Living in Hungary or not

Hungary isn't as bad as some other places.

I was visiting some small Caribbean islands recently and they are too small scale for my personal liking.  OK to visit but wouldn't want to live there long term. 

Living on small islands is always more expensive because everything has to be imported and getting on and off can be painful.   

Madeira I've heard is nice but for proper services, I'd have thought Tenerife or Gran Canaria would be better.

fluffy2560 wrote:

Living on small islands is always more expensive because everything has to be imported and getting on and off can be painful.

Yes, you have to see people coming from the UK complaining about the prices in Malta.

SimCityAT wrote:

fluffy2560 wrote:

Living on small islands is always more expensive because everything has to be imported and getting on and off can be painful.

Yes, you have to see people coming from the UK complaining about the prices in Malta.

Doesn't surprise me.   Guy I knew once lived in the Isle of Man and he said it became very difficult for a period to get off the island because some airline (might have been BA) cancelled their services.  I think it got better when Easyjet started flying in and out.

So all looks nice on an island but you're snookered if you really need to go somewhere sharpish.

I can see the attraction but I reckon the best thing is to have (assuming £££/$$$ available) is to over winter in say, Madeira and summer back here in GoulashSoupLand.   

Canadians do that kind of migration - they go to Arizona or Florida for the winter - call 'em "snowbirds"

cdw057 wrote:

I like the taxes

That made me laugh.

VAT and income and social taxes and tax laws are far, far worse here, for me, than either the USA or Switzerland (the two places I lived before).

Economically speaking, being able to buy a house and land for 1/10th or maybe even 1/20th the price in Hungary was a definite plus. 

But to like the TAXES here???? LOL!! Nope. Not even close.

klsallee wrote:

cdw057 wrote:

I like the taxes

That made me laugh.

VAT and income and social taxes and tax laws are far, far worse here, for me, than either the USA or Switzerland (the two places I lived before).

Economically speaking, being able to buy a house and land for 1/10th or maybe even 1/20th the price in Hungary was a definite plus. 

But to like the TAXES here???? LOL!! Nope. Not even close.

Isn't VAT most at 27%

cdw057 wrote:

finding workmen is not too easy, ...

To live in Hungary today, especially rural Hungary, means you either have to "know a guy (who knows a guy, who has a cousin who knows a guy who may be able to do it, when he gets back from Austria)", or like to DIY.   

I like to DIY. I may even buy a welder soon as I need welding done, and the "last guy" took a month to do it. I know rural live is in slow motion, but that is almost to the point of a stand still...... 

SimCityAT wrote:

Isn't VAT most at 27%

In Hungary, most VAT is 27%, but there are some exceptions.

In Switzerland, where I lived VAT was 7%. In places like Oregon (when I was there), "sales tax" was 0%.

Seriously... how can one "like" to give up 27% of their money to the government, and this is important ---- just to buy something, where somewhere in the world you have to give 0%?

Do note: I am not against VAT or sales tax per se. But rates should be sane, not insane.

klsallee wrote:

SimCityAT wrote:

Isn't VAT most at 27%

In Hungary, most VAT is 27%, but there are some exceptions.

In Switzerland, where I lived VAT was 7%. In places like Oregon (when I was there), "sales tax" was 0%.

Seriously... how can one "like" to give up 27% of their money to the government, and this is important ---- just to buy something, where somewhere in the world you have to give 0%?

Do note: I am not against VAT or sales tax per se. But rates should be sane, not insane.

It's 27% because that are easier collect that than all other taxes as they know where all the imports are coming in.   If the money for public services doesn't come from VAT it's got to come from somewhere.   

In the EU, there's a minimum VAT tax - I think it's something like 15%.  It's an anti-competitive measure.  If a country can change its VAT, it can compete better for retail sales elsewhere in the EU Bloc.  They also stopped that by making VAT rates payable where the goods are consumed, not purchased.   For businesses, its neutral (as input offsets output).

Other countries have VAT but they don't call it that - they call it things like GST.    The real problem with VAT is that there are so many exceptions.  It's also prone to fraud.

Are Hungarians pretty much live-and-let-live, or will you have curious, gossipy, curtain-twitching neighbors?

zif wrote:

Are Hungarians pretty much live-and-let-live, or will you have curious, gossipy, curtain-twitching neighbors?

Both!

Gossiping about the neighbours and making stuff up is a national pastime.

klsallee wrote:

....
To live in Hungary today, especially rural Hungary, means you either have to "know a guy (who knows a guy, who has a cousin who knows a guy who may be able to do it, when he gets back from Austria)", or like to DIY.   

I like to DIY. I may even buy a welder soon as I need welding done, and the "last guy" took a month to do it. I know rural live is in slow motion, but that is almost to the point of a stand still...... 

Get a welder.  You won't look back on it as a bad investment. 

Just make sure you have the auto dimming helmet, leather gloves and leather apron.  You also need an angle grinder and variety of rods - I use mainly 1mm, 2mm and 2.5mm for my stick welder.   Youtube is brilliant for self training on how to get a pool going.   Lots of practice needed. 

I use a small inverter welder now and it can be attached to a strap so you can actually carry it up ladders etc.  For some smaller jobs and different materials, I use brazing (hard soldering) which is more like soft soldering but temperatures like 800 C - cherry red colour.   

I've not managed to weld aluminium yet - needs reversed electrodes, shield gases and I don't have any aluminium to practice on.   

One of my own tips are never weld in bare feet, trainers or rubber shoes.   Wear proper leather industrial boots and long trousers with the legs OUTSIDE of the boots.  If you get a bit of hot metal down your boots, through your rubber shoes or Nike trainers you'd be very upset. 

The leather might put you off with vegan type interests but really, it's the only material I've found that's easily available and that works well.

fluffy2560 wrote:

The leather might put you off with vegan type interests but really, it's the only material I've found that's easily available and that works well.

I am vegetarian. Not vegan. Use leather all the time.

klsallee wrote:

fluffy2560 wrote:

The leather might put you off with vegan type interests but really, it's the only material I've found that's easily available and that works well.

I am vegetarian. Not vegan. Use leather all the time.

Leather is a robust material for all sorts of uses so I'm not adverse to its uses myself.

I'm not a vegetarian but I have sympathies about it purely on health grounds.

klsallee wrote:

fluffy2560 wrote:

The leather might put you off with vegan type interests but really, it's the only material I've found that's easily available and that works well.

I am vegetarian. Not vegan. Use leather all the time.

I didn't touch/eat red meat for over 30 years.
Went off chicken for about 8 years during that time, never really had it very often in those years either.
Fish we did eat about once or twice a week, lived in Hawaii so it was hard to say   no to seafood.
During these years I wore leather too. Even bought a leather living room set.
I started my son out to be a vegetarian too, my mom I found out years later would soemtimes ply him with meat when he was 2 years old and she baby-sat him. She thought he needed it.
He is not a big eater and doesn't eat much red meat either , 6'3" tall and probably a slim 165 to 170lbs.
One day out of nowhere I had a craving for a steak with garlic on it grilled. After a week or so of this strange craving, I gave in and haven't looked back.
Meat tastes good in moderation.
Not sure if anyone has seen the blood type diet. My blood group is suppose to be big meat eaters, maybe so, no idea why my body just screamed steak after 30 years of saying no.
It was hard to visit Hungary in the 70's and 80's when I didn't eat red meat, got a bit tired of having mushrooms and cheese all the time here.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

Not sure if anyone has seen the blood type diet.

Yes. Know about that.

Another of the countless external self interest groups trying to sell you their book, ideas, philosophies, etc.

Simple (and best) solution (takes a bit of self work, but worth it): Do what works for you. Try this or that and eventually you will end up with what works for you. Keep experimenting all your life. Since not only is every body is unique, but things will change over time. With unique needs. Ignore these "group think" programs. They are really useless.

I think the real question is , does Hungary feel like home to you and your family? The question of general economics creeps in every where. For me this is my home. Healthcare , the job gets done and over time it will get better, the same as the work force , once salaries have found the norm level workers will return. Having said that it was always difficult to find a good tradesman in England who turned up, did the job in a timely manor , so I think the little issues are the same everywhere.

Vitesse wrote:

Having said that it was always difficult to find a good tradesman in England who turned up, did the job in a timely manor , so I think the little issues are the same everywhere.

Really that's interesting.

klsallee wrote:

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

Not sure if anyone has seen the blood type diet.

Yes. Know about that.

Another of the countless {blocked content} self interest groups trying to sell you their book, ideas, philosophies, etc.

Simple (and best) solution (takes a bit of self work, but worth it): Do what works for you. Try this or that and eventually you will end up with what works for you. Keep experimenting all your life. Since not only is every body is unique, but things will change over time. With unique needs. Ignore these "group think" programs. They are really useless.

I like to give things time and not shout from the rooftops BUT I think my few changes in diet have "cured" my bad shoulder.
It has only been a few weeks now so don't want to jinx myself!! ( Fingers crossed, knock on wood!)
Organic apple cider vinegar every morning with filtered water, ginger tea daily with tumeric and other spices, ground black cumin seeds and eating more kale when I can find it.
One day my issue was returning and presto I noticed in the morning it was gone, 99.9% totally gone and back to normal. Surgery, doctors visits and meds did nothing but a few changes in diet with natural cures seems to be working.
Not sure if the "power of prayer" or if a witches curse has a time limit but so far so good.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

Not sure if the "power of prayer" or if a witches curse has a time limit but so far so good.

Witches curses. Definitely witches curses.....

Vitesse wrote:

over time it will get better

Interesting. In 20 years upon first arriving in Hungary, and over a decade living here full time, I have not always found that to be true, in all cases. Some things just stayed fixed and stagnant, got worse, or even reversed course.

Vitesse wrote:

Having said that it was always difficult to find a good tradesman in England who turned up, did the job in a timely manor , so I think the little issues are the same everywhere.

In other words... Even in England, over time, things have not always gotten better.....

klsallee wrote:

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

Not sure if the "power of prayer" or if a witches curse has a time limit but so far so good.

Witches curses. Definitely witches curses.....

For sure! Inside joke!!!

klsallee wrote:

......In other words... Even in England, over time, things have not always gotten better.....

Hmmm...not better or worse....just different like everywhere is over time.

klsallee wrote:

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

Not sure if the "power of prayer" or if a witches curse has a time limit but so far so good.

Witches curses. Definitely witches curses.....

I'm all for the witching hour so long as it involves dressing up in funny costumes and dancing around a burning effigy at midnight.   

Note I can bring my own broom but would have to borrow a cat.

fluffy2560 wrote:

klsallee wrote:

......In other words... Even in England, over time, things have not always gotten better.....

Hmmm...not better or worse....just different like everywhere is over time.

Hmmm.... I don't call my wireless Internet as just "different", after becoming better than circa 2000 from GPS, GPRS, G3, and G4 to now, in the past two years, worse than GPRS (GPRS was slow, but did not cut off all the time) due to seasonal summer crowds, all with mobile devices, overloading the network. A failure of the telecom to increase capacity..... Not all trajectories are "better" or "just different". Some are indeed backwards..... Just saying

And let us not even start with politics.....

klsallee wrote:

from GPS, GPRS, G3, and G4

GSM, not GPS... Typo.

klsallee wrote:

Hmmm.... I don't call my wireless Internet as just "different", after becoming better than circa 2000 from GPS, GPRS, G3, and G4 to now, in the past two years, worse than GPRS (GPRS was slow, but did not cut off all the time) due to seasonal summer crowds, all with mobile devices, overloading the network. A failure of the telecom to increase capacity..... Not all trajectories are "better" or "just different". Some are indeed backwards..... Just saying

klsallee wrote:

....from GPS, GPRS, G3, and G4.....
GSM, not GPS... Typo.

Knew what you meant.

Telecoms is a good one as it has changed considerably since I arrived here.   

We've just acquired a Telekom 4G LTE sim card for "permanent" internet connection for down here at Balaton for the summer.   Supposedly 150 Mps down and whatever up.    The signal ain't great here but it's just about workable enough for our location.  It's possible to stream Youtube without much problem.

It's something you can cancel - monthly unlimited, about 11K HUF per month and cancel anytime for 5K HUF. 

We might keep for longer than the summer as on my home router we can have two or three independent links with load sharing - e.g. a DSL connection, cable TV or LTE.  Our cable provider has become less reliable recently so LTE would be a backup. 

I'd say that's progress forwards!

fluffy2560 wrote:

Telecoms is a good one as it has changed considerably since I arrived here.

That was actually just a tongue in cheek issue I used to lead into a really serious topic. But that "real issue" is currently listed as "link under review". But I understand that. It was social-political and the moderators want to limit that topic in the forums for obvious reasons.  And I had to make a new post about the GSM versus GPS since the post was immediately locked and I could not edit it.