Shopping

There are a few shows on T.V. that I love to watch, Castle, Once Upon a Time and Revolution are three that come to mind. I really like the character of Castle and the other two have unusual plots enough to satisfy my “weird” thought process.

I watch a lot of reality shows on H.G.T.V. but the one show I watch that surprises even me is ‘Til Debt Do Us Part’. For those of you who don’t know what the show is about, the star helps couples who are way over their heads in debt. She formulates a 3-part plan to help them get out of debt and improve their relationship. What is my fascination with the show? I have no idea! I am fortunate to owe very little but I have gleaned some tips to help save even more for my passion of travelling. The first step is to live on cash only. She gives them jars with budgeted money for food, clothing, entertainment, transportation etc.

With the modern convenience of debit and credit cards, it is too easy to spend money and not know how much you have spent on any one area. We do track our finances on Quicken, a great financial program but I only look at the bottom line, my balance. This program can also tell you how much you spend on food clothing, entertainment, whatever parimeters you set up.

In Melaque, you pay for everything in cash so this is a perfect opportunity to try out this method. I spend approximately $125.00 per week on food so I took out the equivalent in pesos. Below is the list of most of the items purchased which includes of course, staple items:

1 lb. bacon 1 lb. pork ribs 2 large chicken breasts 1 kg. prawns
1 lb. hamburg 1 kg. dorado fish

Ketchup salt 2 lbs. margarine soy sauce
Bbq sauce ginger green pepper carrots
Onions marmalade olive oil milk
1 ½ dz. Eggs mayo 6 limes 12 plum tomatoes
Grapefruit 1 lb. cheddar cheese cereal tomato sauce
1 kg rice lettuce x 2 4 beefsteak tomatoes 5 avocados
4 small cucumbers

Dish soap scotchbrite pads spray bottle saran wrap
Toilet paper bleach cleaning solution scrub brush
Liquid hand soap

Shopping here is enjoyable. Trying new food items and just interacting with the people. Enjoy the pictures of some of the merchants we frequent.

meat store

the meat store where we purchase the majority of our meat

these guys sit here for hours peeling onions and tomatillos

the owner on the right is a wonderful lady.  We shop at her store because she is very honest and has great prices.

you will find people selling fresh fruit just about anywhere you go

This is the oven that is used for baking.

this is the local bakery. They supply most of the baked goods for the town.