Realistically Speaking And Choices....

[JMEL]

I don't see the Thai women as gold diggers in the whole, I think they are generally less emotional and marriage is more of a business merger to them. In their position I would consider that it's as easy to be happy with a well to do spouse than a poor one and do my searching accordingly. :)

Good point and good advice there. Business merger? I did see that in jaded, westernized Thai women, but the average Thai woman is not that way at all. I also saw some comments on how a Thai vs a Phils woman will take care of her man... both cultures, in general, will take care of you in excellent ways far beyond any western woman. It all depends on the woman, but be careful of the users, bar girls, etc. Find a real local with average cultural morals that just wants love and happiness, not yoir bank account then let her prove that before you make comittments. So many of us get here (or Thailand) and get rightfully GIDDY by how well we are treated by GORGEOUS babes and for the first time in our lives are HAPPY and RESPECTED, but don't let it cloud your judgement.

I've talked to other expats about cost of living too, and their comparing to wherever home is. Haha, expats LOVE to compare women and lifestyle to back home ;-) Mostly when they say expense is equal, it is because they are trying to make it equal. They live in a Westernized, big, appliance-loaded apartment, luxury condo or house because that is all they know from home and don't realize there are other options in Thai/Phils. They eat at Western chain or specialty restaurants because that is also the only available option at home. They buy frozen convenience foods and imported beer exclusively instead of occasionally. That's what they want, so their cost of living is as high as home. They think local girls need fancy cars and gifts to love them, but that isn't true in Thai&Phils at all, they just want to share life and be happy together, which is just words to a western woman that are seldom demonstrated in reality as western women (haha and men) always want more and more goods.

What I found is that in the USA, you don't have the option of $150/mo granite floored studio rooms, but in Phils or Thailand you do. In BKK my serviced laundry was $30/mo if I was excessive and let my gf glom on to it too. Espresso is $1 at a sidewalk cafe and so is lunch (anywhere in Bangkok or a beach town) but that option is not available in the usa. Thai/Phils has Starbucks at the high price too. It costs what you make of it, but there are more options for inexpensive, high quality away from home. Retirement for most people is wanting to take advantage of cheaper, but still nice options. So,it depends what you want to spend. $1k/mo in Bangkok got me a $3k/mo lifestyle of the USA in a different way, but would have cost me $5k/mo to have the same kind of big apartment with appliances and eat at the same places. I like sidewalk, beach, and park cafe's, so I saved a lot on food.

Now, I am in Phils and am learning the ropes to do the same as in Thailand, but in Phils style, not usa or thai style. That's half the fun!

[Jollygoodfellow]

(Note to OP that ur welcome to edit out: Could someone approve my membership here already? It's hard to contribute or follow posts especially to find replies to the posts I made. I am having to use browser on Android since Tapatalk will not work with this site. For some reason there are far less features to follow threads and easily search here compared to Thai  forums and others that all use the same system.)

 

You're welcome to stay on the Thai forums if you want. As for tapatalk its the same no matter where you go. New members do not have full access rights as full members do. Im glad the Thai forum is more organised for you.

[Thomas]

as I have said over and over .... if you have p20,000 per month you will spend it and if you have p200,000 you will spend it

Not I, but I'm odd  :)

I have allways spend 40 000-70 000 pesos /month, back in the eighties too, when I earned as most.

(Recounted to pesos and adjusted for inflation. When I have bought things for long time use, I have splited the cost into many months. Counted AVERAGE cost per year/12, because some months can be higher because of the heating costs when it's very cold here. Almost half is for the home, because I need a big one to have space for my many hobbies, but as long as it's functional I don't bother if it's uggly  :)       If I would get extreemly much money, I don't believe I would change much how much I spend, perhaps one step up to a better car - but I buy normaly a rather old car, because I break them anyway in 2-3 years, because I drive as a carthief   :mocking:   - and when living in Phils, I would perhaps visit my Swedish family double as often, now I aim at 1 month per year.)

[BrettGC]

Check out Thai.com forums. Similar to this forum, but far more organized, you can find a wealth of information.

 

Please provide constructive feedback to the structure of the forum in the appropriate thread.  It will be taken on board and given due consideration. 

[Ruben Scouse]

but would also add be careful about purchasing a property in the UK as a rental, as i understand things the UK Govt are going to tax expats who have UK property.

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/expat/expatnews/10458673/Thousands-of-Britons-caught-up-in-tax-raid-on-wealthy-foreigners.html

 

Thanks John,

 

I would have to look at putting the property in the name of my son I guess.

[Thomas]

 

but would also add be careful about purchasing a property in the UK as a rental, as i understand things the UK Govt are going to tax expats who have UK property.

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/expat/expatnews/10458673/Thousands-of-Britons-caught-up-in-tax-raid-on-wealthy-foreigners.html

 

Thanks John,

 

I would have to look at putting the property in the name of my son I guess.

Are you sure UK is a good country to invest in estate in?

Swedish TV show a program serie about Englishmen looking for estates for rent out/use themselves. If that program show normal prices, then UK has crazy high prices, TV even call crazy high prices "bargains"...  E g France and Spain has much lower prices - and Sweden has very much lower  :)

(E g you can get a 6 room villa for 40 000 USD in Sweden, within 2 hours drive from Srockholm in nice nature, but in a county where prices develop slow/nothing, so for an investment there are better places.)

 

How much extra income are you aiming at?

Perhaps you can reach it with much less money invested. In Phils they have so high interests so e g for poor farmers it's comparingly CHEAP to pay 10-60 % profit in "Harvest sharing" and that's for only 3,5-4 months each period.  (I know two Swedes, who have done it for around 10% just to be kind to neighbours, and a Filipina, who do it for 300 %   :)     The alternative for farmers is paying at least 140 % - if they get a loan at all -  or get much smaller harvest by not affording fertilizer and such. This is NOT loaning, it's a very common temporary partnership from planting to harvest, where the investor normaly get money back plus 25-33% of the rest after the costs are deducted. They have only been fooled once totaly.

(I plan to do such too, but only with a few people I know. I will start some other business too. Some of them seem very profitable, but need some local research compleeting before I decide which I will chose.)

[AllenInWV]

Minor thread drift....what constitutes a "condo" and how would one go about finding out what percentage is rented/owned by Filipinos?

What I sort of imagine in my head is either a small house/bungalow....say 2 BDRs, 1 or 2 baths....or an apartment, which is what I'm thinking you all are calling condos.

 

Or is a condo owned while an apartment is rented?

[robert k]

Condo owned while apartment rented aptly describes it. Condo will come with a home owners association, I believe and that means it would not be my first choice. I would not have it in the US and I sure as heck don't want it in the RP. If the building needed paint, one or two deadbeats would halt the process. :tiphat:

Edited November 26, 2013 by robert k

[Thomas]

Condo owned while apartment rented aptly describes it. Condo will come with a home owners association, I believe and that means it would not be my first choice. I would not have it in the US and I sure as heck don't want it in the RP. If the building needed paint, one or two deadbeats would halt the process. :tiphat:

(I'm not interested in condos, because they are in cities/villages and I want to live with no neighbours  :)     but IF living in a city, then I like condos better. )

 

At least in Sweden

MAYORITY decide about OUTSIDE plus pipes and such

while each INDIVID decide about his INSIDE as wallpaper, paint and such.

[robert k]

With the news out of Thailand, I might sit back and watch for awhile, were I in your position. Hearing of anti-government protests 100,000 strong and 30,000 strong with government offices stormed and taken, police vehicles stolen, and some dozen or more molatov cocktails.