pjj

hi everyone this is a question for those of you living in spain im just wondering how has your life changed and is it better than when you were living in the uk ?

SueG

Oh yes life has changed but better probably not - different very

turtlez

Yes life has changed for the better but incredibly I still find lots of things to stress out about !! Suppose thats in my nature though.

pwwm

Very much better, ok we took early retirement and now have time to do whatever we like, no credit card bills etc, apart from the electric, all our bills are far less than in the UK with the added enjoyment of sitting on the terrace in winter with friends. No regrets

Rosemary

My life has definitely changed for the better, partly due to leaving an extremely stressful job and partly due to moving to a very friendly and welcoming town here.

Rosemary

jdr

I am sure if you check out the cost of a unit of electrickery in Spain to one in the UK you will change your mind.

onlineamiga

Definately for the better for me. But I think my move to spain was more about quashing some personal boundaries and making a success out of something. By achieving it, I feel a lot happier in myself, and who I am. Ive made some good friends here and got myself settled. I think its a great achievement in which I am proud of myself for. I guess I feel pretty much on top of the world. I fought some battles on the way (and still fighting them!) but Im really enjoying them.

I love the area, I love the diversity. I know its not a perfect world out here. It has its problems just as the UK does. But I landed here not knowing anyone or the area particularly well and made a go of it. Im now pretty settled here and living a nice life. A better quality of life than I did in the UK.

Still a long way to go. Im working too many hours and have had some issues at work. But I'll get there

Lynn R

My life feels utterly transformed, entirely for the better. OK so a lot of that is down to having been able to give up work (which I certainly couldn't have afforded to do for years yet had I stayed in the UK) but as well as that I am eating hardly any processed food, buying fresh ingredients and cooking meals from scratch every day because I now have the time for daily shopping and cooking rather than existing on microwaved ready meals, and I have a lot more time for exercise which I enjoy. Hopefully I will stay fit well into old age as a result of this.

I am also sleeping much better, have time to socialise with friends, and enjoying the challenge of learning a new language which as well as being exercise for the brain makes communicating with officialdom and neighbours so much easier.

And I love opening the shutters in the morning to see blue sky (most days anyway) even in January, rather than the endless greyness and drizzle we had in the North of England.

SueG

Having re-read my post it didn't come out like I meant it to! We are both very happy here, don't regret the move at all but our standard of living is totally different. A lot less material things (funny how you can manage without them after 30 years) - materially we were better off in England and moneywise too but we have to earn a living out here and are not retired so I do think that makes a vast difference. Earning two thirds less than what I was in England but we are managing and are hardly breaking into our capital but that has only since I started work in November and if OH can find work hopefully the balance of the capital will stay intact

sunnydee

Yes life is so much better. We are a family with 2 children. Both of us are now working and financially we are so much better off. I love driving to work each day in the sunshine and even welcome the rain here - it's a proper downpour not UK drizzle and cloud!
We have been here nearly 6 months and there hasn't been one weekend when I haven't been able to take my son down to the beach at least once. He is now beginning to make friends at school and therefore to have them around to play or go back to their's. My teenage daughter is also very settled and having a much better education for her A levels than she had for her GCSE's in the UK.
Certainly no regrets so far

mikelincs

We have been here for nearly 3 years now, and we find it much better than the UK, certainly our pensions go much further than they would there. and the better weather is a great bonus.

scampicat

We are here on my husband's Teachers' Pension (not State Pensions yet) and it goes much further than in the UK. We can live here comfortably without going over the top.

Also on the whole we enjoy being retired in our 50s (admittedly late 50s now!).

However....as soon as I get my State Pension in January 2010 we intend to spend more time in the UK (we still have a house there), possibly 5months/7 months Spain/UK and I for one would like some part-time work; we'll probably have to earn some money anyway, the cost of living being so much higher.

At the moment our UK house is lived in by our son and two lodgers and pays for itself; when we go back we will not have the lodgers so will need to cover their rent.

Our life is different here, I wouldn't say it was better (or worse); there are things we like about our life in th UK too, not least that we can walk out of our front door and be in the city centre in 15 minutes. Also we can buy things we want without any problem (we can't here), and if the bureaucracy is just as confusing (we don't think it is) at least we can understand it.

So our ideal is to spend time in both countries and get the best of both.

Mitzyboy

I'd agree, life is different not necessarily better. Our money goes further, and the weather is nice. But theres still similar problems and challenges as there were in the UK.

I have to say even after 15 months we haven't really enjoyed it to its full extent yet as we've been so busy doing things to do with the villa.

Hopefully we'll travel a bit more this year which was the original intention.

crispy

It's like everything else, you want it, you get it, and then you find out it's just like living back in the UK except it's warmer, your £ goes further, the fish is bbrilliantand the vino is more than drinkable. I do miss my kids/grandkids if they were here then it would be purrrrfect Sun, Sea and Siesta

GrapeEater

Agree! - We are in Costa Blanca. After the honeymoon period, as working people, we now realise you still have to deal with 'stuff' which takes longer here and the language and culture barriers slow things down, that maybe make you cautious in some things. But most people think the pace of life, sun and siesta is worth it. Making new friends, the helpfulness of people, the al fresco lifestyle and new ways seem to bring out a better person, we share experiences.

It ain't paradise. Spain can be rough and ready and things do go wrong and you'll miss some things but I'm not going back if I can help it... I love the fact that I can sit outside from morning 'til dusk with a bite-to-eat, a beer or G&T and talk to passing neighbours (even strangers). That blue sky and yellow disc is a powerful force.

Love it !!!!