Where to Have Life As An Ex-Expat?

[graham59]

10 hours ago, GeoffH said:

I have been putting vinegar on my French Fries for a few years now, ever since my Doctor told me that store bought Ketchup and Tomato sauces had too much salt in them (I still prefer ketchup though!).

The British way...and on the accompanying fish, except they're given the correct name of 'chips', of course.  

.

 

[earthdome]

6 hours ago, OnMyWay said:

Really the biggest issue if I try to do this, budget-wise, is healthcare insurance costs.

That is a huge factor. Since the (Un)Affordable Care Act was implemented health insurance has increased at 10%, 15% and even 20% per year. The cost can vary a great deal between states. Here in the US Midwest I am paying almost $600 for my wife and 2 year old for the highest deductible lowest cost marketplace plan. You can wing it on your own now since President has removed the penalty for not having insurance and there are some options for non ACA marketplace coverage but I haven't explored that option much and then again that varies from state to state. Other than your home health insurance likely would be your largest expense.

[Jollygoodfellow]

6 hours ago, OnMyWay said:

That is what is nice about the U.S.  You can usually count on some parks around in the suburbs, and many sub-divisions have their own parks.  All the areas I would consider will have the basics nearby, such as large grocery, Home Depot, theaters, etc.  Those are spread everywhere now.

Really the biggest issue if I try to do this, budget-wise, is healthcare insurance costs.

Would you or should say your wife still be able to avail all the perks of a US citizen if you lived in Guam ? 

[OnMyWay]

3 hours ago, Gator said:

There was a Palm frond on his roof and another in his driveway, that’s it, lol. But I can’t fault him for evacuating and keeping his wife and young son safe.

Palm frond!   Kidding aside, when I was single I rode out the storms in my house, but with kids, I would not take a chance either.

Great info!  Thank you!  I have chatted with Mike about the area and it seems very attractive.

[OnMyWay]

7 minutes ago, Jollygoodfellow said:

Would you or should say your wife still be able to avail all the perks of a US citizen if you lived in Guam ? 

Guam would be ok for a visit but long term, I would get island fever.  They do have all the U.S. based amenities and entertainment, but I think it is quite expensive to live there.  I stayed overnight near the airport once on a trip to Palau, but I didn't see much.

[OnMyWay]

17 minutes ago, earthdome said:

That is a huge factor. Since the (Un)Affordable Care Act was implemented health insurance has increased at 10%, 15% and even 20% per year. The cost can vary a great deal between states. Here in the US Midwest I am paying almost $600 for my wife and 2 year old for the highest deductible lowest cost marketplace plan. You can wing it on your own now since President has removed the penalty for not having insurance and there are some options for non ACA marketplace coverage but I haven't explored that option much and then again that varies from state to state. Other than your home health insurance likely would be your largest expense.

Do you qualify for a low income tax credit for the insurance?  I don't know much about it, but it seems like we would.  If it still exists in the future?

[earthdome]

8 minutes ago, OnMyWay said:

Do you qualify for a low income tax credit for the insurance?  I don't know much about it, but it seems like we would.  If it still exists in the future?

No we didn't qualify. I think that is also something which can change from state to state. The first time we applied we did the income verification thing. The website calculated our income wrong and automatically signed us up for state subsidy's. It was a huge pain in the ass to back out of that requiring us to verify we made to much income and actually go visit some bureaucrat in an office before it was corrected.

One option to consider is if your wife would be interested in working. For example, my wife got work as a housekeeper at a hospital before we had our daughter. Hourly rate well above minimum and great benefits. We still had that insurance for the birth of our daughter and it cost us only a few hundred dollars for the whole pregnancy and delivery. The insurance covered everything else.

[OnMyWay]

2 minutes ago, earthdome said:

One option to consider is if your wife would be interested in working.

We have talked about it.  If she did, insurance would be a key reason.

[Dave Hounddriver]

A friend just shared this link from a cheap old house in Kentucky.  It has me wishing I could go buy it.  Something to consider.  Sometimes the USA is not so crazy expensive (just crazy LOL)

 

[Jake]

31 minutes ago, Dave Hounddriver said:

A friend just shared this link from a cheap old house in Kentucky.  It has me wishing I could go buy it.  Something to consider.  Sometimes the USA is not so crazy expensive (just crazy LOL)

 

I like it!  Plenty of windows for sniper positions.....he, he.