Cost of living

Me and my husband  were able to live on 800€ a month but now we get about €1300 ish

I would say 800 minimum

Ok 800 euro involve good simple life  ? Food + tv + net ?

yes its the bare minimum i wouldnt want to live on less than that but as long as your careful you shouldnt run into problems

robpw2 wrote:

yes its the bare minimum i wouldnt want to live on less than that but as long as your careful you shouldnt run into problems

agreed currently I get about 1045 plus 175 (roomie) but I hate being careful. roll on 2016 be about 1500 even at 1.2 conversion, on my own. but I count as on my own not in a couple/relationship. I struggle due to the fact im crap with money and spent loads on my ex GF #stupidoldfool lol

listen to ROB knows his stuff and he is an EB member so important ha ha

redders_61 wrote:

listen to ROB knows his stuff and he is an EB member so important ha ha

lol
Im just used to budgeting and making money last since 2007 we have had to rely on one wage and incapacity benefits and since late 2010 just on one wage because the dwp say im fit to work because when they asked me if i wanted to work i said yes and apparently that makes it all ok ...the problem is it doesnt fix health problems and doesnt guarentee youll be employed... i tried to work at mcdonalds untill i got fired for in her words being an insurance risk they were worried i would fall on the grill i suppose...
So we have learnt to budget and when we came out to malta those skills have really helped.
we shop around and we make the most of offers etc and we try where possible to cook for ourselves ... we eat out once a month usually the 1st as a special treat but  i suppose we make the most of what we have . its not always easy but  with the right attitude and mindset it becomes second nature and can almost be fun.

we also make the most of  meat joints etc so what we dont eat in one meal is used in another .. , i made two lovely dishes out of one pack of mince i got from lidl for 1 euro 74 a bag of mixed veg 1 euro  and a 1l tub of tomatoes for 79 c.
I fry an onion and then add the mince , then the mixed veg pour in the tomatoes and allow to cook season with mixed spices etc then split into two pans one i add beans too or lentils to make a shepards pie mix again both under 1 euro  and the other ill add italian sesasoning etc ..

its about making the most of what you have stocking up on things like pasta,rice,etc and most importantly NOT BUYING stuff you dont need ...

anyway you can listen to me or not you have to learn things for yourself:)

p.s im not important lol im just opinonated he he

robpw2 wrote:

redders_61 wrote:

listen to ROB knows his stuff and he is an EB member so important ha ha

lol
Im just used to budgeting and making money last since 2007 we have had to rely on one wage and incapacity benefits and since late 2010 just on one wage because the dwp say im fit to work because when they asked me if i wanted to work i said yes and apparently that makes it all ok ...the problem is it doesnt fix health problems and doesnt guarentee youll be employed... i tried to work at mcdonalds untill i got fired for in her words being an insurance risk they were worried i would fall on the grill i suppose...
So we have learnt to budget and when we came out to malta those skills have really helped.
we shop around and we make the most of offers etc and we try where possible to cook for ourselves ... we eat out once a month usually the 1st as a special treat but  i suppose we make the most of what we have . its not always easy but  with the right attitude and mindset it becomes second nature and can almost be fun.

we also make the most of  meat joints etc so what we dont eat in one meal is used in another .. , i made two lovely dishes out of one pack of mince i got from lidl for 1 euro 74 a bag of mixed veg 1 euro  and a 1l tub of tomatoes for 79 c.
I fry an onion and then add the mince , then the mixed veg pour in the tomatoes and allow to cook season with mixed spices etc then split into two pans one i add beans too or lentils to make a shepards pie mix again both under 1 euro  and the other ill add italian sesasoning etc ..

its about making the most of what you have stocking up on things like pasta,rice,etc and most importantly NOT BUYING stuff you dont need ...

anyway you can listen to me or not you have to learn things for yourself:)

p.s im not important lol im just opinonated he he

lmao roast a chicken on sunday (how british am I) with roast spuds and veg/gravy. cold chicken and chips and baked beans on Monday, cold chicken and cold spuds/mash fried  and baked beans on Tuesday, chicken curry Wednesday and home made chicken soup on Thursday (with cream of course) so yes I cook too lol.

yes I spent 170 yesterday in attard at an auction but I got a ww1 british bayonet and a ww1 british steel helmet so I can put them on ebay in august with sale ending while in England so ship from there not here. I also bought a lovely 19th century French porcelain coffee set but hey ho that's me lol

uh huh im opinionated too so where's my EB status? lol

We're having chicken too , €2,30 from lidl ... Lol

3 - 4 euros from Pavi lol but I do quite like their Cajun ones. occasionally push the boat out and get one from MF for 6 euros (but they quite big and really nice) actually I find for most things MF is really good

yes i like pavi too and miriacle foods

MF two words.....KIPPERS and BACON totally awesome not available anywhere else ive seen. The bacon is actually French (grrr) and you can smell the oak smoke when you open the pack.

We had to really budget for a few months when in Gozo (depending on where you live in Malta prices could be much higher):

All prices in euros.

Food ~450
Rent 300 + total bills around 100
Bus tickets, cheap gym monthly pass, no eating out ~50

So all in about 900 euros a month. That's for two people but you do have to be very careful where you spend your monies. After that we settled into a nice, comfortable routine spending about 1200-1300 a month. Now - that was a couple years ago - if I had to guesstimate a comfortable budget for two in Malta somewhere like Mellieha I'd say about 1500 minimum. It's not that living on 900/month is impossible - it's just not that "comfy" heh.

get yourself to Pavi special offer on Heinz beans...25c a tin (bbe march) just as you go in on display. 2 weeks to eat em yummy baked beans on toast

Beats me why some people bother to move to another country when all they want is what they have always had.

all people are creatures of habit.. simple as that....

and comfort is perhaps important

Just gone and bought 24 cans of Heinz beans lol

It's funny to read some of this, here iam in the UK and looking to move to Gozo at some point in the future, people are hankering for UK products and what do i do?
I spend my time looking at the cheapest product and eating that, do i want British?
Actually i don't give a thought whether its British or not, so long as it tastes ok and its cheap.

I didn't buy them because they are British I bought them because they were 25cts a can ... And beans out here range from 50-1 euro a can so its cheaper

Thats the way I buy too, don't see any need to change when we move.
One thing I may miss as i never saw it on Gozo or Malta is the cheap butchers wagon (usually at markets here)
Do they exist there or is it just shopping around?

At the moment here we have a freezer and freeze meats etc, even fruit when its in season and the cheapest.

No butchers vans but the local butchers are good , also prime meats in any of the big supermarkets and lidl does cheap meats , I buy it and freeze it though - markets here mainly sell fish and vegetables lol I'd love a rotisserie van or something though

Bl

Cheers for that, were so used to budgeting that we won't have a problem finding the cheapest food i guess.

mantasmo wrote:

We had to really budget for a few months when in Gozo (depending on where you live in Malta prices could be much higher):

All prices in euros.

Food ~450
Rent 300 + total bills around 100
Bus tickets, cheap gym monthly pass, no eating out ~50

So all in about 900 euros a month. That's for two people but you do have to be very careful where you spend your monies. After that we settled into a nice, comfortable routine spending about 1200-1300 a month. Now - that was a couple years ago - if I had to guesstimate a comfortable budget for two in Malta somewhere like Mellieha I'd say about 1500 minimum. It's not that living on 900/month is impossible - it's just not that "comfy" heh.

I don't know if you have any medical conditions or special diatery needs, but 450 on food in a 900 budget is very strange! 50% of budget spent on shelter (accommodation) is normal and acceptable, but spending 50% of budget on food isn't normal anywhere in the world.

I know a couple living well in Sliema on a budget of 500 euros a month:
They live in a room in a shared house paying 185 euros for the room, water, gas, electricity and the internet included. They don't often go to eat and live on a tight budget, making the most of all offers, reduced prices and coupons they can find. She said ideally she wants to spend 120 euros a month on food for both of them (but doesn't manage that every month), and 200 euros a month for everything else. She even manages to put something aside for rainy days!
They are young, have little expectations, working hard and enjoy life. I really like their altitude. They often go out and enjoy life. She makes packed lunches/dinners. They go on the beach or sitting on a park bench overlooking the sea and eat their meal together; very much enjoying all that this country/world has offered them for free.... They are happy people.
He told me about one of their treats: a large latte or cappuccino and a cookie at Subway for 1 euro. They can sit there as long as they like talking or watching music videos.
Of course they cannot buy designer labels from top Sliema shops or go on holidays abroad etc on this budget, but they don't let that bother them. They live well, simple, healthy and happy on what they can afford.

Got to say that people have diverse needs and means and that we spend more than E500pm on food.
I do not think that unusual at all!
I also think that it is no one's position to judge either.

redmik wrote:

Got to say that people have diverse needs and means and that we spend more than E500pm on food.
I do not think that unusual at all!
I also think that it is no one's position to judge either.

I didn't judge anybody and I didn't mention spending 500 on  food is impossible. This is what I said if you look closely:

"450 on food in a 900 budget is very strange! "

  What you just wrote is contradictory. 

I didn't judge anybody and I didn't mention spending 500 on  food is impossible. This is what I said if you look closely:
"450 on food in a 900 budget is very strange! "

Good morning redmik

Let me make it more readabble:

I didn't judge [large]anybody[/large]and I didn't mention spending 500 on food is impossible. This is what I said if you look closely:

"450 on food in a 900 budget is very strange! "

Oh the irony.  If you look closely to write '450 on food in a 900 budget is very strange!' is, in itself a judgement.
But don't worry, we all do it.

I expressed an opinion on an action which is not the same as 'passing a judgement on a person'.

If you call that a judgement, then what do you call these:

"I also think that it is no one's position to judge either."
" What you just wrote is contradictory. "
and 1000's more I can quote yourself this month alone!

More irony..............If you look closely I wrote 'don't worry, we all do it' 

Thank you!

I did notice your (irony) the first time redmik but wished to lead you down a path to admission where denial is not an option and I could say:

Those who live in glass houses should not throw stones. 

My point was/is [I didn't make a personal judgement] and this seems to go unnoticed again despite my efforts. Actually, I differentiate between expressing opinions and personal judgements.

I am aware that you like to have the last word. Most the times I give you a slack and 'don't worry'; letting you have your fun! Underneath I am a nice guy but it's well disguised

More irony.............'I am aware that you like to have the last word'

you two should get a room lol ... just not one that costs half your wages

New Horizonz wrote:

. Actually, I differentiate between expressing opinions and personal judgements.

Sorry for butting in but I don't understand, what is the difference?

or are you talking about someone else's opinions and your personal judgments?

Terry

Good morning tearnet and no problem at all

That was an extract from this

"I expressed an opinion on an action which is not the same as 'passing a judgement on a person'."

====

In one sense you can argue that a person's thoughts (any forms of one's thoughts expression), are judgements as they rely on their cognition. This is a philosophical view. I don't wish to go further into discussing philosophy on this forum.

In normal life we can describe without charactersising. We can be objective. That is we can avoid experessing our likes or dislikes. We can express/communicate without labelling something right or wrong: good or bad.

robpw2 wrote:

you two should get a room lol ... just not one that costs half your wages

I let redmik speak for himself, but I am not that way inclined if I can put it delicately.

No one could afford me and I am very selective 

New Horizonz wrote:

Good morning tearnet and no problem at all

That was an extract from this

"I expressed an opinion on an action which is not the same as 'passing a judgement on a person'."

====

In one sense you can argue that a person's thoughts (any forms of one's thoughts expression), are judgements as they rely on their cognition. This is a philosophical view. I don't wish to go further into discussing philosophy on this forum.

In normal life we can describe without charactersising. We can be objective. That is we can avoid experessing our likes or dislikes. We can express/communicate without labelling something right or wrong: good or bad.

Just as I thought..........yawn   

tearnet wrote:

Just as I thought..........yawn   

LOL yes, exactly as I expected and the reason I don't go into those discussions here.