Author Topic: My retirement blog.  (Read 403318 times)

Orca

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Re: My retirement blog.
« Reply #150 on: August 01, 2015, 04:36:23 pm »
To stem the influx of migrants, UK has removed the right of its citizens to bring in foreign spouses by legislation.
What normally happens is that once these foreign spouses are settled in the UK, they "import" their extended family members into the UK as their "dependants". (You will know what countries I am talking about)

Getting married in the UK will only get your marriage registered in the UK and you should have done so from SA already without needing to travel there.
I strongly advise you to get an Apostilled Marriage Certificate from Home Affairs and get your marriage registered in the UK if you have not done so already.

You would need an Apostilled Marriage Certificate anyway if you intend to live anywhere in the EU plus your marriage must be registered in your home EU state as well.

This marriage certificate will also allow your wife to get a free visa and she gets to jump the queue of casual tourists and the process is expedited.

 
I started here with nothing and still have most of it left.

Mr_Dividend

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Re: My retirement blog.
« Reply #151 on: August 02, 2015, 07:07:31 am »
Never heard of that before, thanks for the heads up.

Orca

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Re: My retirement blog.
« Reply #152 on: August 10, 2015, 09:20:58 pm »
As I stated earlier, we have come down from R12k pm to R10k as we have learned what to buy and where to buy.
I have always wondered why our food goes off so quickly compared to when we were in SA. The reason is this.
The Porras don't like preservatives and genetically modified foods and due to public pressure, these foods are rarely found here and if so, they are avoided. (Perhaps this is why women do not have cellulite here ??)

We now buy fruit and veggies every second day in small quantities and stock up on stuff we can freeze like meat and fish when it is going cheap.

Prices of meat and fish can differ 50% from day to day and from different supermarkets having specials.
As example, our local market is having a special on pork loin chops with fat removed as always at R21.00 per kg and chicken leg quarters at R19.00 per kg.
We also have a discount card that gives us a further 5% off the price that we can accumulate as points or use immediately.
I would love to know what you guys are paying for lean pork chops and chicken leg quarters now. Anyone?








I started here with nothing and still have most of it left.

gcr

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Re: My retirement blog.
« Reply #153 on: August 10, 2015, 11:35:56 pm »
Very interesting pricing in your neck of the woods
The following are prices ex Checkers here in Joburg from this weekends Sunday newspaper
Chicken thighs or drumsticks (fresh) R 39.99 per kg
2 litre low fat milk R 19.99
Porterhouse Pork Steak R 69.99 per kg - this is obnoxious marketing at its best
New Your Strip Steak R 99 per kg
Oxtail R 79.99 per kg
Large cut and deveined prawns R 99.99 per 700 grams

Many of the manufacturers are playing ducks and drakes with their packaging - they keep the price the same but they reduce the content quantity.
So the rip off continues
My sister stays in France from time to time and the prices you seem to get are certainly cheaper than in France and it seems here as well
Not everything that counts, can be counted, and, not everything that can be counted counts - Albert Einstein

Moonraker

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Re: My retirement blog.
« Reply #154 on: September 02, 2015, 08:34:55 am »
Hey Orca, why not invest in Portuguese stocks ? I think you will do well.

Here are a few to check out:-

Altri (Chemicals)), NOS (Media) or Jerónimo Martins (Retail) all up 30%+

Stock Market as a whole up 10% this year.
GDP growth estimated at 1,6% for 2015
'Cheap' money from ECB should benefit stocks

Orca

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Re: My retirement blog.
« Reply #155 on: September 02, 2015, 11:00:31 am »
Thanks Moon. I will check them out and perhaps I should start studying the PT market.
My wife is invalid after a bad fall and we have been house bound for 2 weeks and that will keep me occupied.
I started here with nothing and still have most of it left.

Moonraker

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Re: My retirement blog.
« Reply #156 on: September 02, 2015, 02:27:54 pm »
Oh man, sorry to hear about that - but she will get better, time is a great healer.
Hope you didn't have to go to Lisbon for treatment. When we lived in Loule, near Faro in the Argave, medical service was very poor and a fractured bone meant a trip to Lisbon.
(But that was way back in 1992).

gcr

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Re: My retirement blog.
« Reply #157 on: September 02, 2015, 02:32:43 pm »
Sorry to here of your wife's fall - hope she has a speedy recovery
Not everything that counts, can be counted, and, not everything that can be counted counts - Albert Einstein

Fawkes85

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Re: My retirement blog.
« Reply #158 on: September 02, 2015, 02:47:53 pm »
Apparently people who retire early have some common characteristics according to Warren Ingram - Moneyweb article:

http://www.moneyweb.co.za/mymoney/moneyweb-financial-planning/want-to-retire-early/

Financial freedom or early retirement takes a lot of sacrifice and hard work –  but it is possible for anybody.

Wow. I never really considered early retirement but after reading your post it might just be something I do one day. Except for the worrying about dying young and getting married thing I am pretty much set on the other three. Not like I am not interested in getting married but to do that I first have to get into a relationship and those don't come cheap o.O So difficult to get a girl who just don't mind chilling at home. They always want to do stuff and stuff cost a lot of money.

But anyway as for point 3 I am definitely happy with what I have. I have never understood my generations need to always have to have the newest smartphone and the need to buy new clothes every bloody month. Been using the same phone for 3 years now and not planning on replacing it for another 2. Can't even remember the last time I bought new clothes. Definitely happy with what I got and it goes a long way to helping me save 55% of my salary every month. And also by not shopping the whole time I can say I am completely and utterly debt free. Except for the R1000 I owe on my credit card. Had no choice there. Been trying forever but the interweb just won't accept my cash. Only credit cards which are luckily always paid of the next month.

With point 4 my dad has definitely paid a big part in the way I deal with money. He was always a frugal man, not because we were poor, but because that is how my grandparents raised him. I remember growing up and always seeing my friends get the newest computer or wearing the coolest brand name clothing. I always envied them so much cause I didn't have that. My dad would never pay that kinda money. But with hindsight I am really thankful. Compared with my friends I am a helluva lot better of financially. They just don't know how to save because they always go out blasting through their income. Why? Because that is how they were raised. Their parents always gave them what they wanted and now that they are older they still expect life to work that way. No saving or being patient and waiting to buy something when you can afford it. I must have it now because that is how I always got things.

Point 5...and I am really chuffed with myself about this point, but I sure do love my budget. Apart from the 55% of my salary I already save I save another I save another 10% just for medical emergencies and unseen future costs. It my rainy day savings. And as soon as I use a red cent out of that money it gets replaced immediately. When you wrote this point it was like looking into a mirror.

So gotta say thanx for making that post. Been having a rough couple of months and reading your post made me realise I could maybe one retire early and go live in Portugal like Orca. That is something that never even crossed my mind as I did not consider that a possibility. Sure lifted my spirits reading your post and realising it is doable.  ;D :D ;D

Orca

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Re: My retirement blog.
« Reply #159 on: September 02, 2015, 02:57:23 pm »
We live directly opposite the only private hospital here in the far north of Portugal and have noticed a common trait with patients.
Most patients are women with broken arms and knee injuries and I always wondered why. Well, I found out 2 weeks ago why this is. Many women here are short and stiletto heels are in fashion so the shorter the woman is, the higher the heels are. This is not a good combination with the cobbled streets we have in Portugal.

We were walking around the old city center when my wife fell like a sack of potatoes in the road. Bystanders rushed to help and had her sitting in a chair with the ambulance on its way.
The very modernly equipped ambulance arrived within minutes and after patching here wounds up, the frustrating Portuguese bureaucracy all expats complain about started.
They had no authority to transport her to the private hospital 2 km away. There are no private ambulances here and as they work for the government hospital, that is where they will take her. Nowhere else.
To make matters worse, they needed her Social Security Card or an EU NS Card that we do not have.  South Africa does not have this system so no card. We have private medical aid and the government hospital does not accept this. After much whistling and arm waving, the paramedics phoned for a taxi.

More frustration at the private hospital. The doctor on night duty could not understand a word of English and proceeded to whistle and wave his arms around at the sight of her purple and bleeding arm.
A nurse then took her to radiology where they took many x-rays then showed her a thumbs up. Not knowing if this meant that my wife made a good job of shattering her arm properly or if it was ok. We were then taken to reception for the paperwork and waved goodbye.

Once at home, I had to cut up a new t-shirt to make a bandage. Next morning her whole arm and hand was purple and swollen and the wound was septic. I am sure she fell exactly on a spot where a dog left it's IP address.

I then had to go back to the hospital to pay our portion of the "treatment". The day staff now miraculously all spoke good English and very quickly ushered me into the doctor's room where a Canadian doctor sat. She apologized profusely and showed me a letter the night doctor had left her. The nurse was supposed to take my wife back to him after the x-rays for treatment and medication. So it was just a language problem after all.

Still not sure on what to do in case of any emergencies yet but I have emailed my medical aid for info.       
I started here with nothing and still have most of it left.

Patrick

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Re: My retirement blog.
« Reply #160 on: September 02, 2015, 03:04:28 pm »
Apart from the 55% of my salary I already save I save another I save another 10% just for medical emergencies and unseen future costs. It my rainy day savings. And as soon as I use a red cent out of that money it gets replaced immediately. When you wrote this point it was like looking into a mirror.

So gotta say thanx for making that post. Been having a rough couple of months and reading your post made me realise I could maybe one retire early and go live in Portugal like Orca. That is something that never even crossed my mind as I did not consider that a possibility. Sure lifted my spirits reading your post and realising it is doable.  ;D :D ;D

If you're saving 55% of your salary (well done btw, very impressive) you'll only need to work for 14.9 years! If you included the emergency savings to take it to 65%, it would only take you 10.9 years to get there. How old are you now?

Portugal has a lot going for it, Orca did his research well. Good climate, low living costs, very favourable tax if you retire there, and if Orca is to be believed, very good looking women too.

Fawkes85

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Re: My retirement blog.
« Reply #161 on: September 02, 2015, 04:13:02 pm »
I turned 30 about two weeks ago. Must say though that I think it is better to aim for the 14.9 years with the 55% savings. That 55% is purely for saving and investing and is never to be touched for anything else. The emergency 10% savings cannot be counted on as it will be touched and used for going to the doctor or dentist or for instance the winters here are ridiculously cold and the jacket I have been using for the past five years is kaput so need to buy a new one. And believe me when I tell you a proper winter jacket that can handle -15C to -20C does not come cheap. Costs a bloody arm and a leg. Luckily I had the foresight last year to notice that I will be needing a new one this year so have been putting money aside each month just for that. But still, my point is that extra 10% gets used so cannot count on it still being there in the future.

Anyways, don't want to hog Orca's blog/thread with my stuff that is not related to him or his life in Portugal.

Just for anyone that is interested though, if you are looking for cheap places to live in your retirement you might want to look at Asia. In SA we are so caught up with Europe. I was too until I moved to Asia and now I never want to leave. This place is awesome. Now I won't be able to retire here in the Far East because the cost of living is really high. SE Asia is another story. Might be in your interest to take a gander at Vietnam. It is an awesome and ridiculously beautiful country with a pretty low cost of living and great weather all year round. Not that I am knocking Europe though. Definitely want to visit there one day soon again.

With that said though Orca I hope you are having a great time in Portugal and I wish your wife a speedy recovery.
« Last Edit: September 02, 2015, 04:14:35 pm by Fawkes85 »

jaDEB

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Re: My retirement blog.
« Reply #162 on: September 02, 2015, 05:02:56 pm »
Please note I do agree with u all saving for retirement. But please also remember (I do not feel like writing - thus gonna make it short) that saving and not enjoying life and you go to the big gates at say 50, it happens. I have seen it happen, and still think about how he deserved to enjoy his retirement, but never had the opportunity  :(
jaDEB

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Patrick

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Re: My retirement blog.
« Reply #163 on: September 02, 2015, 05:21:59 pm »
All the best with your wife's recovery Orca. Any reason why you didn't just go to the state hospital?

When I came off a bicycle at high speed in Rome I just went to the local hospital. No charges for anything including x-rays, but sadly the language barrier there also meant I couldn't figure out if I was entitled to pain killers. The panados just never did the trick, so I had a few sleepless nights.

Are you on a South African medical or something European?

Moneypenny

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Re: My retirement blog.
« Reply #164 on: September 02, 2015, 05:28:18 pm »
Hope she's up and running again very soon O. :o    Stiletto's and cobbled streets never mix, only place where I wear flats is Monte Casino for that very reason.