Costa Rica Cost Of Living Update: Rebuilt alternator, new belt, fixed scooter tire, and a sharpened machete to sweeten the deal- $120
Our alternator on our car is shot, as is a tire on our scooter. This has caused a great deal of stress with my husband. “What am I going to do if something were to happen to you, if you fell or hurt yourself? You have quite the history of being clumsy. I have to make sure that we have some transportation, it’s my responsibility to take care of you.”
The next day his friend picks him up and they take the scooter and SUV to the mechanic. When they return the garage is closed for the night, but Rob insists on driving the scooter out of the shop. He blindly walks through the pitch dark garage, through an area cluttered with vehicles and parts, and then Rob—the man who needs to rescue his clumsy wife from the impending emergency that will surely befall her—walks right into an empty bay pit.
I am now playing nurse to Rob’s swollen leg.
“See that sweetie, I’m glad if anything happens to you, I can get help,” Rob says as I bring him two ibuprofens, fresh pillows, ice, the remote control, and a grilled cheese sandwich.
Yes Rob, it’s a good thing I have you looking out for me.
Lol……funny stuff…..Miss you guys much!!!!
[…] I will be bringing that up for a long…long time. Wives have an incredible memory with the dopey things their husbands do.) Share this: This entry was posted in Car and tagged […]
I’m sure he was suffering from the “Damsel in Distress” syndrome all of us guys have… his heart was in the right place, even though his feet weren’t!
You are right, his heart was in the right place. My poor husband….he tries…..
Great article title,you made me click it despite the fact that I’m a man.
Great copywritting skills.
Thanks David, my husband makes it easy for me. I’m glad you clicked!
Holy scooters, that’s hilarious. But only because he escaped with nothing worse than a swollen leg. And I can now say that I’ve learned something new today – never walk around a mechanic’s garage in the dark (not that I ever planned to). I wonder if Santa will bring him a headlamp for Christmas… Hope he, the scooter, and the car are all better soon!
Thanks Carla! My husband is healing, and has said how GLAD it was him that fell in the pit instead of me. How he practically SAVED me from an unfortunate incident. That through his incredible ninja skills, he came out with just minor injuries.
He’s like a super hero, except I can’t figure out what his super powers are.
Or maybe I’m the super hero in this equation.
Wow..Nadine. I did that back in high-school…at the shop where my uncle worked since I just never thought of some gaping hole being there when least expected! Luckily, I hit a few tires laying down there and it broke my fall…
Do you carry any form of life insurance on that sexy dude of yours?!
David
I’ll tell my husband. He’s convinced this happens all the time. I’m thinking about taking some insurance out on him, especially after this last debacle.
Always enjoy you and hubbies funny antics, Nadine. It must be nice not to read about the current GOP idiots.
I read this 2 days ago, probably from IloveCostaRica. I realize that you were w/o internet service for awhile.
I now have an internet connection that I connect through my phone. It gives me a dazzling dial-up speed……but at least I’m on line again!!
Oh my god! It is so lucky he didn’t break his leg or hip. I had a friend who was vacationing in Hawaii and on their second night she fell into a ditch beside the road at night and broke her hip! Her husband, thank goodness, was with her and called 911. It kind of put a crimp in their vacation and the 6 months following!
I go over all those scenerios in my mind over and over again. It makes me sick thinking about it. I swear, if I was with him I would have nagged him to the point he would never have walked into that place.
Damn,I think it’s hard for you to think all over your mind about these scenarios.It’s scary from my point of view.
Try to have a positive atitude everytime if you can.so nothing bad can happen .:)
The best thing is to keep my husband from wondering around dark garages. This is what happens when your wife does not tag along.
Doi!
Absolutely! Couldn’t have said it better.
Dr Pisani,
bought a copy of your book last week & read it within 24 hours, from cover to cover. = i’m SURE that our nurses wondered what the H i was chuckling about.= not at all what i expected, but a FUN BOOK!
sorry for bothering you but i’m planning on moving to either CR or Equador to retire (i’m US Army, retired as a Major) & don’t know anyone else there to ask, so a few questions:
1. i own & drive a 1991 Ford F-250 Diesel PU. can i easily find a good mechanic to work on it in CR or should i sell it & buy another vehicle there?
2. how much does diesel fuel cost per liter, in USD?
3. what is the hunting like there?
4. where should i look for a temporary/furnished apartment or cottage till i can buy or build?
5. can you apply for pensionado status before you arrive in CR, through the mail or their US Embassy? – fyi, i’m 65YY.
and
6. is there an “ex-pats” club in CR that i can correspond with?
yours, tex
Tex, I’ve only visited CR but still plan on going back to check it out. For anyone who says that the cost of living is so cheap, I was shocked to see the prices in their grocery stores. I’ve been told that there is a different price menu for gringos in restaurants as well.
I’m sure you could google info about Diesel prices and everything that you asked about. Why do you think Nadine should supply you with so much info that is easily attained on the internet?
I would think that hunting is not a popular sport in CR, have never referenced anyone saying that CR is good hunting grounds.
http://www.ticotimes.net/Business-Real-Estate/Why-is-the-cost-of-living-in-Costa-Rica-so-high-_Friday-February-04-2011/(offset)/10
It is hard to judge the cost of living of a place if you don’t live there. Just like moving to the beach, it is different on this side of the country than the interior. But I don’t find the groceries too expensive because I have learned not to buy the American imported products. They are priced heavily, and is what a lot of people look at when they are visiting. You can buy the cheaper Costa Rica version, made in the country, for substantially less. Plus, fruits and vegetables are so cheap. We have often left the farmers market with a weeks worth of produce, eggs, and a little chicken for less than $30.
Gas is super expensive down here, one of the reasons we drive a scooter. It is a lot of fun and only cost $6 a month to fill up. There are so many ways to save money, and Ticos are the best at it. They don’t eat a lot of the processed food we do, and much thinner, and so much more healthy. I just met a 70 year old man that walks three hours everyday up and down a mountain. His dad is 100 years old. He was such a nice guy, and gave me great advice about staying fit as you get older.
As for the different prices, I suppose that may happen. It’s one of those rumors that always float around. I’m sure that rumor is in every country, I know it happens all the time in NYC so that is not a unique problem to Costa Rica.
Overall, I live on $1000 to $1200 a month. That may be a lot to some, maybe cheap to others. I don’t feel like I sacrificed. I don’t eat garbage anymore and live a happy lifestyle. It might not be for everyone, there are days I miss my Heinz ketchup, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
I will try to answer your questions as best I can.
1. If you import your vehicle into the country, you will pay a hefty tax. Thousands of dollars. Some people love their cars and import them, but we chose to find a car here. We wanted one that many Ticos drive and it would be easy to find parts. It worked out for us and I would suggest that to others.
2. Don’t know, but super gasoline is about $5 a gallon
3. Don’t know about hunting, I know they stopped giving permits for guns here to people without permenant residency (takes years to get this). That’s the last I checked.
4. Depends on what part of the country you want to live, mountains or beach?
5. You have to do a lot of work in the states for the paperwork. Going get papers authenticated at your secretary of state, etc. The US embassy has nothing to do with residency.
6. Lots of expats clubs in every town. Just stop a gringo and they will let you know what’s going on in the area.
Hey Tex –
My husband and I are also making plans to relocate to CR. We have already purchased land and will build later. In fact, we’ll be making another visit to CR next week.
* There is an organization called ARCR that can be quite helpful with residency information, and they have staff who can help you with the process.
* As for bringing your truck, it is my understanding that rules change and I believe customs now has an age limit on the vehicle you can import. One question I don’t know the answer to is can you bring your vehicle in (at any age) as a tourist and then register it later. That might be worth looking into.
* I agree with Nadine on the cost of living – it’s pretty subjective and depends solely on what you think you need to be happy in your new home. You can easily find rentals for just a few hundred dollars a month even at the beach. It’s then a question of location, security, nearby medical if that’s critical, etc. Don’t rent sight unseen!
* Fuel is expensive, as is electricity!
* I’ve never heard anyone talking about going hunting, mostly fishing… You may need to schedule a trip elsewhere for your hunting fix.
* You might sign up for the Tico Times. It’s an English-speaking newspaper in Costa Rica. You can have copies mailed to you in the States or read it online. There are several discussion groups online where expats in CR regularly share information with each other (CostaRicaLiving@yahoogroups is one and quite humorous at times!).
* Spend time in both CR and Ecuador to see which one suits you better.
Good luck and pura vida!
Jennifer
I do not think Tico Times is in business anymore. Try AM Costa Rica on line. But not as good as the Tico Times was. Maybe they are still on line but last time in Costa Rica could not get paper copy.
Hi Nadine,
We’re back from our visit to CR. We had some memorable adventures!
If I could choose any place to live there it might be Montezuma, if only it weren’t so incredibly hot! I can’t imagine what their summers must be like.
Hope your husband’s leg heals quickly. Maybe he should carry a flashlight. Christmas is right around the corner… just saying.
I will definitely get that flashlight.
And I’m considering not allowing Rob to do any errands without me.