Sharing with you my DREAM places for retirement

I grew up in a slum area and I think I have mentioned this here before. To be honest with you, even though some of our neighbors were nice, I didn’t like the place. It was crowded, it was noisy, the surroundings were dirty and smelly. It was not suited for young kids, but that place taught me to dream big and work hard to achieve it.

I studied in a private catholic school in Alabang when I was in high school. Some of my friends live in subdivisions and others are in exclusive villages. I got the chance to visit their place when we had a group project. That’s when I told myself that someday I will own a house in those kinds of places too. It was a quiet secured area, there were maintenance persons that sweep the streets and mow the grass. There were amenities for relaxation like a playground or pool. Even as a kid, a quiet area already fascinated me.

Fast forward to today, I am now living that dream. Our house may not be huge like my classmates back then but it’s still inside a subdivision with amenities and it’s peaceful and quiet.

BUT, I have a new dream place, this time it is for retirement and I want to share some of it with you.

A HOUSE IN THE MIDDLE OF A FARM FIELD

With the ongoing pandemic and the positive cases are getting higher and higher each day, I dream of living in a secluded area in the middle of the farm far away from the city and people. The house may not be that fancy, but I want it to be a safe place where storms can’t break.

I want to plant vegetables in the backyard, raise chickens that lay eggs, goats, and cows. It’s nice to breathe fresh air when you wake up early in the morning while sipping a cup of coffee, isn’t it? I am tired of wearing a mask for a year already.

If only there’s a reliable and fast internet provider in our province in Tarlac, then maybe we could consider living there and I would be living this dream now.

A BIGGER HOUSE WITH A BACKYARD AND GARAGE

We bought the house we are currently staying in since the year 2009. The only reason that time is for my mom and siblings to have a place to stay because our house in the slum area in Muntinlupa was caught in a fire. My family is living in our house in Paco at that time and we live there comfortably.

Our place in Paco was inside a compound and most of our neighbors are my husband’s relatives. He inherited that place from his dad. But some circumstances happened and we decided to just transfer to Cavite to have a more peaceful place to raise our son. My mom, on the other hand, rented a house in Alabang instead because she wanted a place near the city. She’s a social machine and according to her, she doesn’t want to live in a quiet place hahaha.

Our place is a townhouse. Meaning our neighbor’s walls and ours are connected. We chose this kind because it’s the one that fits our budget when we bought it 12 years ago. BTW, it was on preselling at that time so the price was cheaper than if it’s ready for occupancy. The mortgage per month is just like you are renting a house, but after paying for certain years it will be yours. Better than renting right?

But if I have the resources, I would go for a bigger property with a backyard that can fit a small pool and a garden where we can stay under the sun and freely play with the dog. A place that has a garage for my newly purchased car and a huge kitchen so that I can store food in a walk-in pantry. You can check out Lamudi.com.ph if you are also looking for one.

I am browsing Instagram and here are some of the houses that caught my attention. The price ranges from 10 – 20 Million. I hope I’ll win the lottery to be able to purchase one hahaha.

MIGRATE IN AUSTRALIA, CANADA OR NEW ZEALAND

I love the Philippines, don’t get me wrong here. But because of the current situation, I am thinking that if only money is not an issue, we will migrate to countries with fewer Covid cases or places where the government has a clear plan on what to do to help their citizens.

My husband’s boss is from the UK. Sometimes, we wish that he will offer us a place there while working for his company. I asked my husband if he will agree if he will go first then perhaps if he is already stable and has a nice place for me and my son we will follow. I already checked some houses there using this mortgage calculator to have an idea.

But unfortunately, my husband wants us to go together. No one will be left behind.

To conclude, it’s nice to dream, it gives you hope for the future.

How about you? Are you satisfied with the current place you are staying in now or do you also have a dream place for retirement?