Sorting out the shopping!

When I got here, got my place and was ready to start my new life, I needed a ton of stuff. All those things that accumulate in your life, I had left behind. I needed cleaning supplies. I needed soap. I needed toilet paper! And choosing those things on brands you never heard of is tough. What is going to work well? We have had years of experimentation deciding if you like Scott tissue or some generic paper. We already know if Irish Spring leaves us to itchy, or if Dove soap is to lotion-y. The little things we take for granted are all new explorations. Choosing ” Familia AcolchaMax Megarollo” is NOT an easy decision!

But even before that begins, the big question is WHERE do you go. I will break down for you the stores that will compare the most with what we are used to.

MegaMaxi- This is basically a large shopping mall. The one near me (about 8 minutes by cab) is Mall del Rio. Yep, you guessed it… Mall by the River!

A close cousin is the Millennium Plaza. It is near downtown, It is 2-story also, but smaller. The beauty of it is the English speaking movies. That was a whole other experience I will have to write about! It also has a great smelling Papa John’s Pizza!

The next one to mention is Coral Centro. It is kind of like a Super Walmart. It has 3 floors of department store like products and a food section. I am not crazy about the place. It reminds me of a rummage store. The food is “eh”. Edible but not tasty. The bakery puts out an inferior product. The fruit is not the best. The place is always busy because it is convenient, but nothing special for me at all. Too bad, since I live 2 blocks from it. No pictures!

Then there is the SuperMaxi! It is like going to a Krogers/Wegmans/Harris Teeter type store. Great if there are American brands you can’t live without. Just keep in mind it will likely cost you 2-4 times as much as you are used to! How about a bottle of Prego spaghetti sauce (on sale for $1.79 there) for nearly $10? Yep, you can get Hershey’s, Kellogg’s, etc. But be prepared to pay through the nose. Corn Flakes… $5 a box? On the other hand, the place has the best bakery I have seen! The bread is amazing. The meat is priced great. 2 lbs of 80/20 burger for $1.65? It is hard to go wrong there though. I suggest using it at first until you sort out local replacements. It will take some time to get your grocery shopping figured out. I’m 7 weeks in and still working on it.

I HAVE to tell you about the milk! An entire aisle for milk. And it is on the shelf, warm!

Yes I know, I mentioned milk before… But I am still in awe!

Now if you want to shop locally, go to one of the Tiendas (local grocery stores about as big as a room). You can also go to the daily “Farmers Markets”. They have freshly butchered meats, fish brought up from the coast and all manner of fruits and veggies. When you sort that out you will save a ton of money. I’m still trying to figure out how to go and be able to carry everything from place to place.

You can also stop and sidewalk carts, stalls, and even wheel-barrows. The best strawberries I have seen were sitting in a wheel-barrow tended by a native woman. You will also pay pennies for things there. It may be the lowest end of the food chain in cost and overhead, but the food is generally raised by them or their families.

YOU can bargain as well. I am not comfortable with it. Not because I am shy, but rather I am aware of the value to me, and what they ask is more than fair. On the other hand, it is truly a disservice to the economy if you don’t honor local pricing so I am torn. I am not alone. It is a typical dilemma when you come here. Keep in mind though, the Spanish word for business is Negocio. That explains a LOT about how things are done here.

You can spend over $100 a week here if you want to really blow a budget. But if you are careful about your money, you can live off $25 a week, and be eating fresh, local, totally organic fruits, veggies and meats. A third alternative is just to go out and eat. It sounds like another topic!