Author Topic: Brussels Move (Read 20675 times)

DCR · « **Reply #20 on:** November 22, 2017, 06:57:22 am »

Hey Splash, please keep posting here as you go along. I might have an opportunity to relocate to Brussels in the future and would like to know what life there is really like. The office is in Zaventem (well, Brussels side of the highway where all those office buildings are) but I have only spent a month there, which is not really enough to form opinions.

Cheers.

Splash · « **Reply #21 on:** November 22, 2017, 08:44:08 am »

Quote from: DCR on November 22, 2017, 06:57:22 am

Hey Splash, please keep posting here as you go along. I might have an opportunity to relocate to Brussels in the future and would like to know what life there is really like. The office is in Zaventem (well, Brussels side of the highway where all those office buildings are) but I have only spent a month there, which is not really enough to form opinions.

Cheers.

My apartment is in Zaventem.

About the extent of my exploring, the weather does not make for great opportunities to get out unfortunately. Might have to wait to spring. A car would help. Watching a lot of TV.

Will keep you all posted. Don't hold your breath though.

0012 · « **Reply #22 on:** November 22, 2017, 04:02:14 pm »

sub

dookie · « **Reply #23 on:** November 22, 2017, 04:11:01 pm »

Also IKEA issue ?

Splash · « **Reply #24 on:** November 22, 2017, 04:41:22 pm »

The bag belongs to a "little old lady" that owns the apartment. No really, she exists. Seem to be dealing with her son though!

Have a 9 year lease. Not moving for a while. Have a 3 month rental penalty if I break the lease within the first year. Would also have to give a months written notice. They got two months rental as a guarantee and do not like paying it back - very quick to claim damages.

Splash · « **Reply #25 on:** November 25, 2017, 08:27:12 am »

Death and taxes, the only two certainties in life. Being an immigrant, tax is complicated. In Belgium, am getting a special very low tax rate. Getting help from KPMG with my tax returns. There is not way I would be able to get it right, not to mention language barriers. As normal, tax is only assessed at the end of a tax year which can be a long time to mess up. For a normal Belgium resident, tax it is a simple one page online submission. Very easy to reach the top 50% tax bracket (€38,830). They do have big allowances for children.

Income tax table for 2017

From EUR   To EUR   EUR   Percent
0     11,070   0     25
11,070   12,720   2,767.50     30
12,720   21,190   3,262.50     40
21,190   38,830   6,650.50     45
38,830   Over   14,588.50   50

Personal allowances     EUR
Basic personal allowance     7,270
Personal allowance 1 child     1,550
Personal allowance 2 children   3,980
Personal allowance 3 children   8,920
Personal allowance 4 children   14,420
For every extra child     5,510
Extra allowance per child less than 3 years old (if no deductions for actual child care expenses incurred are claimed)   580

Pumbaa · « **Reply #26 on:** November 25, 2017, 10:41:36 am »

Quote from: Splash on November 22, 2017, 08:44:08 am

Quote from: DCR on November 22, 2017, 06:57:22 am
Hey Splash, please keep posting here as you go along. I might have an opportunity to relocate to Brussels in the future and would like to know what life there is really like. The office is in Zaventem (well, Brussels side of the highway where all those office buildings are) but I have only spent a month there, which is not really enough to form opinions.

Cheers.
My apartment is in Zaventem.

About the extent of my exploring, the weather does not make for great opportunities to get out unfortunately. Might have to wait to spring. A car would help. Watching a lot of TV.

Will keep you all posted. Don't hold your breath though.

Like you, I live in Northern Europe and have lived here for a long time. One thing you need to try and adjust to as quickly as possible is the fact that you will have live with a lot of bad weather. For this you need to change your outlook on weather. It will make life a lot better. A good saying here in tye Netherlands is, You don't have bad weather, you only have bad clothing.

To give you an example, our 1 year old son goes to daycare here. They give you the option for the kids to sleep outside during the day. This happens winter and summer, regardless of the weather. It is a refreshing approach, and our boy loves it.

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Splash · « **Reply #27 on:** November 25, 2017, 11:43:35 am »

Agree with you. Weather is an issue. At the moment have been busy enough inside but need to get myself outdoors. Which is what I am going to do right now. Thanks for the comment. Went shopping. Needed new clothes for our Christmas Dinner.

NoRush · « **Reply #28 on:** November 25, 2017, 08:31:44 pm »

Thanks for sharing your life with us.

Splash · « **Reply #29 on:** November 30, 2017, 07:23:34 am »

Bought a car yesterday. A Toyota Auris 2012 for €7 502. Will get it next week Thursday once it has been transferred.

Still waiting for a Belgian drivers license - getting desperate. Would I be able to leave it in my garage?

Similar to a Toyota Conquest I perviously owned which was great. Hope this is as successful.

TeeJay · « **Reply #30 on:** November 30, 2017, 08:51:19 am »

Nice - a hybrid I see!

Splash · « **Reply #31 on:** December 02, 2017, 05:43:18 pm »

Bought some cupboards etc. Have some entertainment ahead. Ordered online and delivered on Saturday.

immigrant · « **Reply #32 on:** December 16, 2017, 05:30:05 pm »

I feel your pain Splash. I also received an IKEA delivery. That pile of yours looks like a "10 beer" job

Splash · « **Reply #33 on:** December 16, 2017, 05:40:08 pm »

Quote from: immigrant on December 16, 2017, 05:30:05 pm

I feel your pain Splash. I also received an IKEA delivery. That pile of yours looks like a "10 beer" job

Amazing once it is all together. Am hating the thought of having to ever move the furniture. Have fun. Always surprises me how everything fits perfectly together.
Did you get it delivered or fetched it yourself? Guess you do not have a store around the corner?

immigrant · « **Reply #34 on:** December 16, 2017, 06:46:21 pm »

Quote from: Splash on December 16, 2017, 05:40:08 pm

Quote from: immigrant on December 16, 2017, 05:30:05 pm
I feel your pain Splash. I also received an IKEA delivery. That pile of yours looks like a "10 beer" job
Amazing once it is all together. Am hating the thought of having to ever move the furniture. Have fun. Always surprises me how everything fits perfectly together.
Did you get it delivered or fetched it yourself? Guess you do not have a store around the corner?

It got delivered from Edmonton to a warehouse, and from there I got a courier to deliver to town where I picked it up. All in shipping was $200. Not bad considering the logistics involved and the 2 day trip it saved me.

immigrant · « **Reply #35 on:** December 16, 2017, 06:50:59 pm »

My previous delivery did not work out so well. Somewhere between Ikea and the courier this happened to my kitchen sink

Tell your new boss I want a new sink...

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TeeJay · « **Reply #36 on:** December 16, 2017, 07:11:18 pm »

Probably better quality than we get here. So a family member (lady) recently bought a kit unit and guess who was summoned to put it together - ha ha. Now I'm quite handy with tools and reading plans etc but I tell ya - it took a good 4 hours to assemble. I can just imagine an ordinary person with limited knowledge/experience having to do it

Splash · « **Reply #37 on:** December 16, 2017, 08:54:41 pm »

Quote from: TeeJay on December 16, 2017, 07:11:18 pm

Probably better quality than we get here. So a family member (lady) recently bought a kit unit and guess who was summoned to put it together - ha ha. Now I'm quite handy with tools and reading plans etc but I tell ya - it took a good 4 hours to assemble. I can just imagine an ordinary person with limited knowledge/experience having to do it

You are right in that it is very time consuming. The beauty is that it is flat packed so inexpensive to ship. $200 from Edmonton sounds like a bargain. My shipping cost was all in but I understand it would have been €180. IKEA has put a lot of effort into its plans and find them very easy to follow. Almost anyone should be fine.

Splash · « **Reply #38 on:** December 17, 2017, 05:41:54 pm »

Went to Brussels city centre today to enjoy a little Christmas spirit.

4 Kays · « **Reply #39 on:** December 17, 2017, 07:53:27 pm »

Splash, I salute people like you that have the balls to leave everything and everyone behind and take up a new challenge

I should have done so years ago but was to worried about the "what if ...."

Keep the posts coming ...