Most of my spending has been on our building project.

Because of this, I compromise by doing without luxuries, until we get income from the project.

The cost of living here for such as me is cheap, but only if you have UK cash.

I learnt to think in peso, the things I thought were cheap before, I see now as expensive, because I do not calculate how much items are, peso to sterling.

We can live and do live quite reasonably. Lolita's food is cheap, but I up the cost by buying what I can in imported food, like Kellog's Cornflakes, UK corned beef, etc. Still, it's not bad!

The greatest expense is my medicine for injection. One is around 12,000 peso the other is 2,500 peso.

Plus costs to apply the injections at the hospital - but only about 200 peso and includes gloves and syringe.

My doctor's consultation fee is 250 to 300 peso, but he doesnt always charge me. This is every 3 months.

Presciption drugs and asprin are cheap. Omeprozol about 1,000 peso for 30 pieces. Then soon, I will need to buy magnesium (this one to be taken 3 times a day). I don't know the cost yet. The others are one per day, so meds can be expensive.

I experienced a hospital stay, 2 nights, paid for by my wife's Phil Health. Just a little extra charged to me because i wanted a private room. I think it was 500 peso.

Now both from my hospital stay and the 3-monthly visits to hospital, my experience is, that the nurses, though very gwapa, are not highly trained like in UK.

I would advise that any meds brought to you during a stay, should be double-checked either by yoursef or your wife before taking. When Lolita was in for a few days, she was given somebody else's medicine. Luckily we realised before the took it.

3-monthly injections: For one of the injections a female nurse must wear gloves, and must not get the liquid on her skin. I had to tell one nurse, as I realised she had no gloves on and she'd already got liquid on her skin. I just took for granted they should know. Ater this incident, I now tell them before proceeding.