# How much pension do you need to live on in Spain



## Oz to Spain

We are a couple living in Australia with UK and Oz passports and want to retire early, which we cannot do in Oz because of the cost of property to downsize to in the cities.
We think that we can do it if we move to Spain and buy an apartment in the Malaga area and release equity from our property and combine this with pensions already in payment from the UK for one of us.
We reckon we may have a income of 25 to 30,000euro, we would want to run a car, go out to eat once or twice a month and have health insurance.
Is this enough?


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## mrypg9

Oz to Spain said:


> We are a couple living in Australia with UK and Oz passports and want to retire early, which we cannot do in Oz because of the cost of property to downsize to in the cities.
> We think that we can do it if we move to Spain and buy an apartment in the Malaga area and release equity from our property and combine this with pensions already in payment from the UK for one of us.
> We reckon we may have a income of 25 to 30,000euro, we would want to run a car, go out to eat once or twice a month and have health insurance.
> Is this enough?


We manage on that although we rent and have capital from the sale of properties. Without rental costs you should live fairly well. Health insurance could be expensive. I'm in the state system which I can do as an EU citizen, my partner prefers private health care as her Spanish is so-so and not up to describing ailments..
We manage to run a car and like you plan to, we eat out two or three times a month.
Property is comparatively much less expensive here now as there is a glut of unsold properties especially in the Malaga area.
I saw a two-bed two bath apartment with communal pool and gardens in San Pedro (ten minutes from Marbella) advertised for 178000 euros in our local estanca.


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## 90199

Depending on the cost of health insurance, which I cannot comment on as I don't need any, you should have enough income, we can live on about €10,500 a year and that includes running a car and all household expenses,

Hepa


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## philly

Hepa said:


> Depending on the cost of health insurance, which I cannot comment on as I don't need any, you should have enough income, we can live on about €10,500 a year and that includes running a car and all household expenses,
> 
> Hepa


Can I ask which area you live in as this seems a small amount to live on - and thats not being sarcastic or nasty just asking


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## Alcalaina

philly said:


> Can I ask which area you live in as this seems a small amount to live on - and thats not being sarcastic or nasty just asking


He is in El Hierro in the Canarias, where there is nothing much to spend your money on and IVA is only 5%!

Depending where you live in Malaga I would say you need at least €1500 a month (€18k a year) to be comfortable. You should do very nicely on €25-30k.


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## mrypg9

Alcalaina said:


> He is in El Hierro in the Canarias, where there is nothing much to spend your money on and IVA is only 5%!
> 
> Depending where you live in Malaga I would say you need at least €1500 a month (€18k a year) to be comfortable. You should do very nicely on €25-30k.



The OP is buying his property so he'll live well on 30k euros.
Over half of our monthly expenditure goes on our house but we enjoy it so much it's worth it.
To me being able to swim starkers at midnight under a full moon is worth going without other things.


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## 90199

philly said:


> Can I ask which area you live in as this seems a small amount to live on - and thats not being sarcastic or nasty just asking


I live on the island of El Hierro, part of the Canarian Archipelago, the price I quoted is for the household bills, food, electricity, and also the costs of running the car.

Most things here are far cheaper than U.K. and Spain, you must also realise we do not have any heating or air-conditioning. Our house has eight rooms and we have all the modern appliances.

There are only two of us and we have a large garden which supplements our diet.

Our I.G.C. is only 5%, diesel today is 88 cents a litre. A pint of the local brew is between €1.50 and €2.00

Contrary to the person known as Alcalaina, we do have shops, bars , restaurants, airport, ferry port, tarmac roads, post offices even electricity and flush toilets

Come and visit we need rich tourists, there are photos on the link below,

Hepa


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## baldilocks

Oz to Spain said:


> We reckon we may have a income of 25 to 30,000euro, we would want to run a car, go out to eat once or twice a month and have health insurance.
> Is this enough?


D*mn, you are bl**dy plutocrats!

My pension of about 9,000€ per year is enough for the wife, mother-in-law, myself and the dog to live on comfortably. We eat well (mostly at home), have a car (practical, economical), own our own house (5 beds, 2 baths, 2 kitchen, 5 floors incl patio, great views) cost us 85k three years ago and we have spent about 10k on it just changing things to the way we want them and we can save about 1-2 k a year out of that for holidays etc. even after having guests two or three times a year (why do they never offer to help pay for their costs - food, trips to and from the airport, etc. - and how do you drip the hint? - could be an idea for a new thread) OK we don't have the health insurance problem because we are covered by the UK.


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## stevelin

we live on about 12000 euro a year run a car and eat out 1x 2 a week but only in the local ventas you can spend 10 euro or 50 euro on a meal per person it depends what you like I am happy to have coffee in the village everyday and and menu del dia once or twice a week ( 10- 12 euro per head). We have plenty of fresh local produce to eat at home. So are well happy!!!


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## thrax

Baldilocks is absolutely right and I think provided you are happy to keep the purse strings tight in the first year, to see how your expected and realistic lifestyles compare I think you should be absolutely fine.


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## Olddutch

baldilocks said:


> D*mn, you are bl**dy plutocrats!
> 
> My pension of about 9,000€ per year is enough for the wife, mother-in-law, myself and the dog to live on comfortably. We eat well (mostly at home), have a car (practical, economical), own our own house (5 beds, 2 baths, 2 kitchen, 5 floors incl patio, great views) cost us 85k three years ago and we have spent about 10k on it just changing things to the way we want them and we can save about 1-2 k a year out of that for holidays etc. even after having guests two or three times a year (why do they never offer to help pay for their costs - food, trips to and from the airport, etc. - and how do you drip the hint? - could be an idea for a new thread) OK we don't have the health insurance problem because we are covered by the UK.


Thanks Baldilocks, that's very encouraging. We'll be moving in January and will have to live on a UK state pension. We'll be in Granada province which I hope has the same standard of living as Jaen. We intend growing a lot of our food but that will take some time to establish. But we will be living in a community within walking distance of the market as well as our 'plot' so hopefully we won't spend so much money on diesel for the car. Our house is a cave house so we don't need air conditioning and our stove uses almond husks (our local crop so cheap and plentiful) so very cheap to heat.
As to dropping hints to guests: We've already told everybody they can come to stay but as we are on a very low income we would expect them to 'chip in'. Nobody minds as long as you are honest (and tactful I suppose).


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## baldilocks

One thing that often blows the budgets of many, is the bars. They provide a place to get blotto relatively cheaply, are open very long hours and provide the opportunity to converse in your own language with others of a similar bent "Whatsh that you shed abart my wife?" "Wanna cum artside an shay that agen?" They often advertise themselves with pavement pizzas outside and your latest best friend lying in it.


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## mrypg9

baldilocks said:


> One thing that often blows the budgets of many, is the bars. They provide a place to get blotto relatively cheaply, are open very long hours and provide the opportunity to converse in your own language with others of a similar bent "Whatsh that you shed abart my wife?" "Wanna cum artside an shay that agen?" They often advertise themselves with pavement pizzas outside and your latest best friend lying in it.


That is very true. I went off going to pubs in the UK years ago -couldn't stand the smoke, the noise, the prices for not very well-served drinks- and have no desire to take up the habit here.
There are two or three cafes in our village where it's pleasant to have a beer or coffee after visiting the bakers, pharmacists or our little health/local news and gossip centre but if you sat there drinking for long periods it would be noticed and you'd get a *reputation..*
I used to drink more than I should but for a reason I can't fathom I've gone off drinking alcohol regularly. (Could be getting old?) I now restrict drinking to Fridays and Saturdays and then only a G&T before dinner and a bottle of good (5 euros and more) wine over the two days.
There is the occasional beer when lunching at our local venta with ADANA colleagues butthat's all and a huge change from when OH (who decided six years ago to become tt and who has stuck to it) and I used to drink a bottle between us with dinner and a bottle afterwards. .


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## Nigeljay

Pardon me if I missed it, but in the discussions of pension adequacy no-one seems to have clarified whether the amount is gross or net. It might make a big difference. Some people may be referring to what they actually have to spend after tax etc. while others may not.


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## HOFI

*Lovely pics*



Hepa said:


> I live on the island of El Hierro, part of the Canarian Archipelago, the price I quoted is for the household bills, food, electricity, and also the costs of running the car.
> 
> Most things here are far cheaper than U.K. and Spain, you must also realise we do not have any heating or air-conditioning. Our house has eight rooms and we have all the modern appliances.
> 
> There are only two of us and we have a large garden which supplements our diet.
> 
> Our I.G.C. is only 5%, diesel today is 88 cents a litre. A pint of the local brew is between €1.50 and €2.00
> 
> Contrary to the person known as Alcalaina, we do have shops, bars , restaurants, airport, ferry port, tarmac roads, post offices even electricity and flush toilets
> 
> Come and visit we need rich tourists, there are photos on the link below,
> 
> Hepa


Lovely photos Hepa. Spent a week in La Palma when we lived in Gran Canaria. El Hierro is next on the list, maybe for our honeymoon even. Is there a few brits there, as I am an International Financial Advisor and wondered if I could earn my living there? Regards. Tony


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## baldilocks

In general, the cost of many basics here is lower than UK.

For example:
This morning I went and had my hair cut. In UK 2½ years ago the OAP rate was £7.50. Here the regular rate (no OAP rate) is 5,60€ - same type of haircut and about the same amount of hair. In other words 52% more in UK and that is using a price which has probably increased considerably.

Fuel costs here are lower than UK, especially for diesel (1,19€ yesterday). Fruit and veg are approximately 50% cheaper and much more flavourful.

Medicines which if you are not a pensioner, you have to pay for, are in most cases at ridiculous prices (in many cases less than 1€) whereas you had to pay £6 plus (last time I looked) in UK even for something that, if you bought it over the counter, would have cost maybe 50p (packet of aspirin or paracetamol). Occasionally, if they don't have what you have been prescribed or wish to buy, "it will be in this afternoon" - and *it is*! In UK "sorry we don't stock that/we have run out and are awaiting a fresh delivery but we don't know when that will be". 

I live in a village here, not in a large town, and service and civility is the norm, unlike in present day UK.


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## 90199

HOFI said:


> Lovely photos Hepa. Spent a week in La Palma when we lived in Gran Canaria. El Hierro is next on the list, maybe for our honeymoon even. Is there a few brits there, as I am an International Financial Advisor and wondered if I could earn my living there? Regards. Tony


Few there are, three possibly four residents. There were more a few years ago but most left, for various reasons, but I suspect communication difficulties were the main reason, the English language not being used much at all,

Hepa


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## VFR

baldilocks said:


> D*mn, you are bl**dy plutocrats!
> 
> My pension of about 9,000€ per year is enough for the wife, mother-in-law, myself and the dog to live on comfortably. We eat well (mostly at home), have a car (practical, economical), own our own house (5 beds, 2 baths, 2 kitchen, 5 floors incl patio, great views) cost us 85k three years ago and we have spent about 10k on it just changing things to the way we want them and we can save about 1-2 k a year out of that for holidays etc. even after having guests two or three times a year (why do they never offer to help pay for their costs - food, trips to and from the airport, etc. - and how do you drip the hint? - could be an idea for a new thread) OK we don't have the health insurance problem because we are covered by the UK.


So lets say that you live on 7500 a year then & that equals 144 euros a week, and you can live comfortable on that !


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## baldilocks

playamonte said:


> So lets say that you live on 7500 a year then & that equals 144 euros a week, and you can live comfortable on that !


Yes, can't you?


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## morlandg

baldilocks said:


> Yes, can't you?


Baldilocks - I admire you. I wish that I could live on that. This has prompted me to list my regular monthly outgoings and look at how much it costs me.
Health care: 180
House repayment: 276
Telephone: 90
Mobile: 30
Internet: 40
Elec: 90
Water: 20
Gas: 15
Diesel: 100
Car Ins: 25
House Ins: 25
Income Tax: 100
Total Cost almost 1,000 euros per month. That is without annual costs for road tax, IBI, basuras etc
That is about 250 euros per week.
And don't forget we (two of us) have to eat and drink on top of that.
Yes I DO admire you.


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## philly

morlandg said:


> Baldilocks - I admire you. I wish that I could live on that. This has prompted me to list my regular monthly outgoings and look at how much it costs me.
> Health care: 180
> House repayment: 276
> Telephone: 90
> Mobile: 30
> Internet: 40
> Elec: 90
> Water: 20
> Gas: 15
> Diesel: 100
> Car Ins: 25
> House Ins: 25
> Income Tax: 100
> Total Cost almost 1,000 euros per month. That is without annual costs for road tax, IBI, basuras etc
> That is about 250 euros per week.
> And don't forget we (two of us) have to eat and drink on top of that.
> Yes I DO admire you.


Can I ask what type of property you live and which area :confused2:


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## morlandg

philly said:


> Can I ask what type of property you live and which area :confused2:


Philly - if you click on the link at the bottom of the page you will see the full details of my property and if you look at the location at the top RHS you will see the location.


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## baldilocks

morlandg said:


> Baldilocks - I admire you. I wish that I could live on that. This has prompted me to list my regular monthly outgoings and look at how much it costs me.
> Health care: 180
> House repayment: 276
> Telephone: 90
> Mobile: 30
> Internet: 40
> Elec: 90
> Water: 20
> Gas: 15
> Diesel: 100
> Car Ins: 25
> House Ins: 25
> Income Tax: 100
> Total Cost almost 1,000 euros per month. That is without annual costs for road tax, IBI, basuras etc
> That is about 250 euros per week.
> And don't forget we (two of us) have to eat and drink on top of that.
> Yes I DO admire you.


Hi For us (monthly) - no health care, no house repayment, fixed phone and ADSL 49€, Mobile PAYG (2 units) maybe recharge average 10€ total, Elec. 30€, water, basura, saneamiento, etc 30€, gas ½bombona =7.50€, diesel varies but av 50€, car ins 45€, house ins 30€, or roughly 252€ per month plus food, etc. 
Annual costs: road tax about 110€, IBI was, I think, about 150€

Our food and wine costs are for three plus the dog {(he likes sherry licked off my finger having been dipped into my glass but only gets it occasionally (as do I) but it has to be strong, good and sweet (Solera 1847 = 18% vol)} and amount to about 250€ per month or about half what I would have paid in UK. Don't forget that we live in a village and frequently get free fruit and veg from friends and neighbours who have huertos/cortijos (often too much - just what can you do with 40kg of green frying peppers, or 50kg potatoes, or 40kg peaches, etc ?) freezer is full to bursting, can only dry so much, etc.

Of course all this increases to varying degrees when we have visitors


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## Guest

morlandg said:


> Philly - if you click on the link at the bottom of the page you will see the full details of my property and if you look at the location at the top RHS you will see the location.


195 grand for two properties or am I reading it wrong?

eeek!


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## mrypg9

baldilocks said:


> Yes, can't you?


Before we eat or put diesel in the Disco 2000 euros per month goes on the house, utilities, satellite tv, internet.
We get so much pleasure from living here that we don't mind cutting back on other things such as running a car each or buying clothes etc. we don't really need.
If we moved a few km inland our housing costs would most likely be halved but we like it here.
It's difficult to tell someone how much they need to live comfortably as everyone has their own priorities and lifestyles can vary so much.
If we lived in a piso we would have twice as much for eating out, smart clothes, maybe designer collars for Our Little Azor
But we choose to live in what seems to be an expensive area, partly because my son's house is nearby, mainly because we like it.


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## Alcalaina

Are people factoring in trips back to the motherland to see their folks? New washing machines/laptops/shower taps and other such things that inevitably need replacing now and again? 

Or €100 worth of books every month, to take full advantage of being retired?

If we didn't have these, we could easily manage on what Baldy lives on.


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## morlandg

Are people factoring in trips back to the motherland to see their folks? New washing machines/laptops/shower taps and other such things that inevitably need replacing now and again?

Or €100 worth of books every month, to take full advantage of being retired?

No - we're not. All the things you mention are quite correct and all add to the cost of living.

How do your figures compare to Baldy's and mine I wonder?
Mary doesn't have to justify her standard of living - it's her choice within her available budget. Goodoner!

Back to the original Q - there must be a limit as to what one can live on over here and my guess is that Baldy must be somewhere near that. But again, as Alcalaina says - you must have a reserve in order to pay for replacement whatevers.

BTW Baldy - I like your use of nested brackets!


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## mrypg9

morlandg said:


> Are people factoring in trips back to the motherland to see their folks? New washing machines/laptops/shower taps and other such things that inevitably need replacing now and again?
> 
> Or €100 worth of books every month, to take full advantage of being retired?
> 
> No - we're not. All the things you mention are quite correct and all add to the cost of living.
> 
> How do your figures compare to Baldy's and mine I wonder?
> Mary doesn't have to justify her standard of living - it's her choice within her available budget. Goodoner!
> 
> Back to the original Q - there must be a limit as to what one can live on over here and my guess is that Baldy must be somewhere near that. But again, as Alcalaina says - you must have a reserve in order to pay for replacement whatevers.
> 
> BTW Baldy - I like your use of nested brackets!


I included books and CDs along with the cost of satellite tv as nearly all our entertainment is centred on our home. 
For the past five or six years I've been fortunate in that I've flown around Europe with all expenses paid. Now that has come to an end I'll use up my airmiles and then I'll stay put.
Our 'problem' is that we've lived for over twenty years in a detached cottage with thick walls and no near neighbours which has left us intolerant of the proximity of others. We tried living in an apartment when we first came here but we hated the noise, the constant comings and goings, the shared gardens...
Our large dog needs a large garden and the general public needs protection from the sight of me in a bikini, my preferred but probably not aesthetic choice of swimming costume.
Hence the need for house with grounds and our own pool...

What are 'nested brackets'?


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## morlandg

mrypg9 said:


> What are 'nested brackets'?


Baldy uses them but not quite correctly. The order should be {[( )]}. Baldy missed out the square brackets. Have a look at his posting and you should see what I mean.
Graham


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## Seb*

We are living in a long established urbanisation along the coast between Moraira and Calpe. It is a 5 minute drive to Moraira or the beach in a very touristy environment (so a tiny bit more pricey than it would be farther land in). The house is a detached 100m2 house (2 floors) with a big garden and no pool. We spend roughly 250-300 EUR a month for electricity, telephone & internet, gas, water and car (tax, insurance and fuel). In the winter we are very carefull how much we heat and utilise our fireplace where possible. We do not drive much so spend only 40 or so EUR on petrol every 3 months. Shopping we average ca. 50-70 EUR a week for two adults, three dogs and a cat, including the odd iceland shop when the cravings overcome us. So our average monthly outgoings mount up to 550-600 EUR. We do not have to pay for rent or mortgage, so that helps a lot. We are careful with our spending, but not at the cost of living quality, so I am very positive we could reduce our shopping costs even further with cutting out some of the maybe not really needed things.

So overall you can live on a quite low income, as long as you are disciplined enough not to fall into the "year around holiday trap".


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## baldilocks

morlandg said:


> Baldy uses them but not quite correctly. The order should be {[( )]}. Baldy missed out the square brackets. Have a look at his posting and you should see what I mean.
> Graham


I'm so used to seeing the American usage of square brackets to put in either what should be painfully obvious or what, if omitted, leaves a sentence completely incomprehensible (why the h*ll they can't just put the word(s) in in the first place instead of inside [],I don't know) that I rarely use them. I must admit that I do have a fondness for the squiggly ones {} so cherish them and only use them when I have to.


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## baldilocks

mrypg9 said:


> Before we eat or put diesel in the Disco 2000 euros per month goes on the house, utilities, satellite tv, internet.
> We get so much pleasure from living here that we don't mind cutting back on other things such as running a car each or buying clothes etc. we don't really need.
> If we moved a few km inland our housing costs would most likely be halved but we like it here.
> It's difficult to tell someone how much they need to live comfortably as everyone has their own priorities and lifestyles can vary so much.
> If we lived in a piso we would have twice as much for eating out, smart clothes, maybe designer collars for Our Little Azor
> But we choose to live in what seems to be an expensive area, partly because my son's house is nearby, mainly because we like it.


Mary, why are you paying out for satellite TV? Do you get all those naughty subscription only programmes? We laid out about 150€ for a dish and controller and get more channels than we could watch in a lifetime. All the UK ones, CBS etc inc CBS Drama (about 360 in all - some of which are the crap shopping channels), Spanish TV (through an old (30 yrs) set top indoor aerial). In addition we can watch on our TV DVDs, Tapes, etc and also movies and stuff on a USB stick, plus we can connect the suegra's PC and watch stuff on youtube (or U2B as the Spanish call it). Then if I'm bored with all of that, I can always get out my paints, marquetry, embroidery, etc. or even take Rubio for a walk, or even come on the forum!


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## mrypg9

baldilocks said:


> Mary, why are you paying out for satellite TV? Do you get all those naughty subscription only programmes? We laid out about 150€ for a dish and controller and get more channels than we could watch in a lifetime. All the UK ones, CBS etc inc CBS Drama (about 360 in all - some of which are the crap shopping channels), Spanish TV (through an old (30 yrs) set top indoor aerial). In addition we can watch on our TV DVDs, Tapes, etc and also movies and stuff on a USB stick, plus we can connect the suegra's PC and watch stuff on youtube (or U2B as the Spanish call it). Then if I'm bored with all of that, I can always get out my paints, marquetry, embroidery, etc. or even take Rubio for a walk, or even come on the forum!


No I most certainly do not watch naughty programmes!!!!! They are too expensive!!!! And I can't see too clearly..
Seriously though, we are footie fans and watch Sky Sports and ESPN for Premier League and La Liga matches. 
When we lived in Prague we had two satellite systems: Sky for the Premier and La Liga and a Czech system, UPC, for watching matches that weren't on Sky.
Some weekends we were up and down our stairs like the proverbial lady of the streets lingerie, up to watch a match on UPC,, then down to watch on Sky.
Sometimes we saw eight matches in a weekend.
Yes, I know, how sad, you'll say...
But bear in mind that outside it was often minus ten C or below and a metre of snow on the ground..
We also spent a lot of time reading, conversing, listening to Radio 4 (via Sky)


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## Guest

baldilocks said:


> I'm so used to seeing the American usage of square brackets to put in either what should be painfully obvious or what, if omitted, leaves a sentence completely incomprehensible (why the h*ll they can't just put the word(s) in in the first place instead of inside [],I don't know) that I rarely use them. I must admit that I do have a fondness for the squiggly ones {} so cherish them and only use them when I have to.





morlandg said:


> Baldy uses them but not quite correctly. The order should be {[( )]}. Baldy missed out the square brackets. Have a look at his posting and you should see what I mean.
> Graham


I´m a mischevious little git I know...

Parentheses (Brackets in UK) are mainly used to include information that is not vital to a sentence, but helps clarify it. The sentence would still be readable if the comments within them was removed.

() - first use - (Bracket in UK)
[] - second nested use (Square Bracket in UK)
{} - third nested use (Curly Bracket in UK [More often used in music/poetry, as well as maths and programming])




> "I moved to Andalucia a while back (December 2010)"


or 



> "Sir Bufton Tufton, 86 (Conservative) polled 3 votes"


Square Brackets are, in effect, parentheses within parentheses



> “They are going on holiday soon (they can´t wait [of course!]).”


In most reference material or published stuff like newspapers, Square Brackets [] are use to clarify the material or identify and insert missing information. That´s why *[sic]* is used when people are quoted making a mistoook.



> "Upon receiving his Knighthood from the Queen, Wayne Rooney was quoted as saying " I was right chuffed like to meet his [sic] majesty and all that..."


They are also used when providing additional reference to an article or topic.



> "...at which time the Right Honorable member for Thrickely-Acklington East pulled out a gun a took aim at his opponent, causing mild consternation amongst the sleeping parliamentarians [Hansard, 2011, May, P.1354]"


or 



> "...I couldn´t believe it when Sir Bufton Tufton (Conservative) whipped out his python [.38 calibre Colt revolver] took aim at the Right Honorable member for Cringeworthy West [Hansard, 2011, May, P.1399]"



They´re also widely used in mathematics



> [ ( 12 x 2 ) x 4 ] / 2 = 48


...and in most programming languages, Curly Brackets and all their brethren abound



> main( )
> {
> printf("hello, world");
> }



The wunderfool [sic] world of parentheses (not!) [Yossa, Niguëlas]


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## philly

Yossa said:


> I´m a mischevious little git I know...
> 
> Parentheses (Brackets in UK) are mainly used to include information that is not vital to a sentence, but helps clarify it. The sentence would still be readable if the comments within them was removed.
> 
> () - first use - (Bracket in UK)
> [] - second nested use (Square Bracket in UK)
> {} - third nested use (Curly Bracket in UK [More often used in music/poetry, as well as maths and programming])
> 
> 
> 
> 
> or
> 
> 
> 
> Square Brackets are, in effect, parentheses within parentheses
> 
> 
> 
> In most reference material or published stuff like newspapers, Square Brackets [] are use to clarify the material or identify and insert missing information. That´s why *[sic]* is used when people are quoted making a mistoook.
> 
> 
> 
> They are also used when providing additional reference to an article or topic.
> 
> 
> 
> or
> 
> 
> 
> 
> They´re also widely used in mathematics
> 
> 
> 
> ...and in most programming languages, Curly Brackets and all their brethren abound
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The wunderfool [sic] world of parentheses (not!) [Yossa, Niguëlas]




Wel if that wasnt off topic i dont \know what is lol :focus:


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## baldilocks

philly said:


> Wel if that wasnt off topic i dont \know what is lol :focus:


OK so Yossa lives by correcting the punctuation of others, as do we some times. I've just been going over a translation of something written by a Venezuelan journalist to English and the Spanish is absolutely awful as is his punctuation and that is not counting the actual errors of fact (e.g. the use of "Court" when it should be "Commission") so for some the pension received is insufficient and they supplement it by doing, teaching/translating/interpreting/airport runs, etc. so you could say it is ON topic!


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## Guest

Actually, it was a tongue in cheek post.

But hey...


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## Oz to Spain

*Thanks to all who have responded to our plea*

*Hi and THANKS TO EVERYONE*.
Hope you all pick up this thank you, it has been reassuring to hear your opinions on what it costs to live there and to hear that people have houses full of books, and invest time in arcane punctuation discussions , my wife would appreciate that kind of conversation very much.
Unfortunately that level of discussion is somewhat lacking here 'down under' and is one of the reasons for us starting to think about Europe again , but we do need somewhere warm, and that was the attraction of Spain, that and the strength of the Oz dollar.
We might want to tax people with further queries as we struggle with our decision making so thanks to one and all at the moment.


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## xabiaxica

I've moved all book, radio etc. posts to a new thread http://www.expatforum.com/expats/la-tasca/87294-reading-radio-records.html in La Tasca


carry on


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## Alcalaina

xabiachica said:


> I've moved all book, radio etc. posts to a new thread http://www.expatforum.com/expats/la-tasca/87294-reading-radio-records.html in La Tasca
> 
> 
> carry on


Thanks, it was all getting a bit surreal.

You'd better be Clarrie I think, always tidying up after people!


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