Feb 25 2018
(Updated with 2018 prices) A great way to save hundreds of dollars a year is to have a post office box in Costa Rica, versus using a delivery service like Aerocasillas. I would say Aerocasillas is more efficient, and certainly faster than the post office, but you pay for that service. Our P.O. Box, #187, …
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May 29 2017
This is a big one, because in the course of a year, you could save thousands of dollars if you are renting a house or apartment at a reasonable cost. So, what’s “reasonable?” At Retire for Less, we say reasonable rentals would be $800 or less; naturally, if it includes some utilities or services, all …
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Feb 27 2017
What is WhatsApp? It’s a voice-over-internet (VOIP) service, but certainly not the only one. There are many others, including Viber, Facebook Messenger, Skype, Google Voice, MagicJack, Vonage, Facetime (with iPhone and iPad), and others. To take advantage of VOIP services on your phone, you will need a smartphone such as Samsung, Huawei, or iPhone. When …
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Jan 20 2015
by Rob Evans Recently, Greg Seymour gave me a great insight into living in Costa Rica. We were talking about expats’ obsession with the cost of living analysis, and Greg mentioned the best money saving idea he discovered was not to spend money. What? It took a little while to sink in, but eventually it …
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Dec 03 2013
NOTE: This article was written in December of 2013 while we were renting a private house in Magallanes de San Ramon. On January 1, 2017, we moved to an apartment in town where our hot water was heated by electricity instead of propane gas. Additionally, electricity prices have changed over time. To check the current …
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Sep 25 2013
A great way to save thousands of dollars on a trip to Costa Rica is to come for some medical tourism, but you don’t need to go to San Jose or Escazu for care. In our town, San Ramon, we have medical tourism too, but we don’t call it that. We just call it a good …
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Jun 26 2013
We may be thrifty but, mostly, we like to get a good bang for a buck. But we also love to have a great time, and this vacation was no exception. Other than our expenses in Playa del Carmen (May 21-25) and the bulk of our airfare, we spent just $1650. International Living reimbursed us …
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Jun 10 2013
Sometimes my clothes are “sick” and need repair – a hem, a new zipper, a tear to be mended, a hole to be patched, buttons to be sewn on, or maybe elastic to be replaced. So what do I do? Why, it’s simple! Just take those worn-out but fixable rags to the Clinic, of course. …
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Apr 02 2013
Communication is very important for expats today. Why, without it, I think we’d have fewer expats. The ability to communicate with those back home via Skype, Vonage, or MagicJack is the big difference between expats of 20+ years ago and today. All three – Skype,Vonage, and MagicJack – can save you lots of money over …
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Mar 14 2013
Car repairs are a real bargain in Costa Rica. I know I write about cars a lot — should you buy or not buy a car? Should you ship a car or get one here? For us expats, a car also acts like a barrier to integration, even though it’s very convenient. And plenty of …
Permanent link to this article: https://retireforlessincostarica.com/paul%e2%80%99s-monthly-tip-to-live-for-less-in-costa-rica-save-on-car-repairs/
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