Read what you wrote Vanilla Boy your own words NOW talk to me about freedom and government interference. Something like WATER, GAS, LIGHTS is a project in DR. That was point. How to you drive to 3 different bombas and no GAS in any of them. Talk to someone who does not know DR" Hot Chocolate Boy"
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Many questions about the DR :)
Read what you wrote Vanilla Boy your own words NOW talk to me about freedom and government interference. Something like WATER, GAS, LIGHTS is a project in DR. That was point. How to you drive to 3 different bombas and no GAS in any of them. Talk to someone who does not know DR" Hot Chocolate Boy"
I think there must be an new Elite Dominican Residents Society I'm unfamiliar with.
Special branch, with a view to make judgment on how others live life. New to me, and sure are a pain in the a$$ from my limited experience with them.
There is a theory flying around that they have been operating in the country a relatively short period of time as the tone used goes with a 'few monther know it aller, now dictator of all that is truly Dum', erm Dom errrm sorry!
anyway, the thread?
Special branch, with a view to make judgment on how others live life. New to me, and sure are a pain in the a$$ from my limited experience with them.
There is a theory flying around that they have been operating in the country a relatively short period of time as the tone used goes with a 'few monther know it aller, now dictator of all that is truly Dum', erm Dom errrm sorry!
anyway, the thread?
I know I am asking for trouble, but I would have to agree with Pi2.
If, and only if, one is to pursue a Dominican diet, it is feasible to accomplish Pi2 recommendations with 10$ a day.
This is $300 a month. This is almost 12K pesos. Poor Dominican families manage with even less with a family of 4.
Plantain, yucca, sweet potatoes, potatos, rice, eggs, sardines, spagetties, bread, chocolete bar (if they still make them),
chicken, salchichon, pica pica, fruit and vegestable etc.... Cono, me voy pa' Santo Domingo ..
It is doable, but there is no breathing room...
Also, most dominican do not have transportation... moto and public car concho would suffice.
If you want to go "all out" then you could get a motocycle or scooter.
Again, I am asking for trouble, but I am beginning to see PI2's rational.
Dominican don't consider these ingredients, because they are expensive: Panko breadcrumbs, ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, good cheeses, good deli meats, etc...
For meat, the mostly use chicken.
For Cheese, they regular yellow dominican cheese.
For meat substitue they use: Sardines, pica pica, (tuna is too expensive, it is out), eggs, can salmon, eggplant, okra, salchichon...
Bread crumbs, get out of here..
If you go "Gringo", then it would be impossible to make it...
No, Dominicans were buying freshly roasted pork today. About 200 pesos a lb. Suppose 4-6 oz portion thats 50 - 75pesos , one dollar 25. In many places there are fish and prawns bought by Dominicans. If you want to cook these foods US way its no problem. Its just different herbs, spices. Apples are expensive but a pineapple upside down cake flour and other ingredients are all there at low cost. Bread crumbs are commonly available at Dominican stores. Same tuna. Still possible to hit 1.5 - 2 dollars for main meal.
pi2
Before I started to read DR1 posters I never would have thought that a family with no house payment or car payment can spend 3500USD on their home budget like a few people mentioned on this board. In three months 10,500USD is crazy in a country like DR unless they are living in Casa de Campo.
I will say this again you give 58,000RD a month in the DR and I am super RICH!!! No matter what anyone says it is not a lot to do in DR unless your into the club scene. No Walt Disney World, Six Flags, NYC, Las Vegas, Grand Cayon etc. You only can go to the mall so much as well as the beach.
Drinking, listening to music ,watching people play dominos gets OLD fast. One night me my wife and her family went the Malecon to drink and dance, and thats when I knew the DR was not for me as an adult. The same sh*t every week.
The DR is a wonderful place to visit, but living 365 days hanging out with nothing but Dominicans, I have to pass.
I will say this again you give 58,000RD a month in the DR and I am super RICH!!! No matter what anyone says it is not a lot to do in DR unless your into the club scene. No Walt Disney World, Six Flags, NYC, Las Vegas, Grand Cayon etc. You only can go to the mall so much as well as the beach.
Drinking, listening to music ,watching people play dominos gets OLD fast. One night me my wife and her family went the Malecon to drink and dance, and thats when I knew the DR was not for me as an adult. The same sh*t every week.
The DR is a wonderful place to visit, but living 365 days hanging out with nothing but Dominicans, I have to pass.
No argument from me. It can be done. And I have meals each week that are cheap. I can get meat/rice/beans/salad across the street for 100-120 pesos. However, I like to mix in more variety with various ethnic dishes, spices, sauces, seafood, etc.
A 40 peso head of broccoli may be steamed one night, the next time around it may be part of a casserole with cream of mushroom soup, onions, cheddar cheese, eggs, mayo, etc. upping the cost per serving.
I know a lot of Doms eat pork, goat, ducks, etc... but if one wants to minimize, chicken is the way to go...
When it comes to food, I'll have to agree with you.
$300 US is doable for food for a family of 4. It simply depends on your diet.
If you decide to go gringo style, then it is not enough..
It is funny, I was having this converation with my wife's aunt. She has a small bodega in La Vega.
She has a green card, but she prefers to be there.
the numbers that we computed for a family of four, eating 3 decent meals a day was around 8 - 9K pesos a month.
As far as I can remember, Dominicans eat the following:
breakfast: bread, dominican cheese, hot chocolate with milk (chocolate con leche).
Lunch: rice, meat or meat substitue (eggplant, okra, etc), salad
Snack: Leftover from lunch ...
Dinner: Plantain or/and yucca or/and sweet potatoes, eggs or cheese or salchichon or Dominican ham
Or the dinner is sometimes done the same way as the breakfast
or It could also be lunch's leftover...
For those bashers and non believers, I was borned and raised in Villa Consuelo, Santo Domingo.
I also remember that being part of my diet.
Coňňňooo, me voy pa' ya!
Simple and cheap.
No one is doubting Pi2's figures on what you 'can' buy for that price. If you've spent a bit of time you can learn where to shop and eat in manky restaurants or street vendors.
But people ask how do YOU guys live, what is normal, average, how much is living for surviving expats. Not 'if I were to live like a native who has been brought up in a $3000DR p/m shack, and don't mind the odd bit of dog in my chicken' how much does life cost me.
Expats generally don't live hand to mouth. People go out, do a weekly shop and buy most of their things in a few places. No body spends their day getting from one deal to the next to save a few pesos. What is the point in graduating through life to downgrade your standards, that's just fkn stupid in my mind.
People with a job to do, a family to live around, a social life, commitments generally don't live collecting vouchers and searching for the cheapest option ALL the time. So it isn't any doubt, it is just that it is not typical. A meal out each week in the capital with a bottle of wine will set us back RD$4000+ at Ruths or similar. Pi2 is saying RD2,500 a week is enough for 2 people to live on, some fkn life they'll have. I'd typically spend that on a heavy session in one night.:ermm:
But people ask how do YOU guys live, what is normal, average, how much is living for surviving expats. Not 'if I were to live like a native who has been brought up in a $3000DR p/m shack, and don't mind the odd bit of dog in my chicken' how much does life cost me.
Expats generally don't live hand to mouth. People go out, do a weekly shop and buy most of their things in a few places. No body spends their day getting from one deal to the next to save a few pesos. What is the point in graduating through life to downgrade your standards, that's just fkn stupid in my mind.
People with a job to do, a family to live around, a social life, commitments generally don't live collecting vouchers and searching for the cheapest option ALL the time. So it isn't any doubt, it is just that it is not typical. A meal out each week in the capital with a bottle of wine will set us back RD$4000+ at Ruths or similar. Pi2 is saying RD2,500 a week is enough for 2 people to live on, some fkn life they'll have. I'd typically spend that on a heavy session in one night.:ermm:
Lorin,
Chip made a good post a whlle back about how he lives with his family of four on about $1100 a month. No car or house payment.
His lifestyle is doable, but fairly basic by most gringo standards.
http://www.dr1.com/forums/living/102930-living-dr-cheap.html
Chip made a good post a whlle back about how he lives with his family of four on about $1100 a month. No car or house payment.
His lifestyle is doable, but fairly basic by most gringo standards.
http://www.dr1.com/forums/living/102930-living-dr-cheap.html
I know a lot of Doms eat pork, goat, ducks, etc... but if one wants to minimize, chicken is the way to go...
When it comes to food, I'll have to agree with you.
$300 US is doable for food for a family of 4. It simply depends on your diet.
If you decide to go gringo style, then it is not enough..
It is funny, I was having this converation with my wife's aunt. She has a small bodega in La Vega.
She has a green card, but she prefers to be there.
the numbers that we computed for a family of four, eating 3 decent meals a day was around 8 - 9K pesos a month.
As far as I can remember, Dominicans eat the following:
breakfast: bread, dominican cheese, hot chocolate with milk (chocolate con leche).
Lunch: rice, meat or meat substitue (eggplant, okra, etc), salad
Snack: Leftover from lunch ...
Dinner: Plantain or/and yucca or/and sweet potatoes, eggs or cheese or salchichon or Dominican ham
Or the dinner is sometimes done the same way as the breakfast
or It could also be lunch's leftover...
For those bashers and non believers, I was borned and raised in Villa Consuelo, Santo Domingo.
I also remember that being part of my diet.
Coňňňooo, me voy pa' ya!
Simple and cheap.
Past tense for BORN is still just born. This is what my family and I ate 80% of the time, and throw in soup her mother brings once a week. Pizza Hut and Kentucky was our special meal we had maybe three times a month. Walking down the street Marcos del Rosario in Los Mina I never knew the DR was a expensive place to live. I always thought food was very cheap in DR.
I have a co worker here that spends 75USD a week at Starbucks alone.
Remember that we are talking about "Spartan lifestyle".
Yes, it is repetitive and boring... But in poor countries with very low means, what's important it to quench your hunger, nothing more.
It is even easier to live with less in the country side.. El campo has a lot more to offer with cheap fresh produce.
I also understand the "gringo's" point of view... they come from a different background.. possibly with more variety.
It makes sense they want to keep their lifestyle...
For Dominicans it is a different animal; it's called survival.
A chicken suffices for 8 people... You have to remember that the portions that people each in rich, industrialized countries are oversized and extremely unhealthy...
The person who has one piece of meat, in the long run, he/she will be healthier than the one who has 3 or 4... simply put, cholesterol...
I know Dominicans do it because they can not afford it.. But this lifestyle is healthier...
Eating a lot of Okras, eggplants (which I love) is a lot healthier than Pork, cheese, meat, etc...
I should add, now in the UK and life is pretty much the same as far as these kind of expenses go, so is it tha different or am I just greedy, who knows.
We are not talking about saving money... we are talking about making it with very low means...
Noone is saying this is the kind of life we should all strive for.
Dominicans financially solvent spend money on food and leisure... I don't have to tell you, you live there...
Also, I am only talking about food money, nothing else.
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WOW...
I wonder where some of you people live, and how you live.
The prices Pi2 mentions are doable... if you want to chew your chicken for 5 minutes every bite
Let us be realistic...
I like to eat well, meaning I want my meat, veggies and potatoes, rice, or pasta daily. We mostly cook ourselves, and only eat out once or twice a month. But we do spend money on better cheese (the DR cheese honestly sucks, as a matter of fact I discovered the cling wrap around it tastes better), and we only buy the Bolo Ham, as this is the only one here with a decent taste.
I buy my meat at playero or Janet's, but do not buy the imported stuff. Mainly because i prefer the local stuff. But yess, I once in a while splurge on the Angus beef hamburgers.
We do buy parmesan, feta, crema de leche, rica orange juice, imported butter, etc...
Our daily food bill will be around 500 rds for 2 persons. So 15,000 rds per month. Let us make it 20,000 rds, allowing for the occasional bottle of rum.
Eating out once a week... let us add another 5,000 rds per month...
Yes, you can find decent apartments for 16,000 rds per month, but you will have to add electricity, internet, and other utilities to that...
So, 25,000 rds per month for food and eating out, 16,000 rds for the rent, add another 5,000 rds for utilities (this is basic, believe me), you come to total of 46,000 rds or 1,200 $.
Transport is not included, nor is health insurance, or the occasional and necessary splurge...
It is doable... but no fun...
Luckily my budget is a hell of a lot bigger...
BelgianK
I wonder where some of you people live, and how you live.
The prices Pi2 mentions are doable... if you want to chew your chicken for 5 minutes every bite
Let us be realistic...
I like to eat well, meaning I want my meat, veggies and potatoes, rice, or pasta daily. We mostly cook ourselves, and only eat out once or twice a month. But we do spend money on better cheese (the DR cheese honestly sucks, as a matter of fact I discovered the cling wrap around it tastes better), and we only buy the Bolo Ham, as this is the only one here with a decent taste.
I buy my meat at playero or Janet's, but do not buy the imported stuff. Mainly because i prefer the local stuff. But yess, I once in a while splurge on the Angus beef hamburgers.
We do buy parmesan, feta, crema de leche, rica orange juice, imported butter, etc...
Our daily food bill will be around 500 rds for 2 persons. So 15,000 rds per month. Let us make it 20,000 rds, allowing for the occasional bottle of rum.
Eating out once a week... let us add another 5,000 rds per month...
Yes, you can find decent apartments for 16,000 rds per month, but you will have to add electricity, internet, and other utilities to that...
So, 25,000 rds per month for food and eating out, 16,000 rds for the rent, add another 5,000 rds for utilities (this is basic, believe me), you come to total of 46,000 rds or 1,200 $.
Transport is not included, nor is health insurance, or the occasional and necessary splurge...
It is doable... but no fun...
Luckily my budget is a hell of a lot bigger...
BelgianK
Yes, Dominican budget for food may be 2-3 dollars a day. For my 5 dollars today : Breakfast Porridge, 2 eggs, toast, orange juice, coffee. Snack at lunch cheese, salad, salami sandwich. Main meal: prawns, beans with thai style coconut curry sauce, rice, stir fried veg. Fresh pineapple, coffee.
It,s quite fun cooking on a budget and preparing nice meals given the large range of local foods available.
Many gringo restaurants have specials at 100-150 pesos ; Russian, Italian, US etc. in LT - probably the same in Sosua.
Ond Dominican restaurant does exellent lasagne at 100 pesos.
By the way 5,000 pesos buys a lot of ordinary rum at 220 or so a bottle - nearly a bottle a day. What a way to have fun!
pi2
It,s quite fun cooking on a budget and preparing nice meals given the large range of local foods available.
Many gringo restaurants have specials at 100-150 pesos ; Russian, Italian, US etc. in LT - probably the same in Sosua.
Ond Dominican restaurant does exellent lasagne at 100 pesos.
By the way 5,000 pesos buys a lot of ordinary rum at 220 or so a bottle - nearly a bottle a day. What a way to have fun!
pi2