pissed with life here

[imagine]

Crikey Jim.. I think you should have your meter checked.. Never paid more than 150.00 and neither have my tenants!!
Bit concerned about your Cinema bills too!! Popcorn + 4 packet of crisps a large Sprite and a ticket only sets me back a little over 200.00!!
As you say.. 68K is pretty good living IMO..

i guess a hot shower is out of the question

[grahamw48]

Done it...several times, on a lot less than that amount.
Last trip was for 3 years.

I rented a 4 bed detached house for a year before completing my own.

3 children too.

We were all happy, comfortable and well fed...but I am resourceful and enjoy DIY, growing fruit and veg, and home-cooking.

...AND I'm a Yorkshireman.

Stepdaughter waiting for her Xmas tea....



Fun at the pool a few hundred yards down the road...

[imagine]

Done it...several times, on a lot less than that amount.
Last trip was for 3 years.

I rented a 4 bed detached house for a year before completing my own.

3 children too.

We were all happy, comfortable and well fed...but I am resourceful and enjoy DIY, growing fruit and veg, and home-cooking.

...AND I'm a Yorkshireman.

yep thats a yorkshire man, orite

[JimOttley]

i guess a hot shower is out of the question

No we have hot shower same way we did it as kids in Scotland, with a kettle

[JimOttley]

Crikey Jim.. I think you should have your meter checked.. Never paid more than 150.00 and neither have my tenants!!
Bit concerned about your Cinema bills too!! Popcorn + 4 packet of crisps a large Sprite and a ticket only sets me back a little over 200.00!!
As you say.. 68K is pretty good living IMO..

150 peso a month you got your meters jumpered? EDIT: oops I thought you meant the electric you meant water

Cinema, I think our tickets are 120 odd peso each in Mall of Asia, popcorn, drinks, hot dogs and other junk would add up to the 400 peso for two, it's only approximate I don't count the change or check the prices

I've checked the electric, we use low energy everything but as I've mentioned to you before on other power usage thread she uses 4 electric fans that are probably running 24 hours a day making the place hotter rather than cooler, that can be up to 280 watts with some of these fans being 70 or more Watts each. Fans light TV and ref would realistically be 1800 peso a month the way she uses them and the prices Meralco are charging these days. Aircon used 8 hours at night can eat horrific amounts of money I prefer to live without it but it important to Ana can cost 2000 peso a month or more just for aircon :(

If she paid the electric bills on time we could get onto the equivalent of a white meter night rate much cheaper but she's not that disciplined sadly :(

Now I understand, you meant water, Ana is obsessive compulsive on cleanliness, we use a lot, an awful lot of water Our water bill in the Condo was similar 5 years back maybe just 600 rather than 1000 but I mean she REALLY uses a hell of a lot of water.

[grahamw48]

i guess a hot shower is out of the question

HOT shower ?

Isn't it bloody hot enough there ?

Aircon ? Pah ! ...unhealthy anyway I reckon.

[JimOttley]

HOT shower ?

Isn't it bloody hot enough there ?

Aircon ? Pah ! ...unhealthy anyway I reckon.

In December the tap water is pretty cold rest of the year then yeah a cold shower is very refreshing.

Yes you're right the Aircon can be unhealthy, sometimes nice to have at night but we had it on in January when it was actually cold in Manila at least the thermostat meant it never actually kicked onto the compressor so it was just another electric fan.

[fred]

But let's face it ... would we be ANY better off living in the Phils? I don't think so!

Arthur..Just about every expat I know here is living a far better life than they could ever expect to live in the UK or the USA..
The very thought of returning to the UK makes me quake in my flip flops!
Just answering your initial question.

[fred]

No whining,no complaining,no stressed out people , no council tax,no mortgage,no freezing crappy winters,no burst pipes,no rip off plumbers,no disrespectful 10-16 year olds,no forums with threads entitled "pissed with life here" and no going to work!!
cheap food,cheap petrol,cheap labour,cheap booze,
beaches and hammocks,live blue`s booze and BBq`s , jazz nights, Cinemas,scuba diving,socialising,cheap massages, spa`s,Gyms,cheap restaurants,a great wife and a great life ..
And no going to work!!
Im sure I would be far better off in the UK..
(sorry..I said Booze twice!!)

[joebloggs]

Arthur..Just about every expat I know here is living a far better life than they could ever expect to live in the UK or the USA..
The very thought of returning to the UK makes me quake in my flip flops!
Just answering your initial question.

if i didn't have to work fred, then it would be a better life, no matter where i am
were stuck in the UK for many years yet, just as englishman kids, work and debts will keep us here

thou my stepson sees his future here in the uk for his wife and kids not the phils

[joebloggs]

No whining,no complaining,no stressed out people , no council tax,no mortgage,no freezing crappy winters,no burst pipes,no rip off plumbers,no disrespectful 10-16 year olds,no forums with threads entitled "pissed with life here" and no going to work!!
cheap food,cheap petrol,cheap labour,cheap booze,
beaches and hammocks,live blue`s booze and BBq`s , jazz nights, Cinemas,scuba diving,socialising,cheap massages, spa`s,Gyms,cheap restaurants,a great wife and a great life ..
And no going to work!!
Im sure I would be far better off in the UK..
(sorry..I said Booze twice!!)

moaning and whining i think comes with being a brit , council tax yes , mortgage uk or phils i would still have one , crappy winter - use to it thou i like the snow , burst pipe never had one i can remember, rip off plumbers i've never needed one, thou garages ripping me off , i dont come across any 10-16yr olds hardly so dont know about that,

as for cheap things, i suppose it depends on what you earn in the uk, within a couple of miles of me, i've got the trafford centre, golf courses, heaton park , museums, old trafford football ground, cricket, chill factore - indoor ski ing, you name it..

not all dome and gloom here fred, if your on good money (which i'm not ), sure high taxes but we have the nhs, good tv, benefits tax creds, unemployment etc, decent cops - no need to carry a gun, 100mb inet etc... but i wouldnt mind the best of both worlds

[keithAngel]

Fred and Jim have it right taking your opening post at face value in terms of just living a "half" local life 10k is plenty for a year many yanks live here on $600 a month but they do have vets health insurance

My honest opinion is that money here gets spent to relieve boredom you really need an interest that doesnt come out of a bottle

If you have no rent to pay I could sure live here on 30,000 about £450 if i didnt party to much could eat what i liked electric and water 2000 tops food 8000 including cheese butter and some luxury items i could go on a trip for a few days each month 5000 or so and still drink and smoke whatever i want

Health care insurance is the unknown that you might want to treat seperatly

[imagine]

No we have hot shower same way we did it as kids in Scotland, with a kettle

and i remember a tin bath in front of living room fire, filled from the kettle, no central heating then, winter only the one room heated

[Terpe]

10,000 to 15,000 is around 1k per month or 250peso per week, I think its more than that. I know that in the rice fields near my gf province they earn around 120 peso per day, 600 per week and thats not so well paid.

That is my bad typo. Of course it should be P10k - P15k per month.

[stevewool]

68k a month is plenty..
A Filipino family of 2 adults and 2 kids can live on 5k a month or less depending if they have an income or not.
Our expenses here in the province come to around 30K a month and there are 8 of us living in this owned house..
That amount doesn't include school fees etc but I doubt you will need to know about that kind of thing.
Cheers,
Fred.

thanks fred, seems the best way to be is to own the property,

[stevewool]

we all have differant amounts in our heads, and yes we must think of our health too, but do we, we are all going to die and i have lost my dad to cancer and my mum and 1 sister and 1 brother, i dont want to wait to die, my life is ment to be great enjoying what i have here and hoping to enjoy life later with emma too, where who knows but sunshine and warmth would be welcome, england is just stress for many here , work bills and just trying to save for the future, some say live today, tomorrow takes care of itself, well you only have yourself to look after yourself i say, if you are working great, england seems to look after those that dont work and seems to have nothing, but it seems funny those people seems to have a lot more then i , just a thought

[Terpe]

I've got a feeling that 2011 will be a tough year all round. Many changes on the way.
Not many will be welcomed.

[stevewool]

indeed, we have just lost a few major contracts with work and you dont want to think bad thoughts but look around you , its not a land of milk and honey, unless your a banker

[imagine]

I've got a feeling that 2011 will be a tough year all round. Many changes on the way.
Not many will be welcomed.

its tuff now,and its going to get tougher,keep your money safe

[stevewool]

thats it keep your money safe , this may was going to pay another chunk of the mortgage but that would leave me without any savings ,long term best thing to do short term, dont now, do i fixed again or wait and see, to many things to think off

[fred]

we all have differant amounts in our heads, and yes we must think of our health too, but do we, we are all going to die and i have lost my dad to cancer and my mum and 1 sister and 1 brother, i dont want to wait to die, my life is ment to be great enjoying what i have here and hoping to enjoy life later with emma too, where who knows but sunshine and warmth would be welcome, england is just stress for many here , work bills and just trying to save for the future, some say live today, tomorrow takes care of itself, well you only have yourself to look after yourself i say, if you are working great, england seems to look after those that dont work and seems to have nothing, but it seems funny those people seems to have a lot more then i , just a thought

thats it keep your money safe , this may was going to pay another chunk of the mortgage but that would leave me without any savings ,long term best thing to do short term, dont now, do i fixed again or wait and see, to many things to think off

The best thing Steve is to plan what you and your Mrs want to do with your life ASAP.. Where ever or what ever that may be and formulate a plan to make it happen..
I have always been a bit of a rebel and have refused the type of life certain UK institutions and others have told me I should just accept and be happy with.. simply because they say :Thats the way it is"!
I have always fought against the inevitable practice of paying into a retirement plan and reaping uncertain benefits for when Im in my 60`s and perhaps restrained by a wheel chair!!
I have always searched for better ways to invest my hard earned cash and have simply refused to accept the terms they present to me by their highly paid and biased financial experts.. If I accept their terms,I have already given them the best years of my life ..far in advance.
Its been said many times...we only have ONE life...Lets not be scammed out of it by so called financial experts that always seem to know what's best for us..
Its your life...Do whats best for you.. Just live the life YOU want to live and produce your own plan to do it!!
This is NOT a rehearsal!
Tama!!

Fred.

[Arthur Little]

... when Im in my 60`s and perhaps restrained by a wheel chair!!

I'm more than halfway-through my 60s now, Fred ... and I ain't in a - not yet, anyway!

[JimOttley]

and i remember a tin bath in front of living room fire, filled from the kettle, no central heating then, winter only the one room heated

We used to have a back boiler link to the immersion heater tank above the coal fire in the kitchen, even with that going flat out we could still only get about 3 inch of hot water in the old enamel cast iron bath we had in the tenement flat I grew up in.

Actually over the in the Phils you can get an electric immersion heater for a few hundred peso, less than 500 for sure, that you plug in and drop into a bucket of water, a short while later you have a bucket of hot water, when new they are very efficient but as they age they take longer and longer to heat the bucket, so we just went back to using a kettle It works fine, one kettle to a bucket of cold water and you have a scoop shower that will work a treat.

[imagine]

We used to have a back boiler link to the immersion heater tank above the coal fire in the kitchen, even with that going flat out we could still only get about 3 inch of hot water in the old enamel cast iron bath we had in the tenement flat I grew up in.

Actually over the in the Phils you can get an electric immersion heater for a few hundred peso, less than 500 for sure, that you plug in and drop into a bucket of water, a short while later you have a bucket of hot water, when new they are very efficient but as they age they take longer and longer to heat the bucket, so we just went back to using a kettle It works fine, one kettle to a bucket of cold water and you have a scoop shower that will work a treat.

thanks for the tip, maybe my lady pour it over me

[fred]

We used to have a back boiler link to the immersion heater tank above the coal fire in the kitchen, even with that going flat out we could still only get about 3 inch of hot water in the old enamel cast iron bath we had in the tenement flat I grew up in.

Actually over the in the Phils you can get an electric immersion heater for a few hundred peso, less than 500 for sure, that you plug in and drop into a bucket of water, a short while later you have a bucket of hot water, when new they are very efficient but as they age they take longer and longer to heat the bucket, so we just went back to using a kettle It works fine, one kettle to a bucket of cold water and you have a scoop shower that will work a treat.

Jim... I find that depends on how big your bucket is...Or your kettle!

[imagine]

Jim... I find that depends on how big your bucket is...Or your kettle!

[JimOttley]

Jim... I find that depends on how big your bucket is...Or your kettle!

C'mon I'm suposed to be the scientist here

This is based on my proposal for a new S.I. standard definition of a 1 bucket measure with an S.I. regulation 1 unit Kettle

[Jimbojac]

In Mindanao. ( Just to add to the already informative postings here and based on what i saw ) :
Rent for 3 bedroom appartment {decent by our Westernised standards} 6000 a month
Rent for a beautiful 5 bedroom house ( new build} 12,000 a month.
Food for a week for a family of 5 including a good standard of fresh fish, chicken and fruit etc approx 2500-3000 a week.
For really far out in the provinces, food and basic amenities are still a lot less than the above!
My GF and her family could easily live on 1200 a week if i let them!! i prefer to help out though..............

[stevewool]

you see it all depends on how many and where you may live, peace , sunshine and a nice veiw is all i am asking so live like a local if you can and your money will go far

[alan/maleiya]

My decision to go for a year all hinges on my wifes visa application my wife just done it online this afternoon is they give her the answer on no visa then I will go for a year living in Mindanao at her parents home