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[quote=”RaggedJack”]I understand that we in the US have it better than most, but I’d rather live in an atmosphere of hope and optimism about the future than feeling the walls closing in from all sides the longer I live.
Let ’em raise the rent, I’m still packing![/quote]
RaggedJack. I can’t agree with you more. It is amazing to me how many public and private companies have defaulted on their pension obligations in the past. And now, cities and states are seriously considering reneging on their pension obligations.
I just came back from CR. I spent three weeks almost exclusively observing and talking to people in different cities, Grecia, Alajuela, Atenas, San Jose, San Ramon, etc. What impressed me the most is that I saw in the average person hope and optimism, happiness, and the absence of the chronic stress we have in the States. I talked to people at the parks, on the street, in the market.
Of course, I don’t like the increase in crime in CR. I don’t like the idea of installing iron barriers on windows and locking the doors at night, or having dogs to bark at strangers, or finding someone to sit the house while away.
But, I rather take those inconveniences than live here, where as you aptly put it [b]”feeling the walls closing in from all sides”[/b]. Where city, state, and federal taxes will continue to go up. Medical benefits continue to decrease, deductibles increase, prescribed medications hit unbeliable heights, etc.
I am also packing my bags.
[quote=”markus”][quote=”sunshinegirl”]Is it worth it to ship household goods to Costa Rica or just buy new when you get there?[/quote]
Does anyone knows if Pensionados get a tax exemption on new vehicles bought in CR? This will make a big difference on shipping or buying locally. Thank you,
[quote=”sunshinegirl”]Is it worth it to ship household goods to Costa Rica or just buy new when you get there?[/quote]
My wife and I just came back from an exploratory trip to CR to decide whether to ship or buy in CR. After two weeks of exhaustive investigation, we are strongly leaning towards buying everything in CR. We found that appliances can be bought for similar price in CR. We checked stores in downtown Alajuela. Eventually, we will check Golfito on the next trip. We found great furniture in Sarchi, custom made from the Guanacaste and Cenizo trees, a lot cheaper and much better quality than the US.
That being said, I respect and defer to the experience and good judgement of David, Wagonneer, Costa Rica finca, and others who already lived there.[quote=”user979024″]We are flying into San Jose for the first time and are planning on spending a few weeks in diferent ares of Costa Rica. We are planning on renting a car and was wondering if anyone has a suggestion on where and what type of car to rent.[/quote]
We just came back from CR. We rented a full size SUV from Payless. I made the reservation through Expedia in the US. Payless was polite and professional. They have a shuttle to pick up at the airport. They have several choices of insurance. I thought the full coverage with 0 deductible was expensive.
CostaricaBill. Do you mind sharing which shipper did you use? What was the total fee? Have you learned of a better shipper afterwards? Thank you,
Happy New Year to all. Thanks for the generous comments, suggestions, and recommendations throughout the year. All of you have helped me and many others making the transition to CR. Special thanks to you Scott for putting it all together.
Still shoveling after the snow storm in the Northeast.wspeed1195. How easily we forget, we all came to the USA for similar reasons: political or religious persecution, or looking for better economic conditions. Moreover, we second, third, fourth generations, easily forget all Europeans who first came to the US were at some point illegal alliens. I don’t recall the Native Americans ever handing “green cards” to the pilgrims and those who came thereafter.
We easily forget the waves of illegal Europeans (Irish, Italians, Germans, Polish, etc.) during the 1920’s, 1930’s, etc. To this day, those illegal alliens were a higher burden to the welfare system, than the Mexicans are today. It is easy to find reputable information that confirms the economic benefit of the illegal alliens outweights the cost.
I wonder what your ancestors would think of your comments.Janet. Hang in there. You will make it. I read from others in this forums, they save around 15% compared to when they lived in the US. I am sure the savings can be even more, maybe 25-30%, by being thrifty and creative.
I have read of others in these forums who are living in CR well with limited means. Take care and best of luck.Anyone. How safe or strong are the banks in Costa Rica? What is the risk of default?
If inflation happens? How much inflation can the Costa Ricans take?Aguirrewar. I admire your courage. I love the USA and I believe all in this forum do. However, we are talking about the demise of a great empire. Since the beginning of manking empires have emerged, flourished, and died. The USA will not be the exception. And all of us are responsible, citizens, politians, corporations. etc. The problems we have created for ourselves, the great recession, debt with China, national debt, deficit, unjustified wars, etc, are beyond voting every four years. The system is corrupt and it will be hard to change. Just look at the 4th branch of the US Government: The Lobbyist system is still there unchecked, paralyzing the government for the benefit of the few.
My two cents. It is never too late to start and stop being part of the herd. It is never too late to stop consuming for the sake of consuming. In my family we stop shopping and consuming years ago. We adopted the customs of the old country, buy only what you need and buy it cash. If you don’t have the money, save until you can purchase what you need. We never bought into the credit card and variable interest rate mortgage schemes. We have lived below our means and save for many years. Thanks to this simple strategy, we are moving to CR soon. Don’t get me wrong. We eat out, take vacations, etc. But, we never pay full price. Why should I pay full price for anything, when it will be on sale a few months later. For example the e-readers, only a year or so ago they sold for $400.00 or more. Now they sell for $138.00. I will be buying my first one in January, when they will be reduced in price even more.
Here is a clip from youtube to add to the discussion.
[b]My wife and I each have SS incomes totalling $2900. We own our home outright but are able to help a Tico family by providing educational expenses for seven children as well as quite a bit of fruit and ves=getables. In return they help us to find what we need at decent prices[/b].
Wagoneer. What a great way to give back. Congratulations to you and your wife. You are making the world a better place.
We chose an international insurance that “saved our bacon” when my husband got sick. Medical care is not cheap.
Sandymae. Can you elaborate more on the international health insurance. How does it work? Which companies offer international medical insurance? Cost? etc. Thank you,
7. Since I’m still working, our visits will be limited to a week or two at a time (or three weeks at most) per year. Is this realistic to find an area and locate a home to buy/rent?
We are in a similar situation. We are planning to move to CR in approx. 12 months. What we have done over the last three years is to watch and read as much about CR as possible, including this site and forum, which offer one of the most invaluable sources of info. We have been in CR several times.
For whatever is worth, here is our process of elimination. We divided the country by province or area. Then we decided we don’t want to leave in the Atlantic. So, this eliminated pretty much half the country. We love Guanacaste, but it is too far from the capital. We are not atracted to the Pacific area near Panama. We don’t want to live by the beach. So, this narrowed it down to the Central area. We decided we want to live 30-45 minutes from the capital, and 30-45 minutes from the beach.
We know we don’t want the hottest or coldest microclimate within this area. So there you have it. I hope it helps.We are going in early January to look for houses and towns. However, and taking the advise from many on this forum, we would like to rent first for 6 months to a year.
