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Bajaboy
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4375
Registered: 10-9-2003
Location: Bahia Asuncion, BCS, Mexico
Member Is Offline
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| Quote: | Originally posted by ncampion
I live 80% of the time in Baja (Loreto) and maintain a house in So. Calif. (San Juan Capistrano). I find it cheaper to live in Baja for one simple
reason, not because everything is cheaper here - it's not, but because there are far fewer things to spend your money on. When we go up the the
states, all we do is spend money - mostly on things that we don't need. We're glad when we cross the border again, although we do like seeing our US
family and friends, can't give that up. |
nailed it on the head
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acadist
Super Nomad
Posts: 1125
Registered: 3-31-2007
Location: Spanaway,WA
Member Is Offline
Mood: Waiting for the Sun
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| Quote: | Originally posted by comitan
DavidE,
My 985P 2 month CFE bill aside from the 5,oooAC, I have 2 refers, 1 freezer, and a pool. and I don't have to go to Aspen. on edit you can see my CFE
anytime.
[Edited on 7-22-2012 by comitan] |
I've seen both places.......without a doubt I'd take Wiley's
Dave
I moved to CO and they made me buy a little rod to make it feel like a real fish
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dtutko1
Nomad
Posts: 341
Registered: 8-26-2009
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Lee
Wow you might need to see a financial advisor. The definition of frugal really is subjective.
An ex pat living frugally means nothing without knowing where their income comes from. If you don't have money from NOB, MX would be a difficult
place to live -- even frugally.
No secret that having more retirement income might mean working longer.
Cost of meds is meaningless if a person doesn't need meds and doesn't get sick.
Budget in at least $6.00 a week for beer or stop drinking.
No utility bill if you have solar.
If you don't need a block home, RV living doesn't get any cheaper. No taxes, minimal or free rent -- be a caretaker somewhere and live in someone's
home p/t.
Buy bulk and start fishing if you don't already.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/22/opinion/sunday/our-ridicul... |
Right on Lee! to your list, plant a small garden, do feliz ahora w/neighbors. just bring an appetizer or a guitar. The essentials for me are shelter,
food, and socializing. Plus the Pacific ocean of course.
Dorado Don
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BajaBlanca
Select Nomad
Posts: 13237
Registered: 10-28-2008
Location: La Bocana, BCS
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this is inded a very interexsting thread and I think it really all comes down to individuality.
the biggest ticket item south, for us, is definitely electricity. But ny niece works at a home in the Hamptons where the elec bill, monthly is
$28,000.00. so, this IS really subjective. we have been shocked to see really high bills - esp. after the first year of really cheap unknowingly
being subsidized bills and then SLAP when the first REAL bill kicked in LOL
Now that we have lived here 6 years, I can say that our quality of life is much better - we really live a stress-free life. Being able to see the
ocean out your front window is priceless. sleeping to the sound of the waves crashing. priceless. watching osprey nest and raise their babies.
priceless.
every time we go north of the border, we cringe at the amount of cash we will spend ... I am not sure even where it goes ???? but it sure goes fast.
So, in summary, there really is less to spend on here in La Bocana ... more time spent cooking from scratch, eating with friends, gardening and
watching less TV , less microwave use and of course, on the Pacific side one needs no air conditioning or heating! fewer malls. the pharmacy
actually only sells pharmaceuticals. the supermarket only sells groceries. your TV works fine and you don't even think about a newer better bigger
fancier ....
Wiley - I think you would actually like meeting DavidE. He really does like Mexico or I don't think he would be living here. Different points of view
on things perhaps, but you are both smart. very smart.
very good point made earlier about getting money from NOB and living an easier life - it is very hard otherwise. us teachers could use a raise
hahahaha
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captkw
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3850
Registered: 10-19-2010
Location: el charro b.c.s.
Member Is Offline
Mood: new dog/missing the old 1
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BLANCA ??
HOLA, IS THIS A TYPO?? 2800.00
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RnR
Senior Nomad
Posts: 839
Registered: 5-1-2010
Member Is Offline
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| Quote: | Originally posted by BajaBlanca
we have been shocked to see really high bills - esp. after the first year of really cheap unknowingly being subsidized bills and then SLAP when the
first REAL bill kicked in LOL
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What actually causes the DAC rate to kick in?
Every month in the third/fourth tier? Over a kW limit? Any warning signs that the rate change is coming?
And how do you get out of the DAC rate and back to subsidized??
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DavidE
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3814
Registered: 12-1-2003
Location: Baja California México
Member Is Offline
Mood: 'At home we demand facts and get them. In Mexico one subsists on rumor and never demands anything.' Charles Flandrau,
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I got stopped TWICE within a month's time. The first in Corona, on I-15, had to drive 800 miles to plead not guilty, then return to find a rescheduled
court date. Replacement judge threw out the ticket. Second time. Rohnert Park. THREE CHP vehicles. I had xerox copies of the court documents. I was on
the side of US 101 for 46 minutes (I timed it) while they ran wants and warrants, and went over my insurance papers with a fine-tooth comb. 1998
Nissan Sentra sedan. Michoacan plates. Current license plates and tags. Current driver license, Lazaro Card##as, Michoacan. Insurance policy written
in Nogales, Sonora, for 130% of California's minimum requirement. Car had clear windows, but aluminum wheels (don't they all). Gunmetal gray, shiny
paint, not a dent.
THE TITLE OF THIS THREAD IS ABOUT FRUGALITY. Drag out your CFE bill and compare kWh of your NOB border to SOB tarifas. Not the first 150 kWh. How YOU
live north of the border.
Anyone can shop in a Nob Hill market, or Raley's Market, or Lucky, or Safeway, and compare those prices to what they'll find in an open market SOB.
That's what's known as "intentionally skewing the pooch". Do your shopping at Winco, or Grocery Outlet. Buy only sale items. A reverse SKEW would be
to do exactly that and compare those prices to what you'd find in a SOB Wal-Mart, La Comercial, or Soriana.
Gasoline is 2/3rds the price, roughly. But how much percentage is THAT in my total monthly budget?
Let's hear it from all NOMADS who are 65+ and take NO MEDICINE. You remember 65, don't you, that's the age for retirement, not 43 or 55. Especially
those whom spend two weeks down here and then quip "medicine cost is irrelevant!"
And here is a direct link to the official CFE website. They have something to do with figuring out how much your bill is going to be...
http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=es&tl=en&js...
A question: Many people whom become disabled suffer extreme financial hardship. It isn't a question of working longer SINCE NO ONE not even Burger
King or Wal-Mart would consider hiring them NOB. The title of this thread once again is LIVING FRUGALLY. People who have retirement incomes of 40K or
more sort of don't qualify ya think? It's one thing to live on scant income and then be able to reach down for a here and there large chunk of cash,
when forced to and quite another to reach and find nothing there.
Try this formula: 54% of your NET monthly income on rent. 14% on the cheapest life support medications you can find. Four dollars a day for food,
purified water. Two dollars a day for electrical power, which leaves sixty three dollars for fixing flat tires, buying clothes, oh yes, that bit of
three dollar a gallon gasoline, and other such luxuries.
I doubt whether many NOMADS actually could live in a village where zero English was spoken. No and I mean none expats in a hundred miles radius and
that's being generous. That's my home and I do not begrudge it.
But for those who say "GOD GAWD MEXICO IS CHEAP!" let's have a party and I'll invite my neighbors. Mexicans.
A Lot To See And A Lot To Do
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SFandH
Elite Nomad
Posts: 7390
Registered: 8-5-2011
Member Is Offline
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Bajaboy
| Quote: | Originally posted by ncampion
I live 80% of the time in Baja (Loreto) and maintain a house in So. Calif. (San Juan Capistrano). I find it cheaper to live in Baja for one simple
reason, not because everything is cheaper here - it's not, but because there are far fewer things to spend your money on. When we go up the the
states, all we do is spend money - mostly on things that we don't need. We're glad when we cross the border again, although we do like seeing our US
family and friends, can't give that up. |
nailed it on the head |
Precisely!!
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bajaguy
Elite Nomad
Posts: 9247
Registered: 9-16-2003
Location: Carson City, NV/Ensenada - Baja Country Club
Member Is Offline
Mood: must be 5 O'clock somewhere in Baja
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The secret to living comfortably (and everybody has their own comfort level) after retirement in Baja, Mexico, Canada, the USA, or anywhere else is
proper financial planning BEFORE you retire.
Make the right choices/decisions early in life, research all of the options of where you want to be and live within your means.
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comitan
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4177
Registered: 3-27-2004
Location: La Paz
Member Is Offline
Mood: mellow
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bajaguy
I totally agree with your post. And for DavidE I do live frugally my income does not require me to Pay income tax.
Strive For The Ideal, But Deal With What\'s Real.
Every day is a new day, better than the day before.(from some song)
Lord, Keep your arm around my shoulder and your hand over my mouth.
“The sincere pursuit of truth requires you to entertain the possibility that everything you believe to be true may in fact be false”
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DavidE
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3814
Registered: 12-1-2003
Location: Baja California México
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Mood: 'At home we demand facts and get them. In Mexico one subsists on rumor and never demands anything.' Charles Flandrau,
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The above comments are absolutely right-on-target. When it was 115F in La Paz. we used to hole-up indoors until around 8:00PM and then walk down to
the malecon to enjoy the cool, refreshing 95F corumuel.
Carl Franz once told me a story about running into a group of surfers who straggled into a restaurant in Zipolite. Their skin was peeling, they were
covered from head-to-toe in bug bites, and their clothes were ragged and torn.
They told Carl, "Yeah, and the cops are really mean here!"
Franz couldn't help but ask: "If you're being eaten alive by bugs, burned to a crisp by the summer sun, and being constantly hassled by the cops, why
the hell do you stay?"
They chorused...
"The!" "Surfing!" "Is!" "Awesome!".
Bajaguy. Wise advice. I mean it, not a joke. But for an unfortunate few, savings get wiped out as does health (often related). When -60F weather hits,
is no time to advise somebody to go buy a chainsaw.
I am doing my best to dispel the notion that "Baja California Is Cheap".
It is not.
"Evening c-cktails for two down at the gringo hangout" can easily amount to ten or twelve dollars a day.
But I have fun here. In my garden. I must travel to Guerrero Negro to purchase medicines every month, and I make a game out of it. Squeeze every peso
until the Aztec farts. Breakfast at Malarrimo or Dinner at some other gringo hangout is out of the question. Last month I had the worst restaurant
meal of my entire existence on the planet earth. It did not suffer dangerous. Ever had crispy, no make that rock-hard chilies rellenos? Raw? no tomato
sauce? Forty five pesos. But they do have a modern Chinese place in town, that you can get a modest combination plate for eighty pesos. About twice
that of a favorite Chinese restaurant NOB in dollars. So the hunt continues. I didn't complain about the chilies, but I didn't leave a tip either.
A Lot To See And A Lot To Do
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Lee
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3597
Registered: 10-2-2006
Location: High in the Colorado Rockies
Member Is Offline
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| Quote: | Originally posted by DavidE
Last month I had the worst restaurant meal of my entire existence on the planet earth. It did not suffer dangerous. Ever had crispy, no make that
rock-hard chilies rellenos? Raw? no tomato sauce? Forty five pesos. ...... I didn't complain about the chilies, but I didn't leave a tip either.
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Man I'm seeing a fly in the ointment.
There is something SERIOUSLY wrong with eating ''rock-hard chilie rellenos.'' And ''didn't complain about the chilies.''??
AND then paying 45 pesos for the honor?
What the h*ll is the matter with this picture?
MX is laid back but not THAT laid back.
David -- you an ex-pat? I don't get it. What did I read wrong?
You been out in the sun too long. Talk to Shari. She's GOT to have a solution.
P.S. I'm 65 and don't take meds. Nada. This is too easy.
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DavidE
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3814
Registered: 12-1-2003
Location: Baja California México
Member Is Offline
Mood: 'At home we demand facts and get them. In Mexico one subsists on rumor and never demands anything.' Charles Flandrau,
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Didn't say I ate, the chilies rellenos. Did say I didn't complain. Also didn't say how I described her chilies rellenos to her...
"This receta is new to me. First time eating raw chiles poblanos. The manchego cheese inside was definetly a change from the boring old queso panela".
No tomato sauce lets me see the raw poblanos clearly. Her face and neck got red as a beet.
I was laughing so hard, I figured the 45 pesos was worth it. Can't let stuff like that get under your skin down here Lee. Next thing I know I'd be
complaining about the water disappearing for several days, or the power going off for "awhile" or driving to the gas station to see barrels blocking
the pumps.
Shari does have "the" solution. She laughs as hard as I do. Remember being out in the sun too long -also- provides for a nice tan. Make lemon
meringue, screw lemonade.
Treasure you medicine-free life amigo. Two years ago an identical-age friend from years past unloaded on me for doing all kinds of things wrong in my
early life to cause me to have to take medicine. He was a nice person. Last week the son of another childhood friend emailed me and told me his father
suffered a heart attack. Never took maintenance meds in his life. Told me he could control his high blood pressure with herbs and vitamins -- not with
the "evil" medications I am forced to swallow. He may make it out of the hospital, or may need a transplant.
You do the best you can with what you got. Period.
A Lot To See And A Lot To Do
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tiotomasbcs
Super Nomad
Posts: 1837
Registered: 7-30-2007
Location: El Pescadero
Member Is Offline
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DE. It sounds to me your original idea regarding Frugality has been lost here. Some here are a littled perplexed by your ideas, perhaps. Writing
the Governor re the poor condition of the Vizcaino-BA road caught my attention. Baja was once cheap but is still a good value. If you have a casa
or Palapa that you built 10yrs ago you don't have to pay 54% for rent. BUT, if you have lived many years in Michoacan, the Yucatan, or Guatemala
why aren't you down there? In the southern mountains it's cool during the hot coastal summers! I hope to vacation there in the future. The cost
of living on the Mainland is affordable as you know! Meanwhile, I stay in Pescadero until it gets too hot and then head to the Northwest or camp
out in/around Asuncion, ha, ha. I'm happy to pay more for a month of high CFE bills and sleep in air conditioned comfort. Wish you well. Tio
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mes1952
Junior Nomad
Posts: 51
Registered: 3-19-2012
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I've lived in both Tijuana and Rosarito for the past 2 years and find almost everything much less expensive than the overpriced San Diego area.
Medicines here, especially for pets, are much much cheaper than the U.S. and you don't need a $100+ office visit everytime you need a medicine. Vets
are much cheaper as well.
Food in general, esp. fruits and vegetables, are much better (less chemicals and transport) and definitely cheaper than San Diego area.
So perhaps you are trying to live an American lifestyle here or you are in an overpriced area full of Americans. My money goes much farther here than
anywhere I've lived in the U.S. (8+ states).
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Eli
Super Nomad
Posts: 1471
Registered: 8-26-2003
Location: L.B. Baja Sur
Member Is Offline
Mood: Some times Observing, sometimes Oblivious.
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As my income is Mx. generated, I am always looking for tips on how to live well and not spend a whole heck of a lot to do it; as such I find the
subject of frugality infinitely interesting. The best I can come up with on my own is watch how my friends who have much less than I do make it work.
I think "being rich" or "being poor" is a state of mind.
Anyway, I can't believe how lucky I have been, my fridge is so full of yummies, my health is decent, I have plenty of art supplies, fantastic views, a
working computer, hot shower, way to many clothes, decent shoes. At home I have a super bicycle and a wonderful collection of art. I keep trying to
think of what I don't have that I need, and in the moment nothin comes to mind. Of course there is always stuff I would buy if I had extra money,
those new Sony computer t.v.'s look like they might be fun, an electric juicer, well, maybe in a couple of years..........
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BajaGringo
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3922
Registered: 8-24-2006
Location: La Chorera
Member Is Offline
Mood: Let's have a BBQ!
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Eli
As my income is Mx. generated, I am always looking for tips on how to live well and not spend a whole heck of a lot to do it; as such I find the
subject of frugality infinitely interesting. The best I can come up with on my own is watch how my friends who have much less than I do make it work.
I think "being rich" or "being poor" is a state of mind.
Anyway, I can't believe how lucky I have been, my fridge is so full of yummies, my health is decent, I have plenty of art supplies, fantastic views, a
working computer, hot shower, way to many clothes, decent shoes. At home I have a super bicycle and a wonderful collection of art. I keep trying to
think of what I don't have that I need, and in the moment nothin comes to mind. Of course there is always stuff I would buy if I had extra money,
those new Sony computer t.v.'s look like they might be fun, an electric juicer, well, maybe in a couple of years.......... |
Kudos girl! You are definitely a very blessed woman...
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DavidE
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3814
Registered: 12-1-2003
Location: Baja California México
Member Is Offline
Mood: 'At home we demand facts and get them. In Mexico one subsists on rumor and never demands anything.' Charles Flandrau,
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You've got to stay abreast of my posts I guess. Housing is HARD to find in much of Mexico due to the hundreds of thousands that have returned due to
not finding any work in the USA. Housing vacant in my village is non-existent. None. Zero and has been that way for years. My tiny casita is being
built brick by brick. Check by check.
Secondly, Aduana pulled a rabbit out of their hat in 2011, and demanded to to see "proof" of exit for 2008. Even though I returned in 2008 with a car
got the permit, exited in 2008, again both ways in 2009, and 2010. The wanted proof for 2008. I had a thermal SHCP receipt, like they give in grocery
stores. Blank. Faded to white. But all my other receipts were legible and current. They said no. So now I have waited 10 months after submitting proof
to Mexico City and wait and wait. I am in no hurry.
I am no longer 24. My medical gear would fill a rucksack. Flying to Guat City is out of the question. Not in my physical condition. I must drive with
a packed car. Then return to Michoacan a couple of times empty and leave packed. When I go visit with Jesús, Brenda and the niñas I don't need much
for a month's stay. It is only 850 miles from there to the Guatemalan border. San Pedro la Laguna is about the size of Guerrero Negro. At a altitude
of 5,300 feet.
I laid in bed a week or so ago late at night trying to guesstimate the aggregate total amount of time I have lived in one or both of Los Bajas
Californias. This means year-round, not migratory duck style. Seven years and change. Comes to around twelve years or so counting winter forays.
Around twenty eight years or so aggregate full time living in Mexico in the last 48 years. My work up north was seasonal and I even conducted solar
power battery tests as an engineer in Cabo San Lucas in 1995, lasting five months. Summer test, ending soon after hurricane Henriette.
I stayed outside of Pescadero all last spring and summer and into fall. No A/C I did this with a broken arm (2-months) with stainless steel pins
holding it together with and having to use a walker. I didn't bug-out. When I figured I HAD TO leave because a fourteen thousand dollar out of pocket
operation in Mexico City or Guadalajara was out of the question, I did. I rented a room from a raving drunkard who would make a great cell mate for a
certain red-haired Batman fanatic. I'm talking NUTS! When a friend locked him out, the guy used a chain saw and came in through the wall. To get fixed
I had to do what I had to do.
The cost of living on the mainland is affordable IF YOU STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM TOURIST AREAS. I don't mean merely away, I mean at least a two hour
drive on a smooth road. Then a person runs into the no-houses available quandary. Blood runs thick and a sister or cousin gets a place for a hundred
dollars that will cost a gringo two hundred. Yes there are adobe huts available, with twig bars in window holes, a couple of sewn-together masa sacks
for a front door, candle niches in the walls, and ditch water a quarter-mile away. A neat adventure for a 20-year old for a week, until he leaves to
seek treatment for eighty or so flea bites in the city.
Living in an RV in the full sun in BCS is fun too. No LPG bills in the summer. Want dinner? Put a chicken and some peeled vegetables inside and go
swimming. Three hours later, return, grab them and baked dinner is served. It's not hot I tell you! Just because a person has to wait until midnight
to shower without getting scalded is a blessing. It'll cool you off! Excellent summertime shade is vital if one wants to stay in an RV. When it was
113F at Burro Beach one August the water temperature close to shore was 109F. Ever step into 109F water? Yet there are year-round people living there
that love it. A few, granted, well make that maybe one.
If I had known Bill Gates 30-years ago I would have quite a palapa. But a certain insurance company fixed my wagon good. One of the primary lessons of
life is to separate "Is's" from "Ought To Be's". I saved. A mil three hundred grand worth, and it all vanished. Poof. The money or your life. Pick
one.
The art of living frugally is high caliber survivalship to some. A game to others. Between the two which one would you pick as being the more
realistic?
A Lot To See And A Lot To Do
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nbacc
Senior Nomad
Posts: 770
Registered: 12-27-2008
Location: Northern California
Member Is Offline
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a little of both!
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Osprey
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3694
Registered: 5-23-2004
Location: Baja Ca. Sur
Member Is Offline
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DavidE, you've given us a lot to chew on. Very interesting to all Nomad expats and those thinking of retiring down here.
Now you've almost come to The Big Reason you live like you do, the reason you are quantifying your life and things in general in your area of Mexico.
Won't you please now share with us what the insurance company did to you that brought you to this place, robbed you of a better life anywhere. A lot
of what you enjoy or suffer now comes from your decision making in the past but the loss of all your savings sounds like it was a big game changer for
you.
We need to know what's with that because most of us didn't have that giant problem in the mix, only the necessity to do the best with what Mexico and
our regular retirement income/savings gives us.
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