Without an adequate retirement nest egg I often wonder how my dotage will play out.

Lee said:
Wow, that rent you mention Bretrick would get you a luxury apartment here where I am. You don't say but does your apartment fall into that category? If so, would you be comfortable scaling back to a cheaper apartment rather than sharing with someone?

It would be a bit of an upheaval and not knowing your circumstances as far as pension etc. but would an option be to move to another country more affordable. Many places on the globe you can live quite well on little.
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My rent is very low when compared to the average of $450, I am paying $225.
My unit was built in the 60's so not palatial at all.
I will not be sharing with anyone. Tried that and failed.
The thing with sharing is that there are always the other persons friends as well to contend with. At one stage I walked out of my shared place and went to a hotel because my flat mate had a party with all his mates, alcohol and drugs. I was working and needed sleep so I went and found a quite hotel room.
Renting with others is rather difficult, as OneEyedDiva mentioned, finding the right person becomes problematical. Each having to deal with each other's foibles and friends.
Never will I leave Australia, my situation is okay at the moment though the future might become shaky.
 

hollydolly said:
$225 Australian Dollars is approx £135 in the Uk.. ..about 1/2 or a third of the average rents here , so that's a cheap rent

In the UK particularly here in th South people who rent would give their eye teeth for a rent as cheap as that
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Yes, I have been here for 8 years now and my rent has never risen. Quite lucky in that regard.
 
Aunt Bea said:
It's the same in this country.

The important thing is to get registered so your name is moving up on as many lists as possible.

In this country, if a person has a medical event that lands them in the hospital a social worker is usually assigned to help them manage the changes in their lives. That usually includes preferential treatment in moving up the waiting list ahead of healthier or wealthier housing applicants.
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I earn too much to be eligible for social housing.
While I was unemployed I was in the list, then I found employment.
Within 6 months of being on the subsidised housing list I was offered a place but my income precluded me from taking the place.
 

Kaila said:
This is what I was going to suggest to you and to anyone in similar circumstances.

Get on those wait lists, that are years long, in case you dearly need it, in the future at the time when one opens up.
And so that you are on them, if your situation changes sooner than hoped, so there's more possibility of being moved up, than if you are not even on the list at all.

On a different point raised in this thread, regarding whether it might be better or cheaper, for someone to move to another country, keep in mind that is not easy (or possible for most of us) to do, for countless reasons.
Besides the additional expenses of actually moving, most importantly there are many laws, rules and guidelines, set by each individual country, that would not let most people simply decide to live there.
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One drawback to that is that being a single guy, places come up rather quickly. I was on the list and offered a place within 6 months but I had found permanent work in the interim and my income was too high so I had to forego the place.
There is a threshold as to how many times a person can reject an offer (for what ever reason) so I am in the situation where I will need to be permanently not looking for work before I can reapply lest I am offered another place in a short amount of time.
 
Some elderly home owners here are losing there homes because they can't afford their property tax. I get two tax bills, one for the county and municipality where I live and the other is the school tax. Elderly people are paying to educate kids who either they never had or are grown adults now.
 
Chet said:
Some elderly home owners here are losing there homes because they can't afford their property tax. I get two tax bills, one for the county and municipality where I live and the other is the school tax. Elderly people are paying to educate kids who either they never had or are grown adults now.
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Our province has a plan that the elderly owner can postpone paying taxes until the house is sold when they move out or pass away. Some people are sitting in an old house on waterfront property that is worth a fortune. It seems to balance out. There’s also lower rate of taxes for those over 65.

We’re always paying something in the taxes that doesn’t apply to us. It all tends to balance out, IMO.
 

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