We moved from Spain to Riyadh last fall because it gave my Spanish husband, a civil servant, a chance to make more money and give us more financial freedom. I could quit my job, too, so we opted to not get a nanny or housecleaner or driver.
We seemed to never get ahead in Spain, despite raises and not living beyond our means. I used to survive off of 700€ a month as a teacher ten months of the year. And I had some pocket change for travel.
We haven't changed our spending habits much, outside of the basics. In fact, we are saving money on food (we average around 200€ a week with two boys) and telecommunications, as his government is paying for some of these things. We don't eat out often, do most of our socializing on compound.
This year is all about saving. Of course we miss Europe and some of the luxuries we had there, like WALKING somewhere or cheap coffee.
Hi Cat :) It’s so lovely to connect with you and thank you for your honest and thoughtful comment!
I felt every word and completely understand where you’re coming from. Sometimes relocating gives you a new perspective on creating space to breathe, feel secure, and plan for the future.
Wishing you and your family a great time in Saudi and greetings from Qatar!
It‘s funny how much culture comes into play here, too. Living outside of Munich, I know very few families that regularly hire babysitters. While all of my American friends have a pipeline on standby. It doesn’t seem to be so much about the cost, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t about the money. Although they could likely afford babysitters, it’s just not something that is commonly. If the grandparents aren’t available, you change your plans. Interestingly, however, Aupairs are fairly common.
You’re absolutely right. In countries like Germany or Italy, there’s often a much stronger expectation that parents adapt their lives around childcare rather than regularly outsourcing it. In the US, babysitters almost feel like part of the standard infrastructure of family life. I think most European families just don’t see them as the “normal” solution. Culture really shapes what people consider normal far more than most realize :)
That hits home! I'm Italian and the situation you described applies especially in Italy. We're the only country in Europe where the salaries didn't grow over the last 30 years. Imagine go grocery shopping with the actual prices but with the salary of the 90s...
I'm currently saving to relocate in SEA because honestly taxes are getting crazy here. As a freelance I'm paying 40% of my income!!! For getting absolutely nothing or a very very low quality service as you mentioned in your article.
Italy is one of the clearest examples of this: wages have remained largely stagnant for nearly 30 years while the cost of living has continued to rise. That’s a brutal combination. It often feels like hardworking people are carrying the burden of a system that was never really designed with them in mind. Wishing you all the best with your relocation! :)
YES! This is me!
We moved from Spain to Riyadh last fall because it gave my Spanish husband, a civil servant, a chance to make more money and give us more financial freedom. I could quit my job, too, so we opted to not get a nanny or housecleaner or driver.
We seemed to never get ahead in Spain, despite raises and not living beyond our means. I used to survive off of 700€ a month as a teacher ten months of the year. And I had some pocket change for travel.
We haven't changed our spending habits much, outside of the basics. In fact, we are saving money on food (we average around 200€ a week with two boys) and telecommunications, as his government is paying for some of these things. We don't eat out often, do most of our socializing on compound.
This year is all about saving. Of course we miss Europe and some of the luxuries we had there, like WALKING somewhere or cheap coffee.
Hi Cat :) It’s so lovely to connect with you and thank you for your honest and thoughtful comment!
I felt every word and completely understand where you’re coming from. Sometimes relocating gives you a new perspective on creating space to breathe, feel secure, and plan for the future.
Wishing you and your family a great time in Saudi and greetings from Qatar!
It‘s funny how much culture comes into play here, too. Living outside of Munich, I know very few families that regularly hire babysitters. While all of my American friends have a pipeline on standby. It doesn’t seem to be so much about the cost, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t about the money. Although they could likely afford babysitters, it’s just not something that is commonly. If the grandparents aren’t available, you change your plans. Interestingly, however, Aupairs are fairly common.
You’re absolutely right. In countries like Germany or Italy, there’s often a much stronger expectation that parents adapt their lives around childcare rather than regularly outsourcing it. In the US, babysitters almost feel like part of the standard infrastructure of family life. I think most European families just don’t see them as the “normal” solution. Culture really shapes what people consider normal far more than most realize :)
That hits home! I'm Italian and the situation you described applies especially in Italy. We're the only country in Europe where the salaries didn't grow over the last 30 years. Imagine go grocery shopping with the actual prices but with the salary of the 90s...
I'm currently saving to relocate in SEA because honestly taxes are getting crazy here. As a freelance I'm paying 40% of my income!!! For getting absolutely nothing or a very very low quality service as you mentioned in your article.
Italy is one of the clearest examples of this: wages have remained largely stagnant for nearly 30 years while the cost of living has continued to rise. That’s a brutal combination. It often feels like hardworking people are carrying the burden of a system that was never really designed with them in mind. Wishing you all the best with your relocation! :)
Thank you!