Shopping in Costa Rica

Today I browsed the Costa Rica supermarket ads during a break from packing:

Papaya: $0.50 per kilo (2.2 lbs)
Gala apples: $3.20 per kilo

Toilet paper: $0.63 per roll (And that's on SALE!)

Clearly, we'll be making some adjustments.

Our plan, though, is to shop as much as possible at the ferias (farmers markets) and central market (mercado centro), which we understand to be the most economical (and fresh!). Just as important, however, is that, unlike the major supermarkets, they aren't owned by Walmart. More on that in a future post.

Declutter 101

How does one begin to divest oneself of decades of non-essential clutter? Truly, the seemingly endless decision-making process alone is overwhelming. But the logistics of getting to the point where we can begin making those decisions presents an equally daunting challenge.

Consider that between now and the actual move, which is a good 4 to 5 months off, we still have to dress and cook and work on the house, etc – and, therefore, continue using the very essentials that need to go with us. Good enough… we’ll wait to pack those items and begin boxing the things we will be handed off to the kids, sell, or donate. But where?

Sorting and packing requires a certain amount of room and then the boxes need to be stored somewhere.

Not having a good answer, we’ve made decision #1. We'll stock up on bubble wrap and begin a room-size game of Rubik’s Cube.