywhere else) without a fixed income, such as pension.
IMHO, rent on a property just isn't secure enough (for me) regardless who is the tenant

Secondly, GBP400 per month just won't cut the mustard in terms of supporting the quality of life for my own needs.
I'm not suggesting for one minute it can't be done, I just saying based on my thinking it's just too little.

Having said that, if I still lived in Mindanao GBP400 would be easy to live on. The cost of living down there is so much less expensive than here in NCR

If I lived in the rural areas of Pantukan (as I've done) then GBP400 per month means I can live like a king......really.

So it's a case of horses for course IMHO

But honestly, I'd be very very cautious to put a retirement life in the balance on the basis of a potential GBP400 income.

You'd need to be content to be 'at home'

Just my 2 centavos Steve.

[Harry T]

From my admitted very limited experience it very much depends on where you live in Phills, and who and where you shop/dine, example we had a very good dinner here yesterday for 4 people, and the Landlady totalled up the cost it came to less than 200 pesos, whereas the first night i got here in Valancia i went for a Maccy and for 3 of us it came to 296 Pesos, I cant comment on restaurant food as i havent had the pleasure yet on this Trip, but i recall on my last visit i went to a Vietnamese restaurant near to peoples park ? in Davao, and it came to the best part of 10K and the food was rubbish, if you think about it, its basically the same in the UK, you can eat in a Cafe in Kings Park, Bournemouth and get a very good all day Breakfast for £5-50 or the special Dinner for the same price, i can go down to The square, and a similar meal will cost me double..

Of course you CAN live on £400 per month, but by the same Token you could also live up to a £1000+ per month, you cut your cloth to suit your Budget simple as..

The biggest obstacle to me personally to live in Phills would be Health Care cost, this would not be an issue, if i had a property in the UK where i could return to when not if my Health worsened, but as i dont have that safety net then i think maybe my future lies in the UK, though i love the Philippines and the people here.

[grahamw48]

Health has to be the elephant in the room.

I've been lucky so far. :cwm25:

I don't care how much money you've got, it can be quickly swallowed up in the Phils if you fall seriously ill. Then there is the health of your immediate family members (if any) of course.

You need to be able to get the hell out of there fast, and if you've burned your bridges in the UK, have a very generous (UK) family.

Other than that, I could fairly easily jack it all in here and live off my state pension. I'm used to living frugally, but still enjoying life... as long as my asawa and boy don't mind doing the same. Hmm. :Erm:

[Tawi2]

Health,oh dear,i have just been away for a month,a friend of mine from pangasinans father is in a coma,she and her husband who both live in ontario thankfully are paying 10,000 pesos a day,he has been in the coma for a month and a half'ish?That Price is for 3 nurses a day to cover 24 hr care and for a ventilator rental,it cost them approx 15,000 pesos a day when he first went into hospita,his wife has altzeimers,its not a rosy future.
I also met a guy who is a nurse in ottawa,he is a thoroughly decent bloke,but has a massive financial burden,he is paying kidney dialysis for his sisters 27 year old daughter,now THAT is a long term commitment,i met quite a few canuck pinoys and all said they are glad to be canadian,they laughed when i said its more fun in the philippines (but only if you have the money to pay for it).And dont forget there's been at least 2 news stories in the past about brits who werent allowed to leave hospitals in pinas as they had difficulty in paying their bills.

[Michael Parnham]

I lived really well in Dumaguete on less than £850 per month and saved almost £500 a month out of that:xxgrinning--00xx3:

[Tawi2]

Too many temptations in superlees michael,i was always buying crap from there,siquijor was cheaper as no malls,Davao cheaper still for me,its all relative i guess,but healthcare for guys of advanced years is always the bugbear.

[Michael Parnham]

Too many temptations in superlees michael,i was always buying crap from there,siquijor was cheaper as no malls,Davao cheaper still for me,its all relative i guess,but healthcare for guys of advanced years is always the bugbear.

I am good at budgeting, but regarding Health I'm very lucky no problems at all and that was the main reason for coming back to UK because as soon as they see you are white the bills start to climb:Erm:

[Tawi2]

Health really is wealth,but everyone knows puti pluck their cash from trees so why not charge them double :icon_lol:

[grahamw48]

Yep.... millionaire of my status shouldn't even have to wear his own socks. :icon_lol:

[Terpe]

Health,oh dear,i have just been away for a month,a friend of mine from pangasinans father is in a coma,she and her husband who both live in ontario thankfully are paying 10,000 pesos a day,he has been in the coma for a month and a half'ish?

Hardly anyone here, regardless, could afford that.
I'd be dead already. No problem.
Better my wife will have sufficient for a good life.

[Tawi2]

They cant afford it,its just the realities of their situation,she is a nurse,he works 3 low pay jobs,they pay the mortgage on a very nice house in ottawa,luckily 3 members of the family live and work abroad but its really taking its toll,she is having to cash in some sort of canadian pension policy?I didnt dwell on their finances,or question,the community they are in were all supportive but its heart or head,she is thinking with her heart,he is her father.

[Terpe]

.....
he is paying kidney dialysis for his sisters 27 year old daughter....




PhilHealth president and CEO Alexander Padilla said the current coverage of P4,000 per session turned out to be more than enough since the normal cost is only P2,500


Could be quite expensive if you have no Philhealth and need so many sessions per month

Anyone needing two-three treatments per week could well be needing well over 40,000 pesos per month without Philhealth.
A kidney transplant could easily cost 1 – 2 millions pesos.

Time to give up or return to UK on a permanent basis and take a risk on the chance. Given your age of course.

[Tawi2]

The dialysis she is on it for life,27 years old,her uncle was frustrated when i chatted to him,he is making a life for himself but he said its one problem after another back home,personally i would try the transplant option were i in that situation,thats just 2 peoples stories i heard in the month,its played out all over pinas on a daily basis for countless individuals and must account for a large sum of cash remmitted back to the PI weekly.

[Terpe]

Being on dialysis and needing a transplant is a huge distress to anyone.
Being in UK or Canada doesn't help much at all.

In the UK the waiting time for a deceased donor kidney transplant is minimum 2 to 5 years simply because the demand in the UK is far higher than the available supply of donors.
Waiting times depend on many factors including age.

Needing just one kidney isn't too bad as family members can donate.

As far as I know living on dialysis isn't a long term otion with average life expectancy of just 5-10 years. If you're lucky just enough time to find a transplant. With some good luck some folks might make it on dialysis for 20 or even 30 years. Max

[Tawi2]

Just buy a cheapy from e-bay in india according to urban legend,problema solved :biggrin: i have a mate here in uk had a transplant,he likes alcohol so is an idiot,his transplant is ok but he is drinking again,the sands of time are trickling away for him,always look after health,its worth almost as much on the FTSE as that other diminishing commodity time.

[Terpe]

Just buy a cheapy from e-bay in india according to urban legend,problema solved :biggrin: i

Well mate, I'm sure you know your well know urban legend is incorrect.
Under Indian law, only close relatives can donate their kidneys to patients in need. Buying and selling organs is strictly prohibited and punishable by prison sentences

[Tawi2]

I know,I also,know that murder,rape,theft etc are also strictly prohibited and punishable by prison sentences :smile: one thing i learnt in life is never underestimate desperate people.

[Tawi2]

Theres a few villages in india quite well known for it,only a few months ago a CEO and a surgeon were arrested at a decent bombay hospital for being incolved in the organ trade,theres even a place in nepal nicknamed kidney valley because its the place to fo for bargain bodyparts.
9750

[Terpe]

.

[jonnijon]

Yep.... millionaire of my status shouldn't even have to wear his own socks. :icon_lol:

You can always go to OKI-OKI Graham, you can get second hand underpants there. :omg::omg::omg:

[Tawi2]

You can always go to OKI-OKI Graham, you can get second hand underpants there. :omg::omg::omg:
I have seen second hand bra's there :cwm25:

[grahamw48]

Don't know about undies, my Mrs reckons we should start stocking up on adult diapers soon. :olddude: :biggrin: