26.07.22 – Daily Life
We have officially owned our little spanish house for 3 years now – I think we completed the purchase of it about 18th July 2019.
Is Spain and life everything we thought it would be……?
Unfortunately the answer to that is NO, but I’m not sure if we are in that stage, the ‘honeymoon’ period is over, and we are realising that things are hard.
Being the foreigners, we will always be watching our backs, never really feeling like we belong despite trying so hard with the language and trying to integrate with everyone we meet.
We have had a little falling out with the neighbours (who by the way don’t even live in their house, it’s where his dogs live) he suddenly just seemed to change and become not very nice, all over a driveway. It seems the way here is a lot of shouting, and lots of threats of ‘denouncing’ you. This is so common unfortunately. Denouncing someone basically means you will be reported to the Police for this or that, and it seems people are very willing to denounce each other over the smallest and silliest things.
I understand the history of the country, and I don’t blame the people, but it means you worry constantly about upsetting neighbours or doing something they don’t like. I’m someone who doesn’t like confrontation, I always feel ‘icky’ when I know there are situations that are not going well, I can’t help that it’s just the way I am.
Also Spain is really not good for being self employed. Their rules and laws just don’t make sense, it really does seem like they don’t want people to earn money, and it makes me understand why so many people work ‘cash in hand’, the system really doesn’t help people at all.
Basically you have to pay a social security payment, I guess similar to National Insurance in the UK, but the rate is ridiculous.
You are entitled to a discount in the first 2 years, which starts around 60 euros a month for 6 months and then gradually increases until the 3rd year when it goes to it’s maximum. This is around 300 euros a month, depending on your age and industry but that’s about the average.
That is not related AT ALL to your income, so if you earn 500 euros a month, over half of that has to be paid out for this Social Security payment. But that doesn’t get taken into account when you get taxed of course, you get taxed on the whole amount.
It is so hard, unless you are making lots of money, to afford to live. People who want to just make a little money, who try and do things the right way by registering as autonomo, get royally screwed.
So many people moan about this, and had I fully understood how expensive it was I probably would not have chosen Spain to move to.
It does give you access to the National Health service, for yourself and your other half which is great and very much needed for me, but it’s still extortionate and I think it should at least relate to your income.
The government have been talking about reforming it, but from what I understand, their proposal isn’t really any better and will actually be worse for a proportion of the self employed.
Sorry for starting out with a moan, I think maybe it’s the 3 year itch ha ha, we actually met a lovely couple who moved here around the same time as us, and are feeling exactly the same.
I think Spain changed a lot during the pandemic, and it’s noticeable. I don’t think the change was for the best either.
Also I’ve not had the best year medically – in May I was having quite a few breathing issues, I went to hospital a few times (once in an ambulance) but was misdiagnosed until they finally found I had bilateral pulmonary embolisms (blood clots in the lungs which could have been fatal).
When you go to see a cardiologist, who says I have to go and sign myself into A&E as the appointment for a scan that was needed could take 2-3 months and I might not have that long, says those words, you know it’s serious!
I’m on the road to recovery now, back to walking the dogs every morning, although usually down by the very depleted lake as it’s flatter than up here on the mountain.
I’m still on anticoagulants (blood thinners) until at least my follow up appointment back at the hospital in October.
BUT, it’s not all doom and gloom and depressing news!
My labrador Linc was really sick and I thought at one point I was watching him dying, but he is back to full health now and loving life again. It’s a bit hot for him at the moment (randomly last night it didn’t really cool down below 30 degrees!) but we have aircon so he can just chill inside.
My other dog Tia is loving the heat – she’s originally from Spain. We adopted her from a family in the UK who had adopted her from a rescue organisation that brought dogs over from Spain. We always thought it was funny that we then moved to Spain and took her home. And spookily enough when we were looking at the paperwork from when she was brought over, she was actually from an area really close to here!! So she really is home!
My mum is coming out to visit in September, I’m so excited. I haven’t seen her in person since May 2019 when her and my dad came out to visit us. My dad died in August last year, so it’s been really tough for my mum, we speak nearly every day on the phone, but it will be awesome to see her. She’s coming for two weeks, so in between work we are going to visit places, go for meals, she’s going to teach me to cook some things (yes I’m rubbish in the kitchen) and just laze about.
We only have a 2 bedroom house, 1 is our bedroom and the other is my husband gym and is full of his gym equipment so currently there is nowhere for my mum to stay.
However, we have two bathrooms (which is not really needed for such a small house) so we are going to do a little renovation on one of the bathrooms – keeping the toilet and sink but behind a shutter and then adding a bed. For that we need to rip out some cupboards and move a washing machine but it shouldn’t be too hard or expensive and then we have an extra bedroom for any guests, and they even have their own toilet!
Ok I think that’s enough for today, hope you’ve enjoyed the update, I will leave you with a photo of a recent visitor in the garden!
