Millhouse

I guess you didn't detect the sarcasm.

Meow

And to clarify further for the sake of someone's failing memory, my argument was always that not everyone is Dubai is struggling and that many expats are financially comfortable and well able to afford to pay rent in one cheque.

weasel decentral

Seeing as the thread is already derailed, could I jump in with my lazy question?

What's a decent 3B villa with a pool in either Dubai or Abu Dhabi going to cost (per month).

mentalist

Speak for yourself.

Meow

Good grief. Read the post. I said 'many' which has always been the case. No need to get angry with me if you're not one of them. The fact is many expats are financially comfortable, whether certain posters like it or not.

Blue Cat

I have a mixture of friends all on different set ups, we love our featherbed package, I don't even know how much our school fees are

mentalist

Since when has meant angry? I thought it was merely a frown

Meow

Who can tell? You're always miserable.

Ronnie Biggs

If a man speaks in a forest and there's not a woman present...is he still wrong?

Meow

of course!

Millhouse

If schooling is free, then why don't you send mogglet to a decent school??

weasel decentral

don't be such a bitter little man its free up to a fee ceiling.

Blue Cat

we are happy with the school and more importantly she is happy at school, we may move her at the end of year 6

Millhouse

I'm only kidding BC. The importance placed on 'good schools' here by parents is beyond belief. I skipped about 40% of schooling until the age of 12... did my know harm

Ethos83

Scamp, I was a few years older than you when I first came to Dubai but I never hesitated to find a villa share. It was great. There were four of us in a decent villa in Umm Suqeim. We respected each others' privacy and were quiet during the week and actually rarely saw each other Sunday-Wednesday, and on the weekends we had barbecue parties or went out together. I did this for two years and paid my rent monthly which A) allowed me to avoid having a lease in my name and B) allowed me to save a great deal of money as I never had to take out a loan for anything. When the time came for me to move into my own flat I had no problems forking over the rent in two cheques as I had plenty of savings.

I'm sure it will be a pain to move into a villa/flat share but you're young enough and you have a girlfriend with her own flat, so you'd only be using the place as somewhere to crash every night during the week. The bigger and older villas have enormous bedrooms that can be fitted out quasi-studio style. It won't have the glamour or satisfaction of having your own flat but if you're looking at establishing long term economic security you need to suffer a few inconveniences for a while. This is true not just in Dubai but in the UK too. When I was younger and poorer I was very frugal but the end result is that I was eventually able to buy a flat in London. Hint, it's easier to be frugal when you're younger than it is when you start hitting 30.