Living on a budget
 

Hi

We are hopefully Canada bound and most of my postings are on the Canadian immigration forums. However, if our immigration application is not successful, rural Spain is our next best option.

Quick question. Assuming we do not have to take a mortgage, is it possible for a couple with a 13 year old daughter to live modestly in Spain with an income of approximately £950 to £1000 per month? By modest we mean, eat out once a week, but no major extravagances, such as twice a week on the golf course and foreign holidays 3 times a year. Just general normal day to day living.

I know that there is no definitive answer to this question, but a bit of guidance would help

Re: Living on a budget
 

I'd say it's possible but it would require a high degree of 'frugality' :)
We are near the coast which IS quite a lot dearer, but we find it quite tough for 2 retirees, on about 50% more :(
The big surprise/shock has been electricity bills, and fuel has gone up a lot.

Best of luck, whichever way it goes.

Re: Living on a budget
 

1000 pounds a month...€1400 a month.... i wish i had €1400 a month to spend, i´d be living like a king.

no rent to pay...weekly food shopping of say, €100 .. makes €400. going out, once a week, meal for 3, around €40x4 is €160, making €560.

thats €560 a month you´ve spent.

phone bill, per month, around €80, including 24 hour dial up internet.

so that brings it up to €640.

gas bottles, electric, etc...monthly, around €120

makes €760.

that leaves you with around €650 spare to go out drinking, buy a car etc...


yeah you can do it... :D thousands of us get by on half that ;)

Re: Living on a budget
 

i must admit, for me personally, 1400 euros per month between three would be a struggle, i agree with the first post, get away from the coast an u may well get buy.

Re: Living on a budget
 

I'd go along with bfg69bug. Your 1400 euros a month should be fine.
Good luck !

Re: Living on a budget
 

Thanks everyone for the information.

My wife definitely prefers the Canadian option because her sister lives there and because of her concerns about not speaking spanish. I would be happy with either option, both countries have their merits and drawbacks.

I definitely think we would prefer to live inland where it seems to be cheaper. The coast does not appeal to us now due to rising costs and reports we have been hearing about rising crime. Can anyone comment on this?

Finally, whilst not wanting to start a business as such, I would be interested in looking after a few villas apartments etc for absentee owners as a means of boosting our income. I accept to do this we will need to live within commuting distance of where the holiday lets are located. It is a case of finding a happy medium.

Thanks

Re: Living on a budget
 

are you not happy to be in spain?

styven

Re: Living on a budget
 

no, its shit. but then i´m not a retired person living on a pension and all i have to do is play golf and sit drinking g&ts all day.

i´m in my early 20´s, having to work to pay bills, being surrounded by other early/mid 20´s people who their idea of fun is going out and getting plastered, having a fight then going home to their rented accomodation. surrounded by pensioners who have no idea of money, who throw it all away playing golf of going skiing in the sierra nevada at €200 a day...i have to work for a week and a half for €200 :(

but then, if u have rich parents to sponge off, or a credit card you can abuse, with plenty of friends around you, rather than just "people u sit in a bar with"...then it´d be great.






as i say.. for €1400 a month.. i could live like a king. ;)

Re: Living on a budget
 

I can assure you that on 1400 for TWO people, there isn't a lot of golf to be played, at 40+euros/round or 1500E for annual membership :(
Admittedly the G&Ts are cheap :)

Re: Living on a budget
 

Up here in Valencia 93€ per month (1,116€ per annum). Mind you, you need to buy a share in the club to be a member - currently 36,000€. I've already made a profit (on paper) on mine. In 18 months, after transfer charge of 6000€ I've made about 5,000€. So my golf has been free!!

Re: Living on a budget
 

To answer you Styven

I have no objections to living in Spain, I think it is a great place, provided you stay away from the yob culture. I have had an apartment in Menorca for several years, and that is a lovely island.

We as a family decided that we no longer want to live in rip off Britain and thought long and hard as to where we would like to settle. Rural Spain is still very much on the agenda, but Canada won the vote because it is my wife's preferred choice mainly because her sister lives there, ...and it is a beautiful safe country to bring up our daughter.

Just to clarify our position. We are not retired (I wish that we were). I am in my mid 40's and my wife is in her late 30's and we have a 13 year old daughter. The income I have suggested we can bring to Spain is from a small income from investment and proposed rental of our UK property. The equity to buy a small property in Spain, or possibly a renovation project will come from the sale of our apartment in Menorca

Re: Living on a budget
 

to Gray C...


i wasn´t pointing my post at you, i was speaking..generally ;)

Re: Living on a budget
 

"Up here in Valencia 93€ per month (1,116€ per annum). Mind you, you need to buy a share in the club to be a member - currently 36,000€. I've already made a profit (on paper) on mine. In 18 months, after transfer charge of 6000€ I've made about 5,000€. So my golf has been free!!"

Can you explain to me how paying out 36000E + 93E/month gives you "free" golf ???

Is it like saying you have saved 200Euros at the sales, by spending 500? ;)

Re: Living on a budget
 

It really is VERY simple. You invest the 36,000E at the inflated rate of golf interest (15%+ at present) and this covers the monthly charge PLUS more then what you will currently make on property. With property bought for investment now being dumped and retirees moving out here to live it's the new easy money.

I turned down a 7,000E golf investment seven years ago, they are now going for 45-50,000E IF YOU CAN GET ONE, and I'd have had 'free' golf. It's one of the benefits of living on, or near, the Costas. If only I had the opportunity again.......

Re: Living on a budget
 

Sorry to be an absolute thicky but what do you mean 'golf interest', I don't really understand this at all. Where we are we were offered half price golf membership (about 2500euros) but still have to pay an annual fee plus nominal green fees, so we couldn't see the benefit as we are not out there enough. The new Prai Del Rey, in Portugal, are offering golf membership at 70,000euros (slightly more up market) or 70,000 for a couple if you buy property on site. Can you explain in even easier terms than you already have what this is all about for me. :confused: