One Month On!

Well been in Spain 1 month now and we all love it. I just wish we had done it 10 years ago. I have cut down my workload so that I just work mornings, so have the rest of the day to enjoy myself. It took us a week or so to chill out after all the hassle and indeed stress of leaving the UK, but I can honestly say that now, we have eased in to the Spanish life style and loving it.

The only drama we had was finding a monster coachroach in the bathroom which we believe (and hope), must have been brought in with the washing. It was a monster, lol. Spent 5 minutes chasing it around the bathroom, or it might have been chasing me, before I managed to crush it.

Just need to keep working on my Spanish.

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 What a nice post we are planning the move to spain early next year, we are a bit overwhelmed at the moment so so nice to read a post such as yours :) Where abouts are you staying?

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 Is it easy to retire to Spain from UK ?  we are waiting til all the kids settled here then we will be in our early/late 60's and we have no savings nor a real trade or business but we want to settle down and not work. What finances do you need to show to eb accepted in Spain?

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There are no requirements or restrictions regarding financial stability to relocate/move to Spain on a permanent basis.

There's a number of threads on here about the cost of living in Spain and the sort of money people need to live comfortably. Some people say its possible to live comfortably on @ 1000 euros per month and others say this is an under-estimate.It really depends on where you would want to live (including the type of property) and the lifestyle you are looking to enjoy in Spain.

Given the dire economic climate in Spain and the rising costs of living, the future does not look bright and further austerity measures are likely.

Lots of research and holidays to different areas of Spain would probably be helpful (if you have not already done so), which would help you with your decision.

Good luck

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 Well we are still here and loving it although we are still on a steep learning curve. We had intended to purchase a property after a year out here but due to the decline in house prices and the low cost of quality rentals we have decided to wait. I have made the effort to learn Spanish which has helped me no end adapt to the Spanish lifestyle. I am though amazed how few of the British community out here have actually made the effort to learn Spanish, my wife included. I work online so don’t have to worry about finding work in Spain which is good because for those who do come out here expecting to find work, they have little or no chance.

I honestly think that the cost of living here in Spain is still far cheaper than the UK. In regards to food, if you can live without expensive imported UK brands by switching to Spanish brands and shopping at large Hyper Markets such as AlCampo and of course local markets then your food bill can actually be cheaper than the UK. Electricity is expensive, but in reality you use far less so again in regards to the UK it’s cheaper here in Spain. If you take advantage of menu del dia & noche offers then you can eat out a few times a week without breaking the bank.

It’s the small things though that we enjoy such as siting at the café overlooking the marina each morning having our morning coffee. Spending a large proportion of our day in the garden and especially the stress free life out here.

From my experience of Spain to date, you get out of it what you put in to it. In the area I live in many like to pass the time by drinking far too much and moaning about Spain which to me seems such a waste, but each to their own.

I can honestly say that moving to Spain has been the best decision I have ever made!

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There are now requirements to show financial stability in order to take out residency in spain. The FCO website points this out. You need to show sufficient income to support yourself and proof of medical cover. For retirees and disabled, the S1 form to transfer medical cover from UK to Spain is sufficient but all others need to show private medical insurance. The site itself does not give a figure for financial stability but others state that €432 per person per month (just over €5000 per year) is the requirement. It's also stated that a credit card giving the annual amount or more as a credit limit is acceptable.
If you are under retirement age and have been paying NI in UK, you can transfer up to 30 months of medical care across depending on when you stopped work and what time of year you apply. Most people seem to get around 2 years but each month after you've stopped paying NI will be taken off.
Yes, Spain is going through problems which is why they are trying to ensure people who move here can support themselves. Property appears cheap and inflation is no where near as high as UK but the dire state of the pound means you may not see much difference. For example, 2 bed house up from me bought 8 years ago at €176, 000 has just sold for €120, 000 which is a massive whack off the original cost. Bearing in mind the pound was worth €1.45 then the house cost £125, 000. With the exchange rate last month when it was sold that was £111, 000 so not as bad as it first seems for the seller but a British buyer wouldn't see that much of a difference when tax is paid on top. Renting is also cheap at the moment with many decent long term lets at around €500 a month or less for a 3 bed house.
Saying all that, despite what some people say, we love it here and find our money goes much further. Many things, like white goods and TVs, have come down considerably in the last 3 or 4 years. We have a relaxed and enjoyable lifestyle and, for some reason, haven't had the strains and stresses some posters claim to experience. Even all the bureaucratic nonsense hasn't been a problem and healthcare, residency, padron and so on were all completed with the minimum of fuss. Even my tax returns have been done with no tears at bedtime (we do pay a solicitor to complete the tax return as it is very different here, not necessarily more complicated, just different).
Yes, I do recommend the lifestyle. I'll now be accused of rose coloured specs, head in sand etc but usually by people who have moved to the wrong area, bought a house designed for holidays in the summer and live in it all year round and, for some reason, takes every law/rule/requirement as a personal attack on British expats. And if they think UK is much better, they've forgotten why they moved here in the first place and close their eyes to the dire straits of the UK financial situation at the moment.

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I still think white goods and tvs are expensive from stores in Spain but we simply buy online. For example a few months ago we wanted to buy a large screen Samsung Smart TV which was just under 1100E in local stores so we purchased it from Amazon.co.uk for just under 600E with free delivery. My wife regualry buys online from M & S, Debenhams, Argos and Amazon.

We have noticed that many refer back to the days when the pound was strong against the Euro but for now those days have gone. We will buy in the next year but we are in no rush plus there are plenty of quality bargain properties that seem to be falling in price each month. 

 

 

This message was last edited by ramchip on 12/05/2013.

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I stand corrected regarding the need to evidence financial stability - thank you Bobaol for this and ooops for my wrong info in the first instance!!!!

I have to say, it is so positive to read Bobaol and Ramchip's posts. There is so much doom and gloom on the threads, generally, nowadays. I for one do not think you have 'rose tinted glasses'. Everyone's experiences and views of their own lives are going to be different. I do wonder, though, why those people who have nothing positive to say about their lives in Spain continue to stay. If I was in that position, I would have to find a way to sell up (whatever the financial loss) and move back to UK and in the meantime, make the most of my life.

You have raised a good point, Boboal, about property prices. Its certainly true that whilst the value of my property in Rojales has reduced significantly on paper, the difference in the exchange rate means that the depreciation is not as bad as it would originally appear. However, my husband and I do not intend to sell, anyway, so the price it would sell at is imaterial. I wonder if people who purchased years ago actually take the exchange rate at that time into account if putting their property on the market now?

 

 

 

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Ramchip, I'm sure there are many instances of being able to buy cheaper, I was saying that they have come down considerably. For example, several local stores have washing machines and dishwashers around €200 which was impossible years ago. And, regarding your telly, I bought a 46in Sony Bravia Smart TV from Media Markt last month. Cost (when I got the credit card bill) was £630 on their free IVA day compared to PC World at £880 on special offer so there are different comparisons. I also tried Amazon but they wouldn't deliver the large screen one to Spain and the .es site was much more expensive.

However, that's not really the point. I remember buying white goods for our new house about 6 years ago. If I'd bought them now they would be much cheaper in euros.

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I wonder how they would police the financial requirements. Surely you can just get on a 'plane or drive over and enter Spain, regardless of how much money you've got?

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 There are no requirements to enter Spain for EU citizens.  Those are required only when you take out residency (OK, OK, johnzx, when you register as a citizen of the EU).  

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As Bobaol says:-       There are no requirements to enter Spain for EU citizens.  

However,  this is what the police say you require to register on EU Citizens Register (Sometimes  incorrectly called Residencia,  which only applies to Non EU citizens)

 

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Further to the comment on buying British food - 45 years as a lorry driver, I often enjoyed a Kit Kat with my morning tea. However,  when they got to 75p each in the local co-op supermarket, being old-fashioned I decided that no way was I paying 15 bob for a bar of chocolate!

I notice that for the last month. Mercadona have been selling them at 90 cents for three! By my reckoning, that's a tad over 20p each. They ARE the British ones, made in York.

Now where's the logic in that...............

Steve

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 This is a lovely story to read, instead of doom and gloom.  We have family in Spain and we want to move there now.  My husband can do his job online, my daughter needs to go to school, which is why I want to do things properly.   It's all quite daunting but I have to keep telling myself that people do it all the time so we should be able to move there if we want to.  Just got to work it all out!! x

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Pellonbaby - have a look atbFamily Life in Spain - http://familylifeinspain.com/. Lisa is THE expert in moving kids to Spain, getting the right school etc.

Good luck!

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 tamaraessex - Thank you so much...will take a look!! x

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Ramchip, just picked up your post.

Glad you are having a relaxing time. It's easy to slow down in Spain. We are on a 1 year sabbitical (paid long service leave) and chose Spain for it's relaxed ways, although we had never visited many our friends from France ( we lived in France for 30-years) said it was a great place to visit. And for us that has turned out to be the case.

Having spent 3-months in Soto we are now in Portugal on the Atlantic coast for 3-months  but plan to visit Northern Spain for 3 months before returning to work, this time in Switzerland as the company I work for is relocating it's research facilities  and us with it away from France.

Keep posting as I'm sure  other newcomers will welcome your onging experiences.

Rossetti

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The title of this thread is 'One month On!'.......................Well, as I write, we are 'One Month Away!' and are at this point in time surrounded by part-packed boxes in readiness for our move out to Spain at the end of August.  I will be working, so not quite ready to retire yet, but never the less, really excited at the prospect of this new adventure.  We have been blessed with some amazing weather here in the UK over the last few weeks, which is helping us get acclimatised. 
Can't wait!!!

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