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0Nation and TravelHardCore (THC) in Dominican Republic
03-20-2014, 02:10 PM
Buy all your fruits/veggies from the Haitians pushing carts down the street. They come by around the same time every day so set your clock. Buy your coconuts in bulk and should save around 5p per unit. Get a machete from a hardware and learn to use it.
All other staples* should come from barrio colmados. They sell chicken and other stuff too. I swear their cheese is 'guvmint' and is damn good. They are the cheapest, and eventually you'll find one that doesn't try to kill the goose. Everything else can come from the grocery store, but Supermarcado National is U.S. prices. Don't skimp on the jugs of yogurt. It'll keep your gut flora in check.
If new in country, as soon as you find a legit chick, take her grocery shopping and she'll show you the cheapest way to do it. One of my girls went to law school at the private college, and had it down to a percentage between cooking at home and eating out.
Both there and in Kuwait having the girl shop for you (cheaper) and cooking at home will save ~33%. You're getting and extra plate of food and slightly bigger portions. The girl is really paying for herself to eat. It works out on the math side.
*rice, beans, cheese, plaintains, bread, sauces,
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0Nation and TravelHardCore (THC) in Dominican Republic
03-20-2014, 03:32 PM
Those young coconuts are trimmed with a machine as Americans only buy things that are visually appeasing and uniform. Here's what you get in the DR:
They'll cut all your nuts, only leaving a small section of meat at the top you can poke through with a kitchen knife. However, learning to handle a machete needs to be on every mans list. It takes years of training to master striking at the 30 degree angle. The Gurkhas understand it. I get it. Being able take off an appendage with one strike is good to know. Or open a coconut at least.
Fun fact- Machetes are classified as agricultural tools and not weapons by the U.S. Guv. That give some leeway when carrying one in your vehicle. Just FYI.
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0Nation and TravelHardCore (THC) in Dominican Republic
03-20-2014, 06:03 PM
Groceries, goods (clothes, alcohol, electronics, etc), gas ($6/gallon) etc cost the same or more.
In the barrio they eat a lot of rice, beans, bananas, etc which is cheap in the US also.
Poor folks here will go into a restaurant and order beans and rice with meat sauce on it, but no meat.
They get by here the way super poor folks in the us get by. But yes, some things are cheaper or free, such as housing and utilities. I think buses are subsidized by the government also. But I know that many people spend a good percentage of their earnings on bus fare.
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0Nation and TravelHardCore (THC) in Dominican Republic
03-20-2014, 07:59 PM
Next time you see these poor folks, ask how many lottery tickets they bought this week, and try to convince them that if they didn't piss the money away, maybe they could afford to buy meat. Dominicans are masters of thriving on $3/day and they always have enough left over to buy booze and lottery tickets.
Prices-wise, a lot of things that are produced locally cost a fraction of the US prices, e.g. fresh tomatoes: $0.30/lb, fresh mangoes: 10 for a dollar or less, when in season, avocados: 4 for a dollar when in season, papayas: 3-4 for a buck, limes: 10 for a dollar etc. Prices tend to vary depending on season, e.g. limes and avocados are more expensive right now. I can call to order a half of grilled chicken and have it delivered, all for 3 dollars. That's including a tip to the driver, he's happy with a quarter. Also, don't discount the fact that majority of folks have extended family in the campo where everything just grows for free: mangos, platanos, bananas, coffee, yuca, limes, avocados, oranges and 50 other things I am still learning the names for. Mothers ship their kids to their campo family when the times are tough. People there can go for years without buying anything at all, aside from clothes which they can get anything for $1-2 on local markets as well. Smarter ones grow stuff for resale. Free house, water and electricity in many cases.
Also, about min wage: employee benefits are additional 40-50% that is on top of $200/mo. Employers have to provide med insurance, they pay double salary in December, they pay pension premiums, they have to pay so called liquidation upon employee termination, which can be many monthly salaries etc etc. No income tax at that level. I am not saying this is some great life but its how things are in DR and way more people die of alcohol overdose and dumb traffic accidents than of hunger, if any at all. On the other hand, real professionals, like doctors, make $10-20K/mo (USD) monthly salaries here, - after 10 years of study. They have a choice.
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0Nation and TravelHardCore (THC) in Dominican Republic
03-20-2014, 08:44 PM
Doctors make 10-20k/ month in the DR? Seems a bit high as an average. I only say that because a Cuban friend of mine who practices moved there and is definately a lot closer to 1/10th those numbers. You'd certainly know better than me though.
I get that food and stuff is really cheap there but sometimes it's also good to be considerate. Even if you can live on small amounts and be very happy...a lot of people do! You generally have desires to see and do things that you can't afford.
The lottery ticket thing rings true in Canada. Whenever I see someone buying a lotto ticket I cringe a bit.
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0Nation and TravelHardCore (THC) in Dominican Republic
03-21-2014, 05:14 PM
Hi Pitt! Good to see you.
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0Nation and TravelHardCore (THC) in Dominican Republic
03-21-2014, 05:16 PM
Also to add to Pitts statement..when Ali-Bs soul left his body they put it back in for like 28 bucks so yeah they can't really make huge cash.
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0Nation and TravelHardCore (THC) in Dominican Republic
03-24-2014, 12:05 PM
I forgot the names of all the places, but there was one in particular (local place) that was straight bomb. I'll write a mini data sheet on it soon.