Always look around

One of the million things I love about this island is the fact that on any given day my reaction is, “Wow!”  Yesterday was no exception.  After running an errand in the Cupe Coy area I happened to notice that there was a beautiful sunset happening off its coast.  Andy quickly swung the car into a parking space and this was the end result. #speechless

Oh yes, about that surprise…..

When I arrived on the island in early September to look at the apartment I’d chosen I was dismayed to discover that the pictures posted for the unit I’d chosen were a few years old.  The pictures did not reflect the actual condition of the apartment.  In speaking with the landlord I asked if new cabinets could be installed.  He advised they could, but it would be several months, as they come from Europe.  In mentioning what the cabinets would look like, he took me to the apartment upstairs from my original choice.  He also mentioned that this unit was available as well, albeit $300 more per month, which was still in our budget.  I immediately fell in love with the new unit for its views (the lower apartment had no view), the additional square footage and the fact that it was 2BR, 2BA (both en-suite).  I called my husband immediately and inquired if we could change to the larger unit.  He agreed the difference was worth the money, and we had the newer, updated unit!  Here are a few of the views.  I think you’ll agree it was money well spent.  It’s been noted that we are very lucky to have snagged such an amazing location.  I’m definitely penciling it in under the “meant to be” column.  To have gone from decision to move to actual move in 2 months, with the enormous amount of details that had to fall into place, yes, it was definitely meant to be ❤️

Medical costs

I am to start PT for my back and hip next week, 5 weeks post op.  There is a PT/OT practice literally a block from my apartment, so it’s very convenient.  I presented the order from my doctor and asked if they could accommodate my needs.  They affirmed the could.  I braced as I asked how much it was going to cost.  I know what they were charging in the US for OT on my wrist and it was far less involved than my back.  “Fifty-five dollars per visit.”  I was certain I had misunderstood her.  “Fifty-five?  Five, five?”  “Yes.”  I’m guessing she thought I was hard of hearing when I asked her to confirm.  In reality, I was simply attempting to prevent fainting.  I could go on a diatribe about the costs in the US, but I won’t (I save that for Facebook, lol).  Suffice it to say, I am very pleased with this cost and the convenience of the office.047CD6FA-4AE4-462C-88D5-E3A96E309817

Grocery prices

I’ve blogged a few times about needing to shop around to optimize a budget.  I’ve found that 2 local markets have really good prices on a variety of items.  One is the Maho Market, across the street (at the roundabout) from Maho Beach.  The other is pictured here.  Found on Union Road, if you’re standing at Ace Hardware facing Union Road it will be on your left about 100 yards or so.  You won’t be able to miss it.  Recall, in most stores around the Dutch side of the island prices are in Guilders, including this market on Union.  The dollar is very strong against the Guilder, right now, exchanging at 1.77 as of this publication.  As with every market on the island, *always* check expiration dates on any food item you buy.34F6E5D9-A864-4A6B-8191-A0A84BFB9755

Getting to know my new home

I live here now.  When we were coming as tourists my husband always drove.  That way I could play bobble-head looking this way and that at all the gorgeous scenery.  Unfortunately what that did is render me clueless about how to get from my apartment to you know, anywhere, lol.  So today I start my self driven journey to everywhere 😊. First stop, Marigot and their amazing market.  I absolutely love the colors of the harbor, but most especially the local merchants’ stalls.  This feels very quintessentially Caribbean to me.  Through this week I’ll post more pics as I explore my new island home by myself ☺️

 

Budget

Because moving to an island in the middle of the ocean was a completely foreign concept to me, I felt it important to create and maintain a very strict budget as I know what the bottom line looks like when we visited as tourists 😳. Living here is different, of course.  We can’t and won’t party and eat out every night like we do on vacation, it simply isn’t possible.  That said, I am very pleasantly surprised how well this is going.  Since we’ve been back I’ve been driving around testing out prices at numerous grocery stores.  I make a mental note of where the best prices are for the items we use frequently.  Because we have a little island car that gets good gas mileage (Hyundai i10), driving to a few different places to maximize the spending power is not nullified by the drive.  Our power and water bill, from 9/22 – 10/12 was $65.  This with A/C running at night in the bedroom, occasionally during the day in the living room, weekly washing and drying of clothes, and occilating fans running virtually 24/7.  We are learning what water conservation looks like and are getting a pretty good mastery of it.  Internet runs $65 a month though that will increase to $85 when (if) Telem shows up.  We eat in most nights (we are both great cooks ☺️).  When we do go out we no longer feel like we need to order the “best thing on the menu” because now that we live here we have time to try out the *entire* menu, one by one 😁  Worry about how this was going to financially play out is waning with each passing day.  The paradigm shift from US living to island living is happening far quicker than I could have imagined.  I’m glad I started a budget because it reminds me that we live here now and I must operate as such.  So far, it’s going very well, indeed.