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elcomputo

Apr 14, 2003, 1:09 PM

Post #1 of 12 (1659 views)

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Cost of living; going postal

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Having just read that it may be just as cheap to live in Canada as in Mexico, I'm starting to freak a bit. Right now I'm trying to find a place where I can survive on the $1,100 a month I get from Social Security, and I have two weeks to finish packing and get out of this house in Austin.

I know that $1,00 just meets the income requirement of $1,000/mo. set by the Mexican consulate in Austin. I know that I can rent a house in Xalapa for $350 US. I know that I can get by without a car, using cheap bus and taxi transport. I would buy my groceries at the street markets, not the supermarkets. I will use as little electricity as possible.

But am I going to survive on my pittance of a pension?

Second, what are people's experiences with the Mexican postal delivery system? I am going to have to get medications shipped to me every couple of weeks from the McAllen VA Clinic. Will the stuff be delivered, and will it take more than a week or two to get to me?

Martin

alex .

Apr 14, 2003, 1:28 PM

Post #2 of 12 (1644 views)

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Re: [elcomputo] Cost of living; don't go postal

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My mother-in-law lives on $80 per month. Do you mind no indoor plumbing and chickens in the house?
Alex

(This post was edited by alex . on Apr 14, 2003, 1:29 PM)

Esteban

Apr 14, 2003, 2:05 PM

Post #3 of 12 (1639 views)

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Re: [elcomputo] Cost of living; going postal

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If you look around, you find that you can rent a place a lot cheaper than that. Paying out over 30 percent of your income on rent is rediculous. Get an unfurnished place and start with the minimum. A lot depends on how much you drink, how much you travel, how much you cook at home and other non-essential needs. We are all different. There are places in Texas and Arkansas you can probably live cheaper but you'd have to like the people and the area. Sometimes supermarket prices are cheaper. Don't count them out. They have "loss leader" sales just like in the US. Ley Mercados is partially owned by Safeway. They know marketing. We buy Blason bags of Expresso coffee (500 grams) for 29 pesos. That is impossible to beat if you are into dark roast. We buy double tagged meat at Sam's club which is also hard to beat at the local markets. I keep things fresh with a vacuum sealer. Gouda cheese from Holland, at Sam's, was 80 pesos for 2.75 kilos last week. Fresh fruits and veggies are usually much cheaper at your local fruteria. If we get any rain this year, it'll bring out the cheap mangos and I'm planning on making some wine plus freezing a bunch. Grow some herbs. Grow some exotic lettuce. After a lot of searching, you'll find what is cheap and what is not. Do a lot of walking and exploring. Networking and learning Spanish will allow you to live on that amount fairly easily. Stay in good health and have fun! Sure as hell beats working at MacDonalds when you're in your sixties!

elcomputo

Apr 14, 2003, 6:21 PM

Post #4 of 12 (1603 views)

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Re: [Esteban] Cost of living; going postal

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Esteban. Thanks. That's encouraging.

My biggest concern regarding expenses is medical. I know I can get cheap government insurance that will cover doctor visits and emergency hospitalization. But I don't believe that insurance covers the cost of medications. I had been planning on using my veteran's benefits to continue getting medications cheaply, but I now realize there is probably no way they will mail them across the border. If I get a shipping service to do that, it's expensive, and the Aduana will add fees.

My main medications are insulin and an anti-hypertensive drug. Those are probably both a little more than the $7 a month I pay the VA, and I could afford to buy them there. But I also take an anti-depression drug which regularly costs $3 a day here (but still $7 a month with the VA), and probably not much less in Mexico. Any suggestions on how I can keep down the medical expenses?

Apr 14, 2003, 9:04 PM

Post #5 of 12 (1580 views)

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Re: [elcomputo] Cost of living; going postal

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Martin, elcomputo writes:
....My biggest concern regarding expenses is medical. I know I can get cheap government insurance that will cover doctor visits and emergency hospitalization.....

Hopefully the "cheap government insurance" that you're thinking of is something you've already investigated in the US and determined your eligibility, and not the Mexican IMSS system. Like any modern insurance plan, the IMSS tries to restrict its voluntary subscribers to those who are likely to have little need for policy-covered medical attention, as a way to offset the losses from those patients who get legally mandated coverage (such as from employers), and who do need extensive medical services. This means they can and will screen for preexisting conditions before accepting you into the system, at which point your meds indicate you have medical conditions which may cause questions about coverage. If you were indeed planning on using the IMSS you might want to avail yourself to the Forum search function to seek out past discussions on the topic.

(This post was edited by ET on Apr 14, 2003, 9:07 PM)

elcomputo

Apr 14, 2003, 9:31 PM

Post #6 of 12 (1568 views)

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Re: [alex .] Cost of living; don't go postal

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Chickens are okay. I could use the eggs. But only if they use the chicken box next to the cat box.

But the plumbing, no. Gotta have my shower in the morning.

alex .

Apr 15, 2003, 7:21 AM

Post #7 of 12 (1550 views)

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Re: [elcomputo] shower is in the outhouse

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Behind the house is the pila, what we might call a cistern. It is filled from a hose connected to the llave (faucet) at the street every third day. In the outhouse there is a tambo (plastic trash can), about 30 gallon size. Water is transferred with a bucket from the pila to the tambo untill it is filled. Then one showers by dipping a tupperware dish into the tambo and pouring the water onto oneself. The water is neither heated nor cooled, its used as is. The climate is tropical so the water feels quite refreshing actually, and it beats the heck out of bathing in the lagoon with the crocodiles.
Alex

elcomputo

Apr 15, 2003, 12:46 PM

Post #8 of 12 (1529 views)

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Re: [alex .] shower is in the outhouse

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Chickens, si, crocodiles, no.

David Eidell

Apr 18, 2003, 3:31 AM

Post #9 of 12 (1460 views)

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Re: [elcomputo] Cost of living; going postal

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You are almost correct about medications. The formulary of most Mexican health insurance entities is extremely basic but they are free or nearly free to subscibers. A blessing is the low cost of many medications in Mexico and the almost ridiculously low prices of generic medicines. Patents expire much sooner in Mexico than the US so for instance it won't be very long before we see generics for such things as Celebrex or even Viagra.

I have trained myself financially by imposing a ridiculously strict budget on things like food and entertainment. For instance, I fully intend to try living in Mazatlan (for a period of time) on fifteen dollars a week for food and ten dollars a week for entertainment. Don't laugh just yet, I've lived in Cabo San Lucas for three months on a dollar a day for three months in 1995 for food and I lived pretty darned good. I was -forced- to eat oatmeal and lots of fresh vegetables and fruits and it was quite healthy. Heck I didn't even spend the ten dollars a week on entertainment. I didn't have the money so I did the best that I could and forgot about the rest.

elcomputo

Apr 18, 2003, 9:02 AM

Post #10 of 12 (1436 views)

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Re: [eidell] Cost of living; going postal

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Thanks. You have boosted my morale appreciably.

I recently learned that my Mexican friend's mother, a widow aged 70, is getting an amount from Mexico's version of Social Security that is only a little less than what I am getting from American Social Security. And here, all along, I was under the impression that Mexico was the poor nation and the USA the rich nation. Foolish me! I also have read that Bush is going to do his utmost to cut Social Security benefits. A bill has already passed Congress and awaits his willing signature that cuts benefits to veterans -- a terrific reward for those troopers who have served their country and the current active forces we all support. I'm glad I'm moving to Mexico. I just wish I didn't have to depend upon the USA to support me in my old age.

Don

Apr 18, 2003, 8:02 PM

Post #11 of 12 (1391 views)

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Re: [elcomputo] Cost of living; going postal

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Right now I'm trying to find a place where I can survive on the $1,100 a month I get from Social Security,
I recently learned that my Mexican friend's mother, a widow aged 70, is getting an amount from Mexico's version of Social Security that is only a little less than what I am getting from American Social Security.

Are you sure that your friend's mother is getting almost the equivalent of $1,100 U.S. or is she getting almost $1,100 pesos per month. There is a big difference. I know someone here that is getting about $1,000 pesos per month from Social Security. I know someone else that is getting about $1,000 pesos per month, but not from Social Security. His is a pension for working for the postal service.

(This post was edited by Don on Apr 18, 2003, 8:05 PM)

elcomputo

Apr 18, 2003, 9:55 PM

Post #12 of 12 (1373 views)

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Re: [Don] Cost of living; going postal

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You could be correct. She wrote $800 US, but it may really be 800 pesos. I know I was surprised by that $800 figure, so I'll double check with her.