Sorry about the background noise, we had been assured that at this time of the day, nobody would be around but there were quite a few people and an expresso machine!

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PS: If anyone’s looking for cheap legal and accounting services I’ll be happy to provide the contact info for my Tico friend’s cousin who’s a partner in the firm of Swindle & Finagle S.A., and a part-time taxi driver. 🙂

I have listed below a few amenities that I used to have in the real world that I no longer need in Costa Rica and I’m now saving a bundle… Se here’s a few of my tongue-in-cheek cost cutting secrets…

1. Why pay for a second hot water tube when a cold shower gets me just as clean?
2. Why pay for drains with U traps and vent pipes for my toilet when my windows are usually open and allow the black water gasses to escape?
3. Why pay for a lot of electrical outlets when extensions cords can connect my appliances?
4. Why pay for a third electric wire to all outlets when my electronics are old and worthless?
5. Why pay for screens on my windows when the mosquitoes (depends on the area as some area have none) only bite at dusk and dawn?
6. Why pay for long plumbing pipes when my shower head can be adjusted to spray up?
7. Why pay for a garbage disposal when the waste can flow into my septic tank?
8. Why pay for wider toilet drains that slope down when I can put toilet paper in a wastebasket?
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9. Why pay for extra rows of block to make ceilings higher than 6′ when most of my friends and neighbours are short?
10. Why pay for weather stripping on doors & windows when the weather’s usually nice?
11. Why pay for large countertops when I only have a few appliances?
12. Why pay to finish the inside of cabinets when I hardly ever see them?
13. Why pay for large closets when I don’t have a lot of clothes?
14. Why pay for insulation in walls, ceilings and attics when I live less than 10 degrees from the equator?
15. Why pay for contiguous roofing, fascias & soffit materials that keep moisture out when cheaper products with grooves and cracks allow the wind inside to keep everything dry?
16. Why pay for big gutters and downspouts when the rainwater’s good for the plants growing under the eaves of my house?

Written by Tom Rosenberger of CostaRicaHomeBuilder.com With more than 25 years of homebuilding experience, 15 of which have been in Costa Rica, construction consultant Tom Rosenberger knows the ins and outs of building and remodelling a home in the Central Valley area of Costa Rica.

Andrew Makarik

to@welovecostarica.com

Andrew Makarik is the main editor of WeLoveCostaRica, a fan of this sunny country. He is also a loving husband and a has a lovely daughter. By being a devoted family man and the biggest Costa Rica fan, he wants to make more people feel at home there. WeLoveCostaRica unites people and helps them find new home or a new travel destination. This website is a friendly community where everyone can find not only information, but also new friends and travel pals. Andrew is also passionate about IT and programming, so he himself maintains a friendly atmosphere in this cozy environment of WeLoveCostaRica.com.