How do the locals live?

[USCebuana 352]

I didn't know teachers make that much. My sister in law is a public school teacher and my brother is a chief marine engineer. I assume they make more than most people there but they always complain about not having enough money. If you don't know how to budget, there is never enough money. I don't see any assets that they have accumulated and no major expense except for the kids going to expensive private schools.

 

They were always planning to build a house but never got around to it. I even offered to make a simple house plan for them for free but they always say they can't afford it. I tell them to build the house now before the kids go to college. Instead of paying rent they could have built a home and have equity by now. 

Edited September 3, 2013 by USCebuana

[Jawny 4,617]

There is a dirty little secret that many families won't reveal about personal finances. Sometimes there is plenty of income, but the family seems to always be catching up and never quite getting the nice things others around them have. What is not always obvious to an outsider, but ends up....sooner or later....an openly known secret. There's another woman.

 

I can speak of at least two, maybe three members of my extended family who have a "secret" family somewhere else.

 

I will share a quick story about one of these fellows. He had a "secret" mistress in a barangay not far from his basic home. He was screwing around with another married woman. He'd be doing the dirty when the husband was away (with his mistress?).

 

One night, the husband unexpectedly came home and the lover boy took flight without first getting dressed. He was buck naked as he was making his getaway. The cuckold husband hollered out, "stop, or I'll shoot!" By this time, in the crowded housing area, others were all looking outside to see what was going on. What they saw was lover boy with his hands up, buck naked!

 

Would have been ever better if someone had gotten a photo to share on Facebook

[batman2525 837]

 

We picked them, husked them and smoked them

 

Any Good ?

[SomeRandomGuy 6,596]

 

Average life is hard and you will never know by asking.

 

I have done both   you can see dudes 60 to 70 scrambling up coconut tree's like no bodies business....

 

I would not  ever pick or plant rice again... bent over all day sloshing around in mud and shit and mozzies... but you got to give it a go once in your life.....  you got to own a bar once in your life in aisa too. or manage one... don't that too    not sure which was worse

[tomaw 1,341]

It looks like things vary alot among locals. It has doned on me that asking expats what it's like to be a local is like asking a Filipino what it's like to be an Eskimo. Asking our Filipino wives what it was like before they met us probably might get closer to the truth. That is exactly what I have now done. According to my wife they have a house that is paid in full so no rent or mortgage. One sister worked and currently works in an electronic assembly plant for about $4.00 a day.Her husband makes about PhP 2,000 a day delivering vegitables from the province to markets making the equivalent of $200 - $300 a week. He often gets vegitables for free or at a very low cost.They have 3 kids. The rest of the house is their mother who was doing laundry and her other sister who became a UFO in late 90's. That increased their income considerably. My wife before meeting me also worked in the electronic assembly plant off and on but also stayed home a lot to take care of the kids. Nobody ever went hungry but they lived a rather simple life. Today my wife lives with me in California and her oldest sister (the one that was a UFO) is married to and living with her American husband in Florida. The money we send the family is limited to Christmas, birthdays and occasional medical emergencies.

Money isn't everything but of course it is better to have it than not have it. I met Filippinos that had little but were always cheerful and seemed to be happy. My wife is watching The Real Housewives of... (a show I personaly can't stand) and see a bunch of rich loud mouth bitches that seem to be absolutely miserale all the time.

I think who your with, and how you live may really be more of a key to happiness than what you got in the bank. For this reason I'm really looking foward to retireing in The Philippines and so is my American brother-in law in Florida.

[smokey 21,912]

well just come over and start building your compound and call it .... casa la local ///  as to your the key to happiness well when i use that term its to try to convince myself i am happy being broke 

[Brucewayne 3,803]

 

and her other sister who became a UFO

 

What is a UFO?

[batman2525 837]

 

What is a UFO?

 

Unidentified Flying Object....thought everyone knew that.

[tomaw 1,341]

It looks like things vary alot among locals. It has doned on me that asking expats what it's like to be a local is like asking a Filipino what it's like to be an Eskimo. Asking our Filipino wives what it was like before they met us probably might get closer to the truth. That is exactly what I have now done. According to my wife they have a house that is paid in full so no rent or mortgage. One sister worked and currently works in an electronic assembly plant for about $4.00 a day.Her husband makes about PhP 2,000 a day delivering vegitables from the province to markets making the equivalent of $200 - $300 a week. He often gets vegitables for free or at a very low cost.They have 3 kids. The rest of the house is their mother who was doing laundry and her other sister who became a UFO in late 90's. That increased their income considerably. My wife before meeting me also worked in the electronic assembly plant off and on but also stayed home a lot to take care of the kids. Nobody ever went hungry but they lived a rather simple life. Today my wife lives with me in California and her oldest sister (the one that was a UFO) is married to and living with her American husband in Florida. The money we send the family is limited to Christmas, birthdays and occasional medical emergencies.

Money isn't everything but of course it is better to have it than not have it. I met Filippinos that had little but were always cheerful and seemed to be happy. My wife is watching The Real Housewives of... (a show I personaly can't stand) and see a bunch of rich loud mouth bitches that seem to be absolutely miserale all the time.

I think who your with, and how you live may really be more of a key to happiness than what you got in the bank. For this reason I'm really looking foward to retireing in The Philippines and so is my American brother-in law in Florida.

I just noticed a mistake I made. My wife's sister was a OFW (Overseas Filipino Worker) NOT a UFO. She worked in Taiwan and Japan NOT for space aliens! LOL !!!

[tomaw 1,341]

well just come over and start building your compound and call it .... casa la local ///  as to your the key to happiness well when i use that term its to try to convince myself i am happy being broke 

Well I can't do that for several reasons- I'm not a local, I'm not rich, not poor and not broke. I'm still working on my engenious plan to live a Smokey life style on a Wippy budget! 

[hyaku 2,805]

A lot of any wealth including acquirements by poorer people seems to be spent in a "Look what I've got" manner. Houses only finished at the front. Parties for all. In days its all gone for many with nothing to show for it. When they do have money they seem to have little idea except, "Live for today"

 

Just an observation. Main this is I try to ensure that there's some for rainy day. As yet I have little faith that anything I did leave won't be gone in a short time. I think its time they put Financial Dyslexia in the dictionary as there seems to be no cure.

[smokey 21,912]

Well I can't do that for several reasons- I'm not a local, I'm not rich, not poor and not broke. I'm still working on my engenious plan to live a Smokey life style on a Wippy budget! 

well i guess we could sell cornets out of our garage