# Hi



## MagicWriter2014 (Jun 11, 2014)

Hi, my name is Lorraine and at the moment I live in Scotland. My husband and I are considering moving to Spain and living on his RAF pension which works out at about 250euros a week. Is this doable? There would be the two of us and our dog and we are thinking of moving onto one of these Park Homes where we could buy a second hand mobile home cash so we would just have the monthly ground rent to pay. Or do you think we would be better buying an apartment? Or not moving at all?? Is health insurance expensive, bearing in mind I have an under active thyroid and asthma which require regular medication. So many questions I know. Has anyone else moved before they have reached pension age and carried on paying a stamp so they can get a better pension from the UK when it happens? Hope someone can help. Thanks.


----------



## davexf (Jan 26, 2009)

Hola and welcome to the forum, 

As I read your post my word was "ouch"; 250€ a week? that leaves no margin is my thought. Prices rise and my thought is you would soon find yourself in trouble - there is no safety net (benefits) here. 

Davexf


----------



## Jumar (Mar 14, 2012)

I would suggest you consider renting a small house. You can then keep your lump sum as a backup. Park home site rents can be more expensive than some rental prices at the moment in certain areas and if you find that you can't live on your pension (which is doable depending again on the area) you can leave a rental property easily.


----------



## thrax (Nov 13, 2008)

One issue you will face is gaining residencia as you have to prove income which is currently around €600 per month per person although this varies region to region and also prove you healthcare in place. I know Spanish families who survive on less than you have per week so it is doable but you won't be dining out very often. It is a buyer's market right now (and a renter's market) so you might be better off buying a small apartment but if you go down that route I would advise you rent for a year first to make sure your chosen area is the right place for you. Good Luck...


----------



## MagicWriter2014 (Jun 11, 2014)

*Hi again*

Thanks for all your advice guys (and gals). Have to admit, the more I look into it the more doubts I am beginning to have and don't want to sell up my house here in case it all goes pear shaped. Think maybe trying to get a long term rental for 6months initially would be the best bet. Anyone know how we would find out about those and how would that work re health care etc? Also, I was planning on having an emergency contingency re money in case we needed to get home quickly and for anything else major (like my dog taking ill). Thanks again for your good advice. Oh, we would be looking at somewhere like the Mollina area or Antiquera but are open to suggestions as long there is reasonable access to an airport, decent public transport (have read that owning a car can be very expensive) but is not too touristy. We like the quiet, relaxed lifestyle. The main reason for wanting to do this is to have a better quality of life, where we are not constantly working all hours and never seeing one another just to pay for soaring heating bills etc and of course for some decent consistent weather. Here in Scotland we can be in vest tops one day, winter woollies the next! Not great for your health I can tell you. Right, need to go now, have got a day off work and going for lunch with my daughter, enjoy your day xx


----------



## saj51 (Dec 27, 2012)

Hi Magic writer,
Welcome to the forum. I'm fairly new to this too. Why don't you think about renting out your property in Scotland and using this money to finance your rental in Spain. Simples! That way you could keep your savings that you would have had to pay for your mobile caravan as proof of savings for your residencia. We have had some quotes for healthcare -bout 100 euros (per couple) and this will need to be factored into your monthly budget. If your not too bothered about were you live there are plenty of cheap rentals on the market, just have a wee look at Kyero website. The further inland you go, away from the tourist areas ,the cheaper it is.
You can purchase Inhalers over the counter in Spain, dont know about the thyroid medication sorry.
Depending on what region you choose, in two years time you may have the option to buy into the national healthcare system and they will accept pre excisting conditions, tho you will still need to pay for your medication. 
Re the dog, having done some research it seems to be the case that vets in Spain are nowhere as expensive as in Uk so if your pooch gets ill i,m sure you wouldn't have to go home for treatment. Hope this has been of some help


----------



## saj51 (Dec 27, 2012)

saj51 said:


> Hi Magic writer,
> Welcome to the forum. I'm fairly new to this too. Why don't you think about renting out your property in Scotland and using this money to finance your rental in Spain. Simples! That way you could keep your savings that you would have had to pay for your mobile caravan as proof of savings for your residencia. We have had some quotes for healthcare -bout 100 euros (per couple) and this will need to be factored into your monthly budget. If your not too bothered about were you live there are plenty of cheap rentals on the market, just have a wee look at Kyero website. The further inland you go, away from the tourist areas ,the cheaper it is.
> You can purchase Inhalers over the counter in Spain, dont know about the thyroid medication sorry.
> Depending on what region you choose, in two years time you may have the option to buy into the national healthcare system and they will accept pre excisting conditions, tho you will still need to pay for your medication.
> Re the dog, having done some research it seems to be the case that vets in Spain are nowhere as expensive as in Uk so if your pooch gets ill i,m sure you wouldn't have to go home for treatment. Hope this has been of some help


Sorry think this is only 12month (even better)


----------



## extranjero (Nov 16, 2012)

MagicWriter2014 said:


> Hi, my name is Lorraine and at the moment I live in Scotland. My husband and I are considering moving to Spain and living on his RAF pension which works out at about 250euros a week. Is this doable? There would be the two of us and our dog and we are thinking of moving onto one of these Park Homes where we could buy a second hand mobile home cash so we would just have the monthly ground rent to pay. Or do you think we would be better buying an apartment? Or not moving at all?? Is health insurance expensive, bearing in mind I have an under active thyroid and asthma which require regular medication. So many questions I know. Has anyone else moved before they have reached pension age and carried on paying a stamp so they can get a better pension from the UK when it happens? Hope someone can help. Thanks.


No problem getting thyroid medication over the counter, and It's cheap. Just show a previous prescription.
I would imagine the same is true for asthma medications too.


----------



## Madliz (Feb 4, 2011)

Another thread on here mentioned that their annual site fees are around €4,000 - that's a big lump out of your pension before even having a cup of tea. If you do come, don't burn your bridges. If you still have a home in the UK you have an escape route if necessary. I speak from experience as I lost my husband a few years ago. I am happy in Spain, with family and friends, but ask yourself what you might want to do in a similar situation. One does hear tragic stories of people stuck here alone and desperate. Trying to sell up, at a loss (as I'm sure the site takes a hefty fee) and return to the UK with no home and less money, is something to think carefully about now. 

Another thing that jumps into my mind is that Antequera is HOT in the summer - over 40ºC some days - and in the winter you may experience frosts. I don't think I would find a metal box comfortable in those circumstances. Just something else to consider. 

I buy my thyroid meds over the counter and have never been asked for a prescription, but I know exactly what to ask for as it was prescribed here. I have bi-monthly check-ups with my endocrinologist and every few months they do blood and urine tests and adjust the dose accordingly. If paying privately these costs can add up, though private medical insurance is cheaper in Spain that the UK as long as you get it here, not through BUPA, for example. I have Sanitas, which is owned by BUPA, and thoroughly recommend it. I only pay for drugs in the chemist, everything else is covered.


----------



## Horlics (Sep 27, 2011)

There are those who would disagree (strongly!) but I believe that it's no more expensive to live in Spain than in most of the UK, including Scotland (not wanting to bring in the question of silly separatist larking about). On that basis, regardless of how much income you have, you'll have as much of it left in Spain as where you are now.

But, there are a few things that can impact that basic premise, such as the choice you make about the home you live in (running a pool and having luxuries you don't currently have might mean you spend more in Spain), and your dependence on health care, to name two. You need to look into the latter but the costs can vary according to which region in Spain you choose. You can buy-in to state care in some regions but not in others. There is the private route of course and there are threads on here where people have posted specific costs for types of cover (sorry, can't provide a link for you at the mo).

Other considerations are currency shifts and the fact that many people do eventually return to the UK after spending many years in Spain. Effectively putting all your cash in Euros which you might eventually convert back to Pounds could be seen as risky given that so-called club-Med countries could hold wider Europe back for quite a bit. The suggestion about renting out your current home and living from the proceeds + the pension should be considered.

As for continuing to pay stamp, do be aware that after a certain number of years of contributing (I think it's 32), any further contributions make no difference to the pension you receive. PAYE people have no choice and pay for as long as they earn, whereas self employed and early retired people can simply stop paying without negatively affecting the pension. If you call the Work and Pensions department they will post a statement to you.



MagicWriter2014 said:


> Hi, my name is Lorraine and at the moment I live in Scotland. My husband and I are considering moving to Spain and living on his RAF pension which works out at about 250euros a week. Is this doable? There would be the two of us and our dog and we are thinking of moving onto one of these Park Homes where we could buy a second hand mobile home cash so we would just have the monthly ground rent to pay. Or do you think we would be better buying an apartment? Or not moving at all?? Is health insurance expensive, bearing in mind I have an under active thyroid and asthma which require regular medication. So many questions I know. Has anyone else moved before they have reached pension age and carried on paying a stamp so they can get a better pension from the UK when it happens? Hope someone can help. Thanks.


----------



## MagicWriter2014 (Jun 11, 2014)

*Thanks*

Well, you are certainly giving us food for thought, the health issues don't seem so big a deal as I thought and the mobile home idea seems to be getting the thumbs down from everyone, but it is good to get all these views as we were probably wearing our rose tinted glasses when we first started thinking about moving abroad. The renting is definately getting more appealing. If anyone thinks of any more points please feel free to comment, because all this information is definately making us focus on the bad as well as the good.


----------



## Relyat (Sep 29, 2013)

Fit like quine?

Where do you want to go? 
Have you visited this area?
Have you identified potential sites?


----------

