Living help (tax, health insurance etc).

[MisoSoup]

Since you are actually working close to full time, I would say you are being quite underpaid at 130hrs/month for ¥200,000. You should get at least ¥250,000. My guess is the company is only paying for contact hours, which is "black" in my view.

We seem to going around in circles a bit. The OP has already mentioned that there aren't so many opportunities in Kyoto. Added to this he's mentioned that there is a possibility of a promotion and a raise at his current position in the not too distance future. Also, he seems quite settled in his routine. Changing jobs could mean he gets a bit more money in the short-term for more stress.

My advice would be: Keeping looking for a new position but be careful before you jump. Also, getting a private student or side job (a couple of hours) should be enough in the short-term.

[Gareth]

You didn't mention your age. In case you didn't know, should you have hit or be hitting 40 this year, your health insurance goes up to cover the long-term care part. When I hit 40, my health insurance popped up more than I expected. Have started iDeCo this year to help it come down a bit.

All the best to you

[KCLenny]

You didn't mention your age. In case you didn't know, should you have hit or be hitting 40 this year, your health insurance goes up to cover the long-term care part. When I hit 40, my health insurance popped up more than I expected. Have started iDeCo this year to help it come down a bit.

All the best to you

I didn’t know that. But fortunately (I guess), I’m turning 30 this year.

We seem to going around in circles a bit. The OP has already mentioned that there aren't so many opportunities in Kyoto. Added to this he's mentioned that there is a possibility of a promotion and a raise at his current position in the not too distance future. Also, he seems quite settled in his routine. Changing jobs could mean he gets a bit more money in the short-term for more stress.

My advice would be: Keeping looking for a new position but be careful before you jump. Also, getting a private student or side job (a couple of hours) should be enough in the short-term.

Thank you. It’ll definitely be more stress for barely an increase in money. Most of which will have been absorbed by the moving costs themselves to begin with anyway.
For now I’m focusing on trying to increase my private students. Although I don’t know where else to look except Hello Sensei and maybe iTalki. Italki seems a bit too heavy to just jump right into it though so I’m just slowly going through the registration process when I have time. But any other teaching sites or services or advice would be appreciated.

[Gulliver]

“ Government do take a bite, don’t she”

The cruel truth about today’s economy is that the average Joe needs two incomes to even think about having a comfortable life. If you are only 30 you should be putting approximately ¥100,000 to ¥200,000 per month into a tax sheltered investment account unless you want to work until you die. I would strongly suggest finding a job for your wife even, if it’s just part time.

Good luck

[MisoSoup]

“ Government do take a bite, don’t she”

The cruel truth about today’s economy is that the average Joe needs two incomes to even think about having a comfortable life. If you are only 30 you should be putting approximately ¥100,000 to ¥200,000 per month into a tax sheltered investment account unless you want to work until you die. I would strongly suggest finding a job for your wife even, if it’s just part time.

Good luck

I find these kind of aggressive humble bragging posts a bit disturbing. They seem to written with the purpose of scaring away people with below average incomes.

Please tell me, what percentage of 30 year olds put away the equivalent of 200,000 yen a month in a tax sheltered investment account? It will be VERY low in ANY country I'm sure.

The OP has been very frank in his posts and explained his situation eloquently. He seems to be a nice guy trying to do the right thing. There will come a point where he thinks being sneered at by snobs, who don't bother reading what he writes, isn't worth the hassle of posting on this website any longer.

[goodandbadjapan]

“ Government do take a bite, don’t she”

The cruel truth about today’s economy is that the average Joe needs two incomes to even think about having a comfortable life. If you are only 30 you should be putting approximately ¥100,000 to ¥200,000 per month into a tax sheltered investment account unless you want to work until you die. I would strongly suggest finding a job for your wife even, if it’s just part time.

Good luck

I find these kind of aggressive humble bragging posts a bit disturbing. They seem to written with the purpose of scaring away people with below average incomes.

Please tell me, what percentage of 30 year olds put away the equivalent of 200,000 yen a month in a tax sheltered investment account? It will be VERY low in ANY country I'm sure.

The OP has been very frank in his posts and explained his situation eloquently. He seems to be a nice guy trying to do the right thing. There will come a point where he thinks being sneered at by snobs, who don't bother reading what he writes, isn't worth the hassle of posting on this website any longer.

To balance things out, then: When I was 30 I had absolutely no savings and certainly never put anywhere near 100,000 away every month, never mind 200,000. Yes, that would be ideal but given the OP's situation is unlikely at present. And neither is it essential at that age. I'm quite secure now and didn't start investing until I was into my forties. My income was a bit higher at 30 and has increased since then, but even if the OP put 20,000 or so away a month in ideco or NISA, he'll be ahead of where I was at that age. But, as Ben said in another thread, it is not a competition. I would say to the OP to try to increase your income a bit and put away an amount you feel comfortable with. Don't feel there is a set amount each month or a level of savings rate you absolutely must get to! But I think he knows that - he comes across as knowing his current situation and as just looking for ways to make things a bit easier.

[Kanto]

I think the fundamental issue in this thread is that OP says that things are tight financially, but he would rather attempt to (a) cut expenses, rather than (b) attempt to increase income.

However, OP has himself said he cannot find any way to cut expenses outside of cutting the few luxuries he has, (Netflix,etc).

So without any judgement, I think the OP has come to the inevitable conclusion that his wife and he need to focus on increasing household income.

Increasing Income
To find better positions, a bit of networking is often required. Join your local JALT chapter, join professional/local Facebook groups. Check Gaijin pot, Ohaiyo-sensei, JALT job listings. Do this monthly.

Cutting Expenses:
Are you both on a cheap MNVO plan? This is a way to save a lot a month on costly Softbank/AU plans. Do not pay to subsidize expensive handsets.

Do you have a written budget that you both agree to and stick to？

[KCLenny]

I have started putting ¥10,000 a month into a Tsumitate NISA, I want to look into iDeco, but not rush into it. As I’ve said before, it’s not as simple as just getting another job with more hours. Every job I’ve looked at over the last few weeks has been more money for substantially more hours and I just don’t honestly think that I could commit to that without tiring myself out to the point of mot actually enjoying my life. I’m tired as it is (I’m under no illusions I sound like I’m making excuses but I don’t honestly think my autism plays a big part in my energy levels and I’ve been trying to manage that as best as I can, which is of course, not cheap!).
I’m on a cheap phone plan with rakuten (had a year for free so far!), and with rakuten for basically everything to get maximum points for savings etc.
My main thing was that I want to have cut down on expenses. It was asking if that was the only option at this point or are there any other obvious things to reduce spendings that I didn’t know about, a la iDeco. Which I will definitely look into more.

My wife is look for a small part time job, but she has less energy than me (and is also diagnosed autistic too). And sure, we could both move back to England and live off benefits, but we want to try as hard as we can to do things for ourselves and maybe japan isn’t the best country for people with disabilities but it is the country we love and we are trying to make it work without overloading us.

[Gulliver]

@ miso- On the contrary, I am very sympathetic to the OP’s
situation. That’s why I called it a “cruel truth.”

Back on topic: I did not see how much you pay for rent. One of the great things about Japan is that you can live in a ¥40,000 to ¥50,000 apartment that is clean and safe. In any western country you would have to live in the ghetto and carry weapons if you were paying that much .

You seem to be in a similar situation as me where health problems make it difficult to work, but you have fallen through the cracks of the social safety net. I researched disability payments in Japan a bit, but their standard of acceptance is very high and the return is very low. I’ve decided just to sweat it out since I’m getting close to regular Social Security retirement. But since you are so young it couldn’t hurt just trying your luck with JP disability. I have an acquaintance who is on disability in the US and she said that finding a sympathetic doctor who is willing to fill out the paperwork correctly is more important than your actual condition. So, you might have to get a second or third opinion.

You said you paid over ¥100,000 in medical costs. I have been in this situation also. Contact the ward office and let them know about this. Depending on how much over, you will get a few ¥10,000 Beck. Not much, but better than nothing!

Also, shop around at All of the phone providers. You can get sweet deals on bundles. I probably cut my bill in half when I bundled TV phone and Internet together. Additionally, they gave me an absolutely free new iPhone (older model of course).

Oh, and on a lighter note. I’m not sure how pricey restaurants are in Kyoto, but in Tokyo you can find cheap Izakayas where you can get delicious yakitori w/veg side dish and nihonshu for around ¥1000. I’d wager you’d be hard-pressed to get cheaper than that even if you cooked at home taking gas, electricity and water costs into consideration.

Good luck

[RetireJapan]

I see things got slightly heated on this thread, but I hope everyone can take a deep breath, give people the benefit of the doubt, and continue a positive discussion.