WE GO TO SAN JOSE FOR 1 BILLION RISING by Paul

On Friday, February 14 (Valentine's Day) we went with a van load of Blooms' women (and two token men) to participate in the global campaign for justice for women around the world: 1 Billion Rising (click here to read about the campaign). To see the video where the Blooms joined several other humanitarian organizations and the University of Peace to dance in a flash mob, click here: One Billion Rising with Blooms Group

PICKING COFFEE FOR FUN IN COSTA RICA by Paul

We hung out with our landlord Jenny and her family to learn how to harvest coffee beans. The video link is below:

Paul videotaping Jenny's coffee harvesting lesson

Click here for video: Picking Coffee for Fun in Costa Rica

Nathan and Kenneth are coffee bean experts

JANUARY 2014 EXPENSES -- A COSTLY MONTH by Marilyn

CATEGORY	AMOUNT
Groceries/Household	289.60
Rent/Utilities	1,026.99
Transportation	69.27
Doctors/Dentist/Meds	261.40
Dogs	42.76
Entertainment	0.00
Trips*	$1,524.00
Workshop/Garden	53.26
Furniture/Fixtures	17.59
Misc.	0.00
January 2014 TOTAL	3284.87

When you set your budget goal at $2,000/month, and you spend nearly $3,300, should you 

a) reevaluate your budget

b) start eating on alternate days only

c) move to Nicaragua, or 

d) “forget” to list expenses that make you go over that budget (I think this is called either “Bernie Madoff accounting” or “The ENRON Way”)? 

What happened in January?

If we had considered our expenses as being ONLY what we’d spent for living life in Costa Rica, at $1,760.87 we’d be under our budget goal of $2,000/month. But in January (actually the end of December) we returned to the states and spent the New Year with our family and friends.

Until we get our Costa Rican residency, we will have to leave the country every 90 days, so our trip to Delaware was our first 90-day “visa run.” Going all the way back to the states only three months after we’d arrived in Costa Rica was not in our original planning.  We had purchased bus tickets to Nicaragua, but at the last minute we had to change airlines in October – because of the dogs – a long, cautionary tale that I will someday post.

And even though the trip cost nearly as much as the rest of our January expenses, the money we spent in January on airline tickets only includes the return flight to Costa Rica; the tickets from CR to Philly were rolled into our “getting here” expenses several months ago.

*VISA RUN to Delaware

Airline tickets back to Costa Rica	$916.00
SJO exit tax	58.00
Groceries/meals out	235.00
Shuttle to/from airport (in CR)	100.00
House Sitter	165.00
Misc.	50.00
January 2014 Visa Run TOTAL	$1,524.00

At least we have a good general idea of what it will cost us any time we decide to go back to the U.S. Our airline tickets were super expensive because we were traveling in the high season; we’ll know to pick a less popular time to go. Most likely the cost of our round-trip flight will be somewhere near these one-way tickets.