Is smoking in Costa Rica becoming outdated? I grew up in a smoker’s family. The ashtrays were huge in our house. To quit smoking, was the most difficult thing I have done in my life. First I tried patches, gum, acupuncture, and other methods. I quit by using Champix (also called Chantix). By then, I…
Estimated Reading Time: 6 Minutes Did you receive your Dimex residency card yet? Our “moving-to-Costa-Rica” travails are pretty much behind us. Our recent focus has been getting our Dimex residency card (cedula de residencias) making us official full-time retired residents of Costa Rica. It was the biggest item and the one that has also taken the…
Estimated Driving Time: 7 Minutes I’d like to introduce you to a couple of Orosi Valley real estate agents: Carol and BF Wilkinson of Land and Homes in Costa Rica. Not that I want you to purchase real estate from them! It’s quite the contrary to that. If you are not careful when you buy…
Estimated Reading Time: 8 Minutes I titled this blog, “our tips for moving to Costa Rica” it easily could have been titled “our moving nightmare.” It seems that even when you are careful, get recommendations, and follow expert advice, everything still can go to heck in a handbasket. I have already covered some tips for…
Estimated Reading Time: 6 Minutes Costa Rica lost the soccer game against The Netherlands! But the Ticos are still happy! But, it is no wonder Costa Rica is the happiest country in the world because the country has the highest life satisfaction in the world. Even when they lost the soccer game against the Netherlands…
Pretty much every inexpensive good or service mentioned in this blog is a result of low-cost labor. In the States, we always wished that we could afford a housekeeper. We just never could find a way to fit it into our budget, even if only twice a month. We are now retired in Costa Rica…
Estimated Reading Time: 4 Minutes In this blog, I will cover used and new clothing shopping as well as leather. When clothing shopping, you’ll learn that some of those are inexpensive comparing Costa Rica and North America. Costa Rica has quite a low labor cost. The result is inexpensive goods and services. Many more…
In this blog, I’m going to cover some food for a healthy diet that is in abundance and an inexpensive way to have a healthy diet. So, let’s eat. I’ll also mention several other specific examples of where to save money. This, in a few cases, means to go native. I can’t remember if I’ve…
Estimated Reading Time: 5 Minutes Pasta is an unusual type of food to have for breakfast and Ticos usually have Gallo Pinto at that time of the day as you all know by now. You might not know that soccer is almost a religion in Costa Rica. Last Friday, the Costarican National Soccer Team…
Now, let’s talk about being a homeowner first. When comparing with homeownership in North America, it is, perhaps, the largest single savings experienced. The cost of being a homeowner by comparison to the States is much cheaper in Costa Rica. It depends on what you buy and where you buy. Remember, the real estate saying,…