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THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

Many of you have been here since the beginning of my blog. There weren’t many written about Costa Rica back then, so I chronicled my journey. I didn’t think anyone was reading. But somehow, people found me. And what a wild ride it took me on. There were no smartphones or GPS when we moved, and in retrospect, it made the adventure more spectacular. Everything felt raw and foreign, with nothing…

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#a house in the woods #nantahala forest #smoky mountains

A House in the Woods is now available!

Many may be wondering where I’ve been. And to answer that question… I moved to the woods. The middle of the woods—specifically the Nantahala Forest—to fix up a house that resembles the Bates Motel. It’s as dumb of an idea as you can imagine. “How hard can it be?” Rob asked as I surveyed my new surroundings. The house sat on an incline so steep, I thought it might wash away in the next…

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CAN I IMPORT A VEHICLE INTO COSTA RICA TAX FREE?

Importing a car into Costa Rica is an expensive endeavor. Buying one is expensive as well. Either way, be prepared to pay a lot if you want a car. And trust me, there is no way around it. Many think they can drive their vehicle into the country and get around the tax issue. That’s impossible. In fact, if you don’t do your homework, you may purchase a car from someone who did just that and never…

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#car #import car #shipping car #tax #tax free

The Costa Rica Escape Manual 2023

“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” ~C. S. Lewis “I want to move to Costa Rica,” you said, confiding to your spouse, friends, and maybe even your boss while cleaning out your desk. Congratulations! Moving abroad is the adventure of a lifetime, and Costa Rica will guarantee you wonderful moments. Some dream-like. Many hilarious. A few frustrating. Even if your…

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Jimmy Hates Groundhogs

We wait to speak with Harry and Jimmy, two men who work at the local hardware store and are known for dishing out helpful advice. While in line, I glance over at a garbage can. A sign above reads, “No Spit.” “You know, people spat all over the place back in the tuberculosis days,” I tell Rob. “It was so bad they erected public spittoons. Can you imagine? Walking your Pomeranian, twirling your…

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#groundhogs #north carolina

Julie Andrews, Yoga Retreats, and Costa Rica Consulting

Between fixing up our haunted house located in the woods of North Carolina and visiting its pristine waterfalls, we’ve been trying to get a legal water letter to our building pad in Costa Rica. This piece of property is where we started our journey. It’s not the location where we built The Happier House but ironically in a defunct development adjacent to it. Take two steps to the left, and we…

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#Bridger LeRoy #Julie Andrews #shaman #yoga retreat

Optimism, Murder & Haunted Houses

We continue driving and merge onto a dirt road. Alas, here we are again. I never had hardened opinions concerning dirt roads, but after living on them in Costa Rica, you learn they inevitably wash out. Then you’re the jerk on the other side trying to get to the store. The road curves, and we drive past a propped open gate, revealing homes built into the mountainside. Some have large propane tanks…

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#Appalachian Mountains #smoky mountains

High Altitudes

“Trust me, this house looks great online,” Rob says before turning up the car radio. It’s a country station, and Rob hums to a song he never heard before. The highway connecting Georgia and Western North Carolina has incredible views of the Blue Ridge Mountains, along with billboards that put to rest any question about the locals’ feelings toward the second amendment. This road is the Rodeo Drive…

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Smoky Mountains, Homesick & Bigfoot

Comparing Cost of Living: Costa Rica Electric Bill at The Happier House —$300 | Electric Bill in North Carolina — $80 “You want a southern experience? Check out their apple festival,” the car salesperson says. “They have apple jerky, apple pie, applesauce, apple…” I’ve never passed up a county fair or hayride. I’ll even stop on the side of a highway to witness the biggest ball of rubber bands or…

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#bigfoot #blue ridge mountains #north carolina #smoky mountains

Why We Sold The Happier House: Forward Momentum

Costa Rica Cost of Living Update: Trawick COVID insurance to visit Costa Rica for 90 days—$40 to $60 I remember first moving to Costa Rica, coming off a stressful job and looking for a moment to exhale. It’s easy to assume that having a moment to breathe and the stillness it brought was a sign of laziness or boredom. I’ve heard that a lot over the years. But stillness does the opposite. It gives…

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#the happier house

We have a water letter, now what? To build, hold, or sell in Costa Rica.

Costa Rica Cost of Living Update: Yearly Real Estate Tax on Pacific Heights Property—$280 I have a non-glamorous skill set. It won’t dazzle someone at a bar or get me invited to an afterparty. But if you are considering buying property in Costa Rica, I may be the most important person you’ll meet. I am the one who bought TWO building lots in the mid-2000s before the government enacted stricter…

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#building #lots #Pacific Heights #water letter

Get Me Out-a-Here Syndrome

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#cost of living #the costa rica escape manual

Volcanoes, Chihuahuas, and Mountain-View Properties

Costa Rica Cost of Living Update: Total Monthly CAJA (health insurance) for my husband and I — $197

I wrote my first Happierbook in Grecia, a Central Valley town in Costa Rica. The reason we started our adventure there was that we needed to buy a car. It was the most unglamorous reason to move anywhere. Grecia, for reasons unknown to me, is the mecca for car lots. We gave ourselves three months…

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#grecia #la paz #poas

I Want to Move to Costa Rica

Costa Rica Cost of Living Update: Electric Bill (pool and multiple air conditioners during the rainy season) — $204

People are Googling about moving to Costa Rica. Inevitably my face pops up, holding a watermelon…

or smiling on a boat.

While scanning the images, I found one of Rob’s bloody hand from falling off his scooter. And another of me boogie boarding in ankle-deep water with the…

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Picking a Town, Finding a Home, & Creating a Budget in Costa Rica

Costa Rica Cost of Living Update: Picking a Town, Finding a Home, and Creating a Budget in Costa Rica —Kindle $9.99, Paperback $15.99

My new book is available!

Happier Than A Billionaire: Picking a Town, Finding a Home, and Creating a Budget in Costa Rica. It’s the perfect companion to The Costa Rica Escape Manualand will guide you through finding the perfect spot to start your own Pura…

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#book #cost of living #creating a budget #finding at home #picking a town

Imperfect, Dusty Places

Costa Rica Cost of Living Update: New GE washing machine, with five years extended warranty—$600

This picture was taken three years ago and brings back a lot of feelings. I was relieved when we finally bought that bed, even if positioned in front of thirty workers drilling, spackling, and tiling. That day they installed the front door. Previously, that gaping hole welcomed cyclones on windy…

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#the happier house #writing

Blurry Lines & Trips to Nowhere

Costa Rica Cost of Living Update: Kiwis— $3 per pound

There are places here that remind me of when we first moved to Costa Rica. A feeling of weightlessness is the best way to describe it. You hover above them while breezes drift under your feet.

One of these spots is Playa San Juanillo, a beach 1 1/2 hours from Tamarindo. To get there, you drive through a town oddly called April 27 (Abril de 27

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#beach #San Juanillo

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