setting up?

jsizemore

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Aug 6, 2003
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OK guys I am now trying to put everything together for my move down budget. Mind you I am bringing the clothes on my back and maybe a laptop. So lets assume I will not buy but rent. I am assuming worst case of having no real infrastructure to work with. I will be either in Susua or Santiago.
I have list of things that I feel must be setup before I am comfortable living there. I think I have a handle on what the startup cost will be for them.
They are water, cooking, electricity, transportation and communication.
UV water treatment will be right a $1000 US.
I can buy a diesel-fueled range with oven for around $1000.
A 20kw planta will be around $5000.
And a dependable car will run around $1000.
Satellite Internet will be just under 3k for the system I would want.

If I am in Sosua I can Use a bike as well as if I am in metro Santiago.
Are my figures off?
John
I tried to search is there a sticky that covers this already?
 

Robert

Stay Frosty!
Jan 2, 1999
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If you?re in Sosua or Santiago, you have infrastructure.
How many times have you been here?

US$1,000 for a dependable car, good luck!
Take a look at http://super-carros.com to get an idea of pricing.

"I can buy a diesel-fueled range with oven for around $1000"
Why don't you buy a propane oven like 99.9% of us that live here? They work, are cheap and yes gas is available.

"UV water treatment" Why? 5 gallon bottles work just fine.

"Satellite Internet" Not needed if you are going to be in Sosua or Santiago. We have cable and DSL.

This is the Dominican Republic, not the middle of the Australian bush 100's of miles from "real" life :)
 

ricktoronto

Grande Pollo en Boca Chica
Jan 9, 2002
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Lots of self-sufficiency, for sure

jsizemore said:
Yeah I have been there to the towns. I was like I said worst case senerio.

That senerio [sic] includes what, a war?
 

jsizemore

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Aug 6, 2003
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Ice Blocks

No I plan on bringing down carving ice freezer and related stuff. So I would need a reliable power source for the freezer. A three hour power outage could cost me days preperation. It would also be prudent to make sure the water I froze was potable.
So with the exception of the Internet which was just plane and simple I like my speed everythig else was more resonable. The average weight of an ice block is 300 pounds so I may be dealing with renting a house and not being in an apartment. I may have to retro fit it with the basics that an apartment would have otherwise.
While it may seem paranoid to say worst case in this case it isn't. So like I said worst case for me is alittle extreme. Three or four hour power outage could hurt.
Plus I just survived Isabel up here.
John
 

jsizemore

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Aug 6, 2003
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no one

I am going to be playing around so I can get good enough for competions in the US. It is not a business it is just something I want to do.
Maybe trade a carving for free beer at a party or something. Just something I want to do. It is a check point I need for me next level of certifications in the culinary field.
Some people collect shells and others do Roses. I plan on blowing sugar and carving ice.
John
 
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XanaduRanch

*** Sin Bin ***
Sep 15, 2002
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Really?

jsizemore said:
I plan on blowing sugar and carving ice.
Who's this 'Sugar' chick anyway? She a Dominican girl? Nah, if after doing that you still have to be 'carving ice' my guess is she must be American.

Ah,well. Good luck to you either way!

Tom (aka XR)
 

jsizemore

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Aug 6, 2003
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LOL

Well she is sweet and hot and she will be above boing around 280 degrees and I will be putting a straw up inside her as a blow and make her expand out. I will be using a blow tourch to keep her from becoming fridged. I will be of course playing it safe and handling her with gloves so as not to get any long lasting problems.
John
 

miguel

I didn't last long...
Jul 2, 2003
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jsizemore said:
OK guys I am now trying to put everything together for my move down budget. Mind you I am bringing the clothes on my back and maybe a laptop. So lets assume I will not buy but rent. I am assuming worst case of having no real infrastructure to work with. I will be either in Susua or Santiago.
I have list of things that I feel must be setup before I am comfortable living there. I think I have a handle on what the startup cost will be for them.
They are water, cooking, electricity, transportation and communication.
UV water treatment will be right a $1000 US.
I can buy a diesel-fueled range with oven for around $1000.
A 20kw planta will be around $5000.
And a dependable car will run around $1000.
Satellite Internet will be just under 3k for the system I would want.

If I am in Sosua I can Use a bike as well as if I am in metro Santiago.
Are my figures off?
John
I tried to search is there a sticky that covers this already?
I really do not know how much a planta costs but I am sure know that a dependable car will cost you a least 5 times that amount. If you get one at 1,000, please let me know.
 

jsizemore

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Aug 6, 2003
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it is relative

I owned a car in Guam that we had to put card board in the floor so as not to see the raod. That is a depandable car because it ran.
John
 

ERICKXSON

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Dec 24, 2002
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www.creambay.com
GUAM>>> THE DR>> UMMMM! well i've seen all kinds of Conchos and Moto Conchos however the carsboard is not yet in style here in the Dominican Repubublic as of yet. LOL!
 

miguel

I didn't last long...
Jul 2, 2003
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Re: it is relative

jsizemore said:
I owned a car in Guam that we had to put card board in the floor so as not to see the raod. That is a depandable car because it ran.
John
I wish you the best with the car. All I can tell you is that I looked at cars, by word of mouth, when I was in DR in September and there was a very "smart" guy trying to sell me a '84 Honda Civic, with many bumps and scratches, for RD 75,000. And I am told that that same car, 3 months later, he is trying to sell for RD 125,000 pesos. If want a reliable car in the DR, I believe that they are talking about RD 150,000 and up, but with the understanding that in the long run, you will pay more in repairs than what you paid for the car. Good luck.
 

jsizemore

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Aug 6, 2003
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reliable is relative

I would rather spend a $1000 buying a car and then putting another $1000 going end to end than I would spending $2000 from the start.
Every car I ever Buy I give myself a %30 of purchase price for surprises. I am used to ruding a bike to work 5 miles each way in the winter so I am pobably going to have a mountain bike for primary trasnport anyway so I need a few months of waiting before I buy one I will.
But you are right about being hard to find. But with patients and abilty to fix it up their is always something around. I may still revert to a motor cycle. Who Knows.
Either way thanks for the advice and if i am lucky I will find it if not then I just slow down on beer for a couple of months and bite the bullit.
John
 

XanaduRanch

*** Sin Bin ***
Sep 15, 2002
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Depends a lot on where you live, John. We bought our little Jeep for Santriago and it worked great, Then we moved our main residence back to Xanadu - in the jungle - and it shook apart in no time at all. That thing's been welded back together so many times I am amazed the little buggar is still running. We didn't use cardboard, but the floorboards have been soldered over more than once! Time for a big car - once I pay for the planta!

Tom (aka XR)
 

jsizemore

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Aug 6, 2003
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Getting to know the area

The advice I have been getting all along is go slow as far as buying property. They say with patients comes good deals and I agree with that.
Anything I buy right away will be stuff I can take to my next apartment house so forth. I am leaning toward Santiago so that I can go to school and not let my GI bill go to waste. I may be set up to not need acar right away. If I front load my clases so I dont have anything on friday then I have automatic three day weekends. I know I could just pile into sosua sol or someplace like that and do just fine but then I would just exist and never start college or anything and I don't want to turn into a dirty old man before I am 40. I will give that a few years.
My mountain bike and three days every weekend I can have some fun. I may just have to pull the redneck thing and buy me a truck in a few years and then tear it down to the frame and start building. As you know custom for a redneck is big tires and a winch with the sewer pipe on the cab for the fishing poles.
Either way what I am thinking is while with a pension and renting right way I could come down with a $1000 in my pocket and be fine I feel I should allow myself a $10,000 setup budget to have the creature comforts.
My main thing is I dont want to touch the profit from selling my house until I am there a while and I find where I want to live and either buy or build me a house. I would really like to be up on top of some mountain where I can see to the horizon.
I am still a hillbilly no matter how many years I have been at sea.
But for general city driving I think I can get by for around a $1000 on a car cardboard included.
John
 

XanaduRanch

*** Sin Bin ***
Sep 15, 2002
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Re: Getting to know the area

jsizemore said:
I know I could just pile into sosua sol or someplace like that and do just fine but then I would just exist and never start college or anything and I don't want to turn into a dirty old man before I am 40.
And the problem with that is exactly what?

If you're just going to stay in Santiago a car is completely unnecessary. Public transport in the city is readily available and very cheap.

Tom (aka XR)
 

jsizemore

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Aug 6, 2003
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Dirty old man problem

My grandfatehr was 61 when he married my 18 year old grandma. He was 73 when he concieved his last child. I thnk I have around 40 mores years of decadance especially with Viagra so I don't think I should turn totally decadent right away.
John;)
 

foratag

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Jan 6, 2004
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john,

I read that you are looking to get high speed internet. I'll be in need of the same. Would you please direct me to where I can get info on obtaining it in DR. Thanks and good luck.


william
 

jsizemore

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Aug 6, 2003
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Hi Speed Internet

PM Chris or email. She is the Guru in the DR . But as everyone says in town DSL is an option.
John