bows00 Posted November 14, 2011 Author Posted November 14, 2011 (edited) Thank you all for the helpful input. After absorbing all the info, my next step will be to visit the various areas to see for myself. And I am not planning to live on $800/month, I know that is nearly impossible for my expectations. My income, which includes pension and rental income, will be around $XXXXUS (before taxes). In Hawaii, that just gets you above par, but I have decided to retire as early as possible to start my new ventures there. I just hope my entertainment habits will not eventually run me broke... Just a little warning. When in the Philippines its best to not let any one know how much you make. I always let people know i am very poor and it is a myth that foreigners are rich.But I really dont consider myself rich... I was just being honest and sharing...but I understand now after reading through some threads here. And since my retirement will not be for another six years, I am thinking of rejoining this website with another alias name after my membership runs out... but I really do appriciate the information I have obtained from this site... For future responses I will use better judgement... oh well, live and learn.. and thank you for bringing that to my attention... Edited November 14, 2011 by Mr. Lee delete amount Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeB Posted November 14, 2011 Posted November 14, 2011 (edited) Thank you all for the helpful input. After absorbing all the info, my next step will be to visit the various areas to see for myself. And I am not planning to live on $800/month, I know that is nearly impossible for my expectations. My income, which includes pension and rental income, will be around $XXXXUS (before taxes). In Hawaii, that just gets you above par, but I have decided to retire as early as possible to start my new ventures there. I just hope my entertainment habits will not eventually run me broke... Just a little warning. When in the Philippines its best to not let any one know how much you make. I always let people know i am very poor and it is a myth that foreigners are rich.But I really dont consider myself rich... I was just being honest and sharing...but I understand now after reading through some threads here. And since my retirement will not be for another six years, I am thinking of rejoining this website with another alias name after my membership runs out... but I really do appriciate the information I have obtained from this site... For future responses I will use better judgement... oh well, live and learn.. and thank you for bringing that to my attention...By western standards you are not rich but by Filipino standards you certainly are. The typical person here doesn't make that in a year and has several dependents to boot. I don't think there's anything wrong with saying it on the forum but when you are living here the consensus is that it's best to keep a low profile and appear poor even if you aren't. Edited November 14, 2011 by Mr. Lee delete amount 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Art2ro Posted November 14, 2011 Posted November 14, 2011 (edited) Thank you all for the helpful input. After absorbing all the info, my next step will be to visit the various areas to see for myself. And I am not planning to live on $800/month, I know that is nearly impossible for my expectations. My income, which includes pension and rental income, will be around $XXXXUS (before taxes). In Hawaii, that just gets you above par, but I have decided to retire as early as possible to start my new ventures there. I just hope my entertainment habits will not eventually run me broke... Just a little warning. When in the Philippines its best to not let any one know how much you make. I always let people know i am very poor and it is a myth that foreigners are rich.But I really dont consider myself rich... I was just being honest and sharing...but I understand now after reading through some threads here. And since my retirement will not be for another six years, I am thinking of rejoining this website with another alias name after my membership runs out... but I really do appriciate the information I have obtained from this site... For future responses I will use better judgement... oh well, live and learn.. and thank you for bringing that to my attention...By western standards you are not rich but by Filipino standards you certainly are. The typical person here doesn't make that in a year and has several dependents to boot. I don't think there's anything wrong with saying it on the forum but when you are living here the consensus is that it's best to keep a low profile and appear poor even if you aren't. bows00,We didn't mean to scare you off from this forum! Anyway, your membership here won't expire unless you decide to opt out all together and no longer post! And who said your comments or plans for your future wasn't of a good judgement? Hey, it's your life and only you know if it's right for you and it's not anyone's business to tell you otherwise unless they are in the know of your circumstances, financial situation and or know you personally! Live your life the way you want and just weigh whatever comments or advice you have heard or read on any forums to be just that, comments, remarks, POVs, opinions and experiences from others who have been there and done all that their way! You don't have to do as they have done, just be aware of the potential risks and pit falls that maybe lurking just around the corner! Do your own thing what makes you comfortable and happy with your life! Edited November 14, 2011 by Art2ro Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Lee Posted November 14, 2011 Posted November 14, 2011 Bows00 I have saved you the trouble of worrying about it and have deleted the amount in the above posts. As others have written, in the Philippines we are often seen as rich even when most of us are not by our own countries standards. Since the Philippines is a big place and your time frame is down the road a bit, it is highly unlikely you will get to meet too many of the members in person or that those on here will even remember, but hopefully you will get to meet up with some of us. In the future it is probably better to use general figures but even guys with $800 or $1000 social security are considered rich to many because many of the locals may only make a few dollars a day. Some have found they cannot live on $1000 and went back to the US, so it will often be different for each of us, what we consider to be a good income. So no need to come back anonymous and I have stated many times that my wife and I own condos in Cebu which makes me rich in many people eyes and others such as Art have stated they own homes, which makes them seem rich to others and in fact years ago when my wife and I met up with another expat couple, they said to me that my wife and I were so much above them because we own and do not rent (we are not), so that may give you an idea of how even some of those from our own country may feel when they think we are better off than they are. I personally do not care what others think, so we live our lives the way we wish to live it, but at the same time feel it is no ones business how much income my pensions and social security give me monthly. I think the main thing in the Philippines is for people to know that when we die, the golden goose is cooked, so therefore our income stops, that way we are worth more alive than dead. Unfortunately that is the harsh reality that some of us have to deal with when some locals see us as rich. If the income stops then we are not worth kidnapping or killing. Enjoy the forum and learn what it takes to make your future life easier and if the day comes you wish to change your forum name, that can be easily done by yourself or by sending me a pm and I would be happy to help. :) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bows00 Posted November 14, 2011 Author Posted November 14, 2011 Salamat Mr. Lee. I appriciate what you have done, and most of all, your wise advice. Bows Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jake Posted November 14, 2011 Posted November 14, 2011 I have read through several posts on how to live on $800 US per month, but how much would one need to live within a gated community? And I am aware of the obivious advantages - security being on top of the list, but I would appriciate some feedback on the negatives - especially one that was brought to my attention - are local filipinos comfortable living amoung expats in such a community?Welcome aboard Bows! Affordability in your future residence is certainly one of the primary factors to consider. I don't know if you havevisited the islands before but you might want to consider other things, such as -- would you be comfortable livingamong the locals, even among the upper middle class and above? This link was taken from another thread and somewhat related: http://www.philippin...ndpost&p=18572. This willalso make you think whether to rent or own a place to settle down or silently move out overnight because ofroosters singing "My Way" way too loud....he, he. Respectfully -- Jake (Joaquin) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bows00 Posted November 15, 2011 Author Posted November 15, 2011 Awsome link there Jake, thanks...and again, very interesting read... After reviewing this forum, there seems to be two underlying major themes... (1) how to increase your standard of living in a relatively cheap developing country like the philippines based on your limited retired income (i.e., social security, pension, rentals, etc.), and (2) how to develope a stategy to deal with your filipina's extended family memebers who will be consistantly asking you for financial help. Most of the subjects on this site, including Culture, Filipinas, Housing, etc... seem to circle around the above... I found this site to be very informative with a perpective I was unaware of. To tell you the truth, I feel there is a lot for me to learn before making the plunge to live there... Mahalo all for sharing.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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