mjferriesmcgrew
2/17/2016 10:38 EST
I GUESS I AM GOING TO COME OUT OF THE CLOSET ON THIS ONE? i am so tired of morrell and carlitos ( and dont even get me started about kimbo who doesnt even live in uruguay ) giving advice to people that may or may not be accurate. i usually write the people privately cuz i have a very ( borderline ) stressful existance with my business here in uruguay, so just need the tranquilo when i take playtime on the computer. THAT SAID, I COULD NOT AGREE WITH YOU LESS, guys, WHEN YOU TELL PEOPLE THEY CANT LIVE IN URUGUAY CHEAPLY. As i have blogged before, i am NOT basing my info. on living in Montevideo, or the beach towns.... big cities and oceanside places are expensive places to live all over the world. so, black american, please be assured that you, your daughter and your granddaughter CAN find interior towns in Uruguay where the cost of living will be cheaper than just about anyplace in the U.S. ( i have lived in 10 different states in the U.s. in my 61 years of the planet, and several countries, so i am basing this on my experience ). You can rent a nice big place , out in the coutnry, with enough place to put in a garden , for under 8k pesos per mo. ( it will need things done to it, yes, it will need appliances, i havent lived in too many places in the u.s. that didnt need some TLC either ) You can get used appliances and all other items you need at the remate auctions, mercado libre ( like ebay ), or thrift shops ( there arent alot of them ). also the expats have an internet site to sell used items. i dont speak spanish very well, but have few problems getting across my needs/ wants. The buses are cheap and safe, and the produce is fresh and very inexpensive. What gets expensive is any time you have to have something that is NOT made, grown, or built/fixed in Uruguay. I have lived in Uruguay for 15 mos. now, and everyday it just keeps getting better and better. I started with a 5k peso a month studio apt., but now i live in my business ( a hostel ). I have seen the utils. do up, and the value of the peso go down ( by quite a bit ) in my time here. So you still have to be very careful with your money to live here . But, if you are frugal, and realize that , as a foreigner you have to be very adaptable, in numerous ways, this might be just the place you are looking for. And, yes, finding a job, and finding cheap air fares, ARE difficult. I have some ideas , which i am willing to share if you write to me, about things an expat who isnt old enough to retire yet, could do here. Morrell, i think, is the one who mentioned making hot sauce and selling it to ex pats. well, used baby stuff is sorely needed in this small town. There is a big baby boom in Minas. The feria gets 50 to 100 pesos for one little 2nd hand outfit. Stuff a person could easily buy at yard sales in southern calif., where i lived last, for under 25 cents each. I would research starting a business here, and if you need items to sell , figure out a way to bring them with you when you come. I dont think customs would stop a suitcase full of used baby clothes, even though they might want to tax a load of new stuff. I actually had an ex pat in this area tell me that he does NOT want more Americans moving here, that he is worried it will make all the prices go up and it will get ruined here " like Costa Rica". I think this 'I got mine, now lets slam the gate " attitude is not OK. As ex pats, writing on an ex pat blog, that is the first thing that alot of folks read, that are looking to make the same scary jump that those of us who live here have made, i feel we owe it to these potential newbies to be encouraging and supportive. I know , some people might argue that giving them FACTS is more supportive. Ok, then, tell them what you pay, but also add that you arent willing to live without air conditioning, or a car, or other creature comforts, so they can make up their own minds what their costs are going to be. I have a feeling that some of the people who write in are living on only 1000. u.s. a month back in the u.s., which is plenty of money , where i am in uruguay, anyway!!!!!!!
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