Chasen Dreams

Sydney is one of the most expensive cities to live in.  That is why before deciding to move here, we spent time crunching the numbers.     I googled and asked around about the cost of living and how much do we need to earn to offset it and  to somehow live comfortably.  The meaning of comfortable living varies from person to person.   As stated in my previous post , comfortable living for me means I could afford to  eat at McDo (Maccas as what they call here) whenever I want. However, one Quarter Pounder meal costs around 12 AUD (444 PHP) here.  Expensive! So, I adjusted my meaning of  comfortable living. lol   Below are the breakdown of our expenses so you will have an idea if you're planning to visit or  move here.   FOOD/GROCERIES Our weekly budget for food is 150 AUD per week.  It's reasonable considering that we are a family of three and  we always eat at home   and we  eat a lot.  I don't scrimp on food but of course food wastage is a big no. PM (Plan your Meals) is t

 Life is indeed full of surprises.  Never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine that I would live in Australia.   We considered moving to Singapore in 2018.  The plan was to work there for five years, save money and go back to the Philippines and live happily ever after. lol.   However, for some reasons, it did not materialize. Then last quarter of 2019, my husband had an opportunity to be transferred to their Sydney branch/headquarter.   When asked about my thoughts about it, my answer was a resounding yes.  I was so excited.  I googled everything about Australia.  However, when we started to look at the figures (possible income of a software engineer and the cost of living), we had second thoughts.  Modesty aside, I believe we were doing well back in the Philippines.  We had a comfortable life there.  When I say comfortable, it means I could afford a McDo meal whenever I want.  My husband could afford to drink Starbucks coffee every day, that's his yardstick  of success. lol. 

In 2019, my husband and I  bought  a foreclosed condo unit through housing loan.   When I viewed the unit, I saw a rough diamond waiting to be polished.  Although the unit was bare finished,  I knew that it would be a  good investment considering its cost  and location.   Its cost was way below its market value, and it is located along EDSA connecting MRT station.   It would be a good rental property.  As stated, the 37 sqm unit was bare finished. There was no flooring, paint,  ceiling, partition etc.   So, we had to hire a contractor to renovate it.     We engaged the services of  Triple R Builders, the contractor of our old condo unit. We did not consider other contractors because  we already knew the work of Triple R and they already gained our trust.  We did not hire an interior designer to lessen the cost.         We just  showed our peg to the contractor  and let them execute it.  In hindsight, it would have been less stressful if we  hired one.  The renovation started on Nov

 Hi! I was MIA last year.     I won't use the usual excuse this time.  I was not busy. In fact, I was and still am unemployed.  I did not lose my job though.  I resigned from work and   moved to Sydney last year.    The reason why  I did not write when I had  all the resources to write is   because I did not feel like writing.  The big move in the midst of the pandemic drained me emotionally and mentally.  That's the reason why I chose REBUILD as my one word for the year 2021. The pandemic is not yet over and no one knows when it will  be over.  However, we can't just sit, do nothing and wait for the "old normal" just like what I did in 2020.   The pandemic came like a thief in the night, leaving me with no chance of beating it.  Like all of us, I was caught off guard.  I did not know what to do.  So I paused and put all my plans on hold.  I simply survived while telling myself that it will be over soon.  However, no matter how hard I tried to give myself a pep ta