Expats Living In Philippines Having Second Thoughts......

[Sander Martin]

1 minute ago, Jack Peterson said:

 Oh yes I was just saying, Cooking this at Home would be far Cheaper but I am not a lover of the way it gets cooked and too f...g lazy to do it meself  

 I do agree that eating out here is cheaper. I eat out a few times a week here in restaurants (not counting fastfood places). Back home or Australia i would eat out once or twice in a month (again real restaurants not Micky Ds and other fastfood joints i visited a couple times a week). 

A Big Mac meal costs around the same here as it would cost in Estonia. About 1.5 times more in Australia compared to here. 

[davewe]

Re: The noise.

So the other day the wife and I were sadly returning to the US from our 3 weeks in PI. We're on the last leg of the trip and exhausted. A group of 20 college athletes gets on the plane and they are all seated near us. They're 20 year olds and loud. Laughing and talking at full volume. I'm annoyed for a minute, then think of the noise in the Philippines. And of course I think of the noise I made as a 20 year old: stereo at full volume, pulling out in my car for maximum effect, etc. My parents would complain, grandparents would complain, old people would complain; old being defined as about 30.

Most of us here are a bit older and like our parents and grandparents before us, we are now very sensitive to noise and those darn inconsiderate loud people, as well as the inconsiderate dogs and let's not forget roosters, who ought to have better manners.

So, when I retire I'm gonna try to remember not to act quite so old. I'll shrug, down a San Mig, and chase the wife, who can be pretty damn noisy herself :)

I will also recognize that my hearing is going and I think I won't get a hearing aid :)

[Hey Steve]

1 hour ago, davewe said:

So, when I retire I'm gonna try to remember not to act quite so old. I'll shrug, down a San Mig, and chase the wife, who can be pretty damn noisy herself :)

I will also recognize that my hearing is going and I think I won't get a hearing aid :)

I hear ya Dave. I think I'll make a sound proof room (man cave) with AC and white noise going, etc myself (when I'm feeling my age and need to get away from the constant noise). Some folks here a while back had given some suggestions on how to do this-which I will reference when I go out there.

""Noise"" seems to be one of the top reasons for those who struggle with... "should I stay or should I go..."

[Onemore52]

3 hours ago, Hey Steve said:

I hear ya Dave. I think I'll make a sound proof room (man cave) with AC and white noise going, etc myself (when I'm feeling my age and need to get away from the constant noise). Some folks here a while back had given some suggestions on how to do this-which I will reference when I go out there.

""Noise"" seems to be one of the top reasons for those who struggle with... "should I stay or should I go..."

Here in Daet the noise is horrendous, especially at the moment with the elections going on, the vehicles going past constantly with the music and the propaganda bellowing from the loudspeaker, which reminds me of something I read a little while ago about what is actually the content of a politicians rambling " a glassful of saliva" that is all it is. Of course I am not saying that it is any different in any other country, it is just louder here. Last week during one of the "glass of saliva" speeches one of the politicians promised to create 1 million jobs if elected, yes 1 million jobs, go figure.

Anyway back to the subject of the noise, to escape it I load the dog and head out to a river near the city to escape, where I have a block of land on the river where I am building a dwelling, so Dave's idea of a sound proof room is enticing, so yes the noise is the biggest problem I have with the Philippines, second of course is the tricycle drivers but I will leave that alone for the moment.

It also works for me to have some white noise going all the time, an electric fan on high seems to work for me.

 

Rant over, cheers everyone

 

[Old55]

5 hours ago, davewe said:

So, when I retire I'm gonna try to remember not to act quite so old. I'll shrug, down a San Mig, and chase the wife, who can be pretty damn noisy herself :)

I like how you think!

This also kinda puts Philippines in perspective, for the most part Filipinas are what allow us to override all the BS. Without them how many of us would put up with the place long term?

[mogo51]

16 hours ago, Sander Martin said:

I guess it depends on where you shop in Aus and what you eat. I did my shoping in Spudsheds in Perth and most the stuff i bought there was cheaper compared to supermarkets in Iloilo. Quality was much better in Aus. Transport, rent and hotels (even the sh&ty motels charge you 70aud per night) are superhigh tho. Wages are high, so its not to bad when your living and working there.

Transport and rent are the two things that are cheap here. Food is cheap if you eat like a Filipino.

It is true, if you are working and have a decent wage, it is a no brainer.  I live on a pension and I am very frugal with shopping etc. but the cost of living overall is way more in Oz than here in Asia, whether Philippines or Thailand - that is a given.I cannot survive in Oz on the pension and I am not whinging about the size of the pension, we are in the top level when it comes to support from Governments - it is just too expensive there.  I do not want to live like a hobo and I can live a reasonable quality of life in Asia.  So that is the clincher for me.

[virginprune]

18 hours ago, Sander Martin said:

 

Transport and rent are the two things that are cheap here. Food is cheap if you eat like a Filipino.

I find that a bit of a sweeping statement regarding cheapness of food. You can eat very cheaply here without eating like a local. It is the ingredients which are cheap, what you cook with them is up to you. We eat a varied diet here with the produce that is available. Food only gets expensive here if you are buying things like steak and cheese or any other imported foodstuffs.

 

[Sander Martin]

4 hours ago, virginprune said:

I find that a bit of a sweeping statement regarding cheapness of food. You can eat very cheaply here without eating like a local. It is the ingredients which are cheap, what you cook with them is up to you. We eat a varied diet here with the produce that is available. Food only gets expensive here if you are buying things like steak and cheese or any other imported foodstuffs.

 

I have to say that i dont know the vegetable prices in the UK, but in Estonia and Australia (where i was shopping) they were cheaper then the Phillipines supermarket (wet market is around the same price). Its hard to say if cost of living is cheap or expensive, depends on what the person is expecting/wants to eat.

[Sander Martin]

I mostly eat meat (chicken/pork), vegetables (mostly potsto, beetroot and carrots) and dairy products. Meat is cheap here, but the vegetables not so. Dairy is super expensive.

Somebody who likes fish and rice would say its really cheap here. We are all different and its hard to say if living here is cheap or expensive. Depends on the person.

[Sander Martin]

6 hours ago, mogo51 said:

It is true, if you are working and have a decent wage, it is a no brainer.  I live on a pension and I am very frugal with shopping etc. but the cost of living overall is way more in Oz than here in Asia, whether Philippines or Thailand - that is a given.I cannot survive in Oz on the pension and I am not whinging about the size of the pension, we are in the top level when it comes to support from Governments - it is just too expensive there.  I do not want to live like a hobo and I can live a reasonable quality of life in Asia.  So that is the clincher for me.

I do agree Ron. Its cheap here if you have a western income and you stay awey from the imported stuff. I lived in Aus for 2 years and i know how the pensioners with almost no savings and house were struggling. Im glad that you decided to move here and live a good life with whatever pension money you get. In Australia you would have struggled.

Now if you compare the prices on what people earn here, you will see how expensive it is. When still working in Aus and being on holidays here everything seemed dirt cheap. Im living on savings now and my pension is still 40 odd years awey, so its dont cheap anymore :).