When a guy from the U.S. retires in the Philippines does he shake off
the consumerist mentality of needing to impress people with expensive clothes, cars, jewelry, a big house or the latest electronic gadgets? I often believe most foreigners who leave their home country to live in the Philippines would be satistfied living a basic existence with moderate 1st world conveniences.
Personally, I’m generally ok with not having the nicest stuff, the most expensive drinks, the most amazing motorbike, etc. I’ll even sleep without aircon; it’s just not that big a deal in the larger scheme of things. I’m just happy to be in the Philippines – the place I want to be. And for me, that’s good enough.
Other expats and foreigners, when they come to the Philippines, expect the same quality of life they had in their country. It’s a rude awakening for them.
What say you, SYKos?
I just need AC, internet access and my iPhone and I live very happily retiring in the Philippines.
PS – on the front page, I could not login because everytime I tried it took me to some dopler website. I had to log in through this blog section just to get in.
So you’re a Filipina living in America, but trying to get back to the Philippines to retire?
I believe the ‘dopler’ issue is fixed.
My filipina always says, that when I am in the P.I, that I am happier hanging out with the locals than the expats. She’s here in the states with me now, but we’re making plans for my retirement, and living life like we are here is not in the plans. LOL
I grew up in south Fla, so the heat isn’t really an issue as long as I have some water to jump into once in a while, and a breeze. :) As for internet, I can do without it, but their’s always a cafe near to stay in touch with family and friends. I’d be happy riding the local jeepney’s and trikes. It’s funny watching the reaction with my head hits the overhead in the Jeepneys. :) I think if you leave your home country you should embrace the lifestyle of where you live, and see it as an adventure. Just smile, and chill.
No, I’m the guy. LOL I brought my filipina to the states. :) We’re working on my retirement in the Phililippines. she’s been here for a month now.
haha oh, gotcha. When do you plan on going back?
I have always felt that if I need to impress someone with the material things that I have, then really they are not worth me even talking to because they are judging me on what I have rather than who I am as a person. I have already lost the desire to acquire more material objects because they truly mean nothing and none of us can take any of it with us when we leave here. Sure Donald Trump can line his casket with as much money and gold as he can fit in there with his hair, but I doubt he will be able to spend it on anything. So to me the less material things I have to lug around with me everywhere and worry about the better, plus I came into this world butt naked and without anything so I would have no problem leaving the world that way too.
I had what you might call a ‘good divorce’. She and I don’t fight over money, we’re good friends, help each other.. she even still gives me access to her online banking to help transfer business money at times. So I’m not going to the Philippines to ‘get away’ from anything other than the crappy economy here in SoCal.
While in California, that is where I met my Filipina g/f over two years ago. (she was visiting family on vacation) Before that, I never even considered living overseas. She doesn’t want to live in the US (her business is in Cebu) and it was my idea to move there.. which she wasn’t all that crazy about due to all the female competition there.
For me, the fact that I can spend less time working and more time writing my books, exploring the islands, swimming, eating fruit and seeing my g/f is already a win/win. I don’t need to impress anyone there and I’ve lived in very basic situations over the years. The way I see it.. Contentment is the key to the whole game, no matter where you live. An unhappy person in the States is just going to drag their funk overseas and become one of these old, bitchy, crabby men who hangs out at the mall with others like him.. whining about the weather, the girls who ‘took’ his money and how nothing is done like it is, ‘back in the States’.
Screw that bunch! If they can’t be content in the Philippines, let ‘em go back home and eat cat food on their $1,200 social security check. That, or get some damn appreciation. Me.. I plan to be thankful and make the best of the situation come this July (2012). :)
Amen, brother.
Jedi the Caveman. I say your username changes when you retire in the Peenes.
I agree with you about the divorced american men and fucked child support laws in the states. iv’e been separated from my wife for over 2 years, mutually agree on divorce but dont have the money to file. we were together 24 years, however, the last 19 years of it were sexless marriage by all legal means, as in i was lucky to get laid once every 5-9 months by my blond hair american wife. she works 3-4 hours overtime every day (so she said) and gets 5 weeks of vacation and sick leave per year. its perplexing how all this overtime seemed to make no difference on our getting ahead of bills, and she had her own bank account so i couldnt see the transactions. and how is it every time i ask her to take a day off for us to go do something she never has any vacation days left, yet has never used one with me? she only wanted me around for my paycheck when i was working, and cooking cleaning maid always. her lack of wanting sex (with me), overtime with no increase of pay on her checks, missing vacation an sick leave hours.. blatantly obvious she not at work and was spending her time with someone other than me! this went on for years til i finally told her (after years of warning) im leaving i want a divorce. amazingly after her bitterness about the split up wore off, and me continually drilling into her head divorce doesnt have to mean the end of our friendship, were back to being good or almost best friends. we’ve been in each others lives since we were teenagers, 24 years, divorce is no reason to end that friendship from bitter pasts.
that child support law is fucked though! i have a daughter (now 20 years old) from another woman i dated 3 weeks while i was separated from my wife for 7 months (before we were married). i became unemployed, fell way behind on the $900mo support payments. my daughter is over 19 so the amount owed is no longer growing, and i finally got it down below $22k this year. the pisser is if you owe more than $2500 child services automatically adds you to the passport denial list so your passport is revoked and cant leave the country! this means i cannot go to the philippines to meet my fiancee 1x as required to qualify for to get her a K1 fiancee visa! yeah i bet the genius that voted to pass that law never thought about how many couples they are preventing from being together or getting married. yeah way to go on that whole “land of the free, right to travel freely” part uncle sam!
oh and during that 7 months i was separated, my wife filed for food stamps and the government automatically came after me for child support for my 2 sons, my wife did not approve this. me and my wife got back together, we called and filed numerous times to have the child support stopped, but for 10 years they refused to stop collecting for til we hired a layer, and they never sent ANY of the money the collected to my wife or children! double kick in the teeth by uncle sam!
as far as the philippines marriage laws it can work to the advantage of both the husband and wife, probably more so for the husband. think about it, there is no divorce in the philippines, she can never marry another due to the fact its difficult to get an annulment. if she separates from you, and she gets a bf then you also can get her arrested. unless your a really horrible husband, abusive, cheater, not supporting her and your children, then you will not have a problem, she will respect and love you, stay loyal and be with you forever. if you abuse her then she will cheat, use you for your money while she can, and eventually leave you.. that actually goes for any woman in any country, especially in america. province girls are the ones most traditional and loyal, i would never consider looking for a wife in angeles city, or even manila, but i have met some good honest loyal women from manila as well.
most the places i have lived in the states do not have aircon, and i have lived in las vegas, and the midwest which has temperatures and humidity similar to phils, i can do ok without aircon as long as theres a water source to soak down. i dont need to prove wealth to anyone, i’ll be just as happy being careful with my spending living in a province shack house as long as im in phils with my girl and basic living comforts. internet, warm water for shower or bath, fridge, microwave, and portable table top electric stove. all of which can be solar powered.
so i agree.. Quality of life for me is not a big deal as long as I have a hot loyal girl, a roof over my head and enough savings to last me til my social security checks start coming in.
point being.. after the bullshit i endured with this country screwing me out of approximately $35-40k child support my children never received, denying my passport so i cant go meet my filipina fiancee to qualify her for K1 visa, my cheating gold digging sexless marriage wife, and all the other american bitches that used me for sex then cheated on me with the first guy that had more money.. fuck america and its crazy bitches, they can keep it! i will be much more happy in the philippines living a minimalists simple life in the tropical jungle with my beautiful young filipina wife who actually loves to fuck morning-noon-night.. with only me! =)
sounds like the Gringo Tax I have paid from time to time.
I don’t know what you were watching, but it was more then 5.
“the pisser is if you owe more than $2500 child services automatically adds you to the passport denial list”
You can thank George W. Bush for that one. Actually, it was Dick Cheney who broke the tie in the Senate: elections have consequences.
i think it is sufficient enough.
here’s one guy living happily in the PI off his $733 SS pension.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByMiUPqRJSo&feature=relmfu