The days are flying by now and I’ll be asleep during 1/3 of the remaining time, so I’ll be saying adios to the USA very, very soon.

 

I have a few gatherings to get through first with several of my closest friends.

 

Those won’t be easy.

 

But I have received assurances from nearly all of them that they will be flying down to visit after I get settled in, so that will take some of the sting out of saying goodbye, I’m sure.

 

Heck, I might see them more often than I do now, in a setting where we’ll have nothing but time to really sit and reconnect.

That will be super special!

 

Lisa and I are shopping together a couple hours every week

 

That’s about the only free time she has, given her busy schedule. She works for two different agencies (in addition to being a content producer and webmaster) and is preparing to launch a super fun ecommerce website that I’ll tell you more about when it goes live. She hopes it really takes off so she can start making some passive income that way.

 

Eventually I think she’d like to leave the US, too. I just don’t know if she’ll choose Costa Rica. She’s gonna find out how well she likes it when she flies down for my 75th birthday in March next year.  But if she moves before she gets Social Security, she’ll have to come as a digital nomad.  And to do that, she has to prove she makes at least $3500/month (virtually) outside Costa Rica. Hence the haste to get the upcoming ecommerce website to go live: to help her start earning that much.

 

And I gotta say, what she’ll be offering should sell like hotcakes. She is a super talented graphic designer and a creative thinker, as you will see for yourself shortly! She’s getting the LLC for the company and a trademark for it. When she has those, she can hit the GO LIVE button and make it so.  I’m SOOOOO excited for her!

 

I’m Critter Sitting for a Friend This Week

 

I’ll be watching over my former goats and some ducks, chickens and cats for the next six days starting tomorrow. I don’t need to stay at the place — it’s less than a mile away. I just have to go over daily to be sure all is well: make sure they all have food and water, swap out the the water in the kiddie-pool duck pond every two or three days, give the pet-able critters some one-on-one attention, and pick up eggs (and raspberries, if I want them). It will be fun as long as I do it before it gets too hot. It has been hotter here in Tacoma this week than it has been in Grecia and San Ramon Costa Rica!  I know this because I have those areas pegged as my “default” home base already.

 

It costs me  $2000+ month to live here. I can live for under $1400/month in Costa Rica

 

Here, my mortgage payment and utilities combined are $900.

 

Car gas and insurance (combined) costs about $150/month.

 

Groceries: $300/month

 

Internet and Phone: $120/month

 

Hen food (treats; the chicken food is paid for by Jackie): $60/80 month

 

Goat food:  $60/month

 

Cat/crow food: $100/month

 

Fish food: $20/month

 

My share of homeowners and earthquake insurance:  $200/month

 

Misc  (clothes, occasional movies, vehicle maintenance, etc.) $50-100/month

Part B Medicare $235/month

SBA Loan repayment: $50/month  (I’ll have that down in CR for a few more years.)

In Costa Rica

 

• I won’t own a vehicle (so no gas, vehicle insurance or maintenance)

I can take a bus for under fifty cents or call an affordable Uber or a taxi.

If I locate near or within Grecia or San Ramon, I can simply walk to get groceries, medical services, etc.

• I expect to be renting for up to $700/month for a two-bedroom place, possibly including utilities
• If utilities are not included, they are extremely affordable: water is $10-15 month; electricity cost depends on usage but generally under $30/month in the microclimates I’ve chosen; internet/phone between $30 and $50/month

No goats or chickens, so no outlay for food there.

No homeowners or earthquake insurance.  (Jackie will cover our property here and take out what I would have contributed toward that when the place sells in two or three years.)

Food bill for Charli and me:  I will buy from ferias (nearby outdoor farmer’s markets) and local mercados (stores) and eat occasionally at sodas (locally owned restaurants) so I’m estimating under $300 month for me and Charli.

I will be able to drop Part B Medicare (that’s $235/month now) as soon as I’m eligible for CR’s caja health care, which will cost between $60 and $120/month (the amount is based on my meager Social Security income, so it will probably be between $60 and $80).  And get this: The caja payment covers all medical costs and services. There are no co-pays, deductibles or out-of-network fees.  And I plan to join MediSmart ( discount program for medical services and prescriptions that are procured outside the caja system), which will cost $17.50/month for me and $2.50/month for Charli so any private health or veterinary care that we get outside the caja system can be procured at 70 to 80% off the usual prices, which are already low compared to US medical care costs.

As you can see, I expect to live comfortably on less than $1400/month. Most ticos (Costa Ricans) live on less than $1K a month. How? Their medical is affordable; their education is free; they get additional perks from their government (as do so many other countries) that we don’t get here in the U.S.

 

I should even have some “mad money” to spend on occasional touristy things like trips around the country on tour buses to see volcanoes, endemic wildlife, amazing waterfalls, the crocodile bridge, horseback rides, and so many of the other marvelous things that CR has to offer.  Imagine that!   All while adding to my retirement fund with the money I’m saving by NOT living in the U.S.!

 

I won’t outlive my money in Costa Rica!  That’s peace of mind right there! I will be able to afford to live to 100+ if that’s in the cards for me. (Not something I’m hoping for anticipating, but it’s good to know!!!)