Mike S Posted January 29, 2012 Posted January 29, 2012 Anyway you can adjust it down a bit now coz Mike made a small error too! :hystery: :hystery: :hystery: :hystery: :hystery: :nudie: :gday: :bash: :hystery: 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mugs Posted January 29, 2012 Posted January 29, 2012 Guys ........ I am so sorry I did a really stupid thing in my budget ..... the first 2 items should not be there as they are as they say account balances ..... where I balanced my account each month and are not a part of my expenditures ...... I found this out when Art pointed out that my budget averaged out to $1360 dollars per month ..... THANKS ART ......... I wish I could amend my post above but unfortunately I can not ....... so I will try and do it here ...........Bills:Bottled Water.................................2,440.00Bills:Cellular...........................................4,455.00Bills:DSL & Phone...............................14,282.00Bills:Electricity.....................................23,350.33Bills:Gasul.............................................3,246.00Bills:Rent............................................126,915.32Clothing:Accesories...............................8,869.79Clothing:Clothes....................................9,646.20Computer:Hardware.............................39,841.46Computer:Misc......................................4,388.58Entertainment:Books................................810.00Entertainment:Misc................................2,344.00Food.......................................................1,603.25Food:Eating Out...................................51,012.45Food:Groceries...................................130,489.06Food:Market.........................................14,585.55Goverment:Paper work............................890.00Goverment:Related costs.........................936.00Goverment:SSS......................................2,808.00Goverment:Visa costs...............................860.00Healthcare:Insurance..............................1,300.00Healthcare:Prescriptions...........................195.00Healthcare:Supplements.........................9,558.58Household.................................................728.00Household:Furnishings...........................6,984.00Household:Hardware..............................9,762.72Household:Kitchen...............................1,055.00Household:Tools.................................31,644.09Miscellaneous.......................................2,226.50Miscellaneous:Gifts................................700.00Miscellaneous:Shipping.........................449.00Miscellaneous:Supplies.......................17,757.02Personal:Other.....................................19,598.95Support.................................................22,495.20Transportation:Airlines.........................5,574.00Transportation:Taxi.............................22,194.64Total.................................................547,581.74547,581.74p divided by 12 = 45631p per month or 45631p divided 43p = $1061.20 per month USBut as Bundy so aptly point out ........ "Don't get too carried away. Mike lives a simple but enjoyable life (to him). Now, if you happen to drink and smoke, like going to the clubs and travelling new places every week you can expect the costs to skyrocket.As he pointed out previously, these are HIS costs and can't be applied to just anyone" thank you but some clarification please. electric looks to be low $45 a month and food and then food and groceries is confusing. do you use a/c and hot water and why 2 food categories? how many sq feet is your place? 1/1 2/2 3/2? i see bottled water what about shower water? no cable tv? how far out of the city do you live for $245 a month rent? what does your rent include, is it furnished? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike S Posted January 30, 2012 Posted January 30, 2012 thank you but some clarification please. electric looks to be low $45 a month and food and then food and groceries is confusing. do you use a/c and hot water and why 2 food categories? how many sq feet is your place? 1/1 2/2 3/2? i see bottled water what about shower water? no cable tv? how far out of the city do you live for $245 a month rent? what does your rent include, is it furnished? 1. electric .....don't use hot water except to boil it ..... water stays at a pretty constant temp here .... like going swimming ....... no aircon ..... have one but haven't used it in four years ..... came here from Florida so I was used to the hot damp climate2. as I said it makes sense to me ..... the first food was the original then I broke it down further for more clarification (for me) .... so hence groceries .... eating out and market ... just add them all up for a total for food ...... this budget was made FOR ME ..... I only shared it so that others could get an idea3. the size of our apartment is 38.64 sq. meters not including the large personal wash area out back4. thought I mentioned this else where but the well water and cable TV are part of my rent5. we live right in Cebu City ..... not in the suburbs ......6. rent includes rent .... cable TV .... WIFI ..... water and it does not come furnished 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Hounddriver Posted January 30, 2012 Posted January 30, 2012 5. we live right in Cebu City ..... not in the suburbs ...... That surprised me, Mike. I thought you must be outside of the city to get those prices. I knew a lot of Mikes when I lived in Cebu but I suppose we never met as you say you are not the socializing kind. Too bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike S Posted January 30, 2012 Posted January 30, 2012 5. we live right in Cebu City ..... not in the suburbs ...... That surprised me, Mike. I thought you must be outside of the city to get those prices. I knew a lot of Mikes when I lived in Cebu but I suppose we never met as you say you are not the socializing kind. Too bad.Well I will say this that it took us over a year to find this place as this place is definitely not the norm for here in Cebu ...... we went to a lot of apartments and houses until I was sick of looking at them ..... my asawa found this one by accident and broke all speed records getting back to tell me ..... we took it the same day ...... now the only draw back is that the electric is sub-metered ..... but there have been no wild swings one way or another so I am quite happy ...... the area out back I covered with a plastic corrugated roof so I have a nice little work shop and the asawa has her laundry area ..... works out great for us ...... But I am going to emphasize unless you are damn lucky you aren't going to find something like this when you first move here nor can you live like we do OR WANT TO ...... I keep harping on this over and over again ....... this is only to show someone that it can be done ....... you know maybe I shouldn't post this stuff as I get the distinct feeling that people feel that this is the norm for living here ...... I don't know ....... what is the ol' saying "damned if you do and damned if you don't ....... :) :hystery: :hystery: :hystery: 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Hounddriver Posted January 30, 2012 Posted January 30, 2012 But I am going to emphasize unless you are damn lucky you aren't going to find something like this when you first move here I surely hear that. When I first arrived I stayed in a cheap, pension house type of arrangement while I looked around for 2 months. I got lucky and found something I liked. Since then I have had to move a few times and each time it took a helluva lot of looking to get something I could live in at a price I could feel comfortable with.If I had to say what was normal for my fellow expat renters near the urban areas of Cebu I would estimate 25K per month is average. Some more and some less, of course. I think many people either have their standards set higher than what is available in the cheap rent places or they just get tired of searching so they settle for the convenience of taking whatever price is available at the moment. That is the type of thinking that pushes rents up but many expats don't really care if their rent is 10K or 20K as it is still cheaper than where they came from. Problem is it all adds up to a higher budget. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newboy Posted February 14, 2012 Posted February 14, 2012 As we're only onto our third month living in the Philippines it's interesting to take the time now and do a rough breakdown.Rent 15000Electric 1400Water (drinking) 420Water 350Globe 1000Smart 500Internet (shared with neighbour) 800Food 10-12000 (I like my fresh milk and cereals which doesnt help the budget, oh and biscuits to dunk in my tea)Gardener 4-800Misc 5000Dining out 5000Visa+ACR1 7500OBGYN 800Baby goodies 30000No cable or sat tv as download everything we watchTotal 78170Just shocked myself working that out! Definately on the lookout to be cutting down from now on, but next month is the big baby birth bill so will have to streamline after. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Hounddriver Posted February 15, 2012 Posted February 15, 2012 Total 78170 That seems like a typical budget from the people I know who are in their first year here. The ones who live cheaper usually are here for a long time, learning how to cut their costs. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newboy Posted February 15, 2012 Posted February 15, 2012 I would like to get down to 40-50k but not sacrifice quality of life too much. I know it's possible, it's just like you say finding your feet in the beginning.Right now I would say the 3 and a bit years I lived in Bangkok before coming here were cheaper monthly, as everything was just a little bit more convenient, in regards to transportation and having street food vendors everywhere. The electricity and internet here in Phili is a little questionable too, but it's easy to dismiss these foibles as the friendliness, clean air, having a house instead of a condo and the peace and quiet are just smashing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Art2ro Posted February 15, 2012 Posted February 15, 2012 (edited) Sounds like "the Travis Syndrome"! Our dearly departed member Travis's profile is still here on Tom's forum, newbies like yourself should check out Travis's posts from the past, trying to live on his $1,000 a month Social Security pension living a modern western lifestyle without sacrificing anything! Your comment newboy, "I would like to get down to 40-50k but not sacrifice quality of life too much"! Well, Travis tried to do that and only lasted a year in Cebu and returned to the U.S. after a lot of frustrations living in Cebu, where after he passed on a few months later after returning to the U.S.! He was in his 70s and a health and body building freak! Maybe the extreme cold in the U.S. did him in, because he got sick after arriving in the U.S., in Arkansas to be exact living in a shared home and he was working at Walmart to save money and increase his pension so he can return to the Philippines and do it differently the next time, but the next time wasn't to be, may he RIP! Edited February 15, 2012 by Art2ro Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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