2Expats

The name is "Totally Awesome Cleaner"

There used to be a local tienda I was able to purchase this cleaner but they no longer carry it. Does anyone know where it can be purchased? I have tried a few local stores to no avail.

Pure alcohol. Not rubbing alcohol. It is only 70%. See if you can locate some 99% pure.

The solar system has been vastly improved lately. The inverter they had burned out from the excessive use. It was not enough to run the loads they have.  A local church, Lakeside Community Fellowship, donated and installed a new inverter which can now handle their demands. Extra solar panels were donated so they are good there. They do require a battery upgrade as the old AGM batteries are not enough to get them through the night. There is also work that needs to be done to sort out the current wiring. 

They are currently raising funds for the battery upgrade. I am sure any donation would be appreciated.

Sams club has batteries much cheaper than AutoZone. They are the LTH brand. I got mine from the autoparts store across from where the old Guadalajara pharmacy was, just before Chapala. It was not and LTH but has been working great.

I did a search for renovation contractors. Most posts I found were several years old. Currently, who are the more reliable contractors? English not required.

Thanks

What is the cheapest way to send monies north from a Mexican bank to a USA bank? I normally use Wise to send south but can not go the other way.

Oscar came to our house to do measurements.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I will pass the information along.

Does anyone know of a good physio that does house calls? This is mainly to strengthen lower body and resolve balance issue. 

Thanks

It looks like a connection issue with either your phone or modem. Restart the modem and see if the wifi reappears. If it doesn't restart you phone and check again. This may help point to where the issue lay.

7 minutes ago, Ferret said:

Thanks for your input happy. Every situation is different and there are pros and cons. Wasn't worth it to us.

This is what we are trying to determine. As we will likely be here pretty much full time would it even be possible to stay as Residents for tax purposes. Also, what are the long and short term pros and cons to each option.

Can anyone recommend a good account lakeside that can handle our Canadian tax returns? Also, to give us recommendations on tax status. For 2021 we are ok to file as residents of Canada but 2022 is going to pose many more questions.

In general, a wired connection is superior to a wifi connection. Cat5e cabling, which has been in use for many years, is capable of Gig speeds. You will not see those kinds of speeds on wifi unless you have the latest technology running with zero interference, which is not likely.

The firestick may have limitations on the wired connection. 

What country is the laptop being shipped from? Do not assume everything from amazon.com is coming from the USA. This may also be why you are not being charged USA taxes.

7 minutes ago, RickS said:

2 questions:    Whipstock, what is a 'swack' of cash???

happyJ.... what happens on the 20th?

Just curious.....

Canadian elections

3 hours ago, happyjillin said:

I do the same. Follow the rate on XE and pounce when it's good,after all, this is where we live and spend our money and it's pesos. I'm hoping that after the 20th my canbuck starts rising again. Right now it's in the tank.

What rate do you aim for?

Not looking to resurrect an old thread but thought I would add some Canadian content for those searching.

The way we are setup there are no fees for any transactions whether ATM, Debit, or CC purchases.

The credit cards we have are Home Trust Visa, and MBNA World Elite Mastercard. Neither charge foreign transaction fees and the exchange is always inline with xe.com. The Home Trust Visa is a no-fees card. The MBNA card is $150/year but has a 1.8% cash back, which more than pays for the card. I believe these terms may be changing in the near future. We do not use credit cards for cash withdrawals.

We have a no fees Tangerine bank account. This is Scotia's online only affiliate. They are partnered with Bank of America in the USA and Scotia here in Mexico. If we decline all offers that popup on the screen we get the same exchange rate that is posted at xe.com and no transaction fees show up on our statements. Yes, Bank of America runs the same scam as the machines here in Mexico. 

41 minutes ago, virgo lady said:

When you get lab work in Ontario, you have your own independent online access to it.   Check LifeLabs website, you just need to create a user account (no charge).    Pretty sure that is the law, too.       Select a Province – LifeLabs

I am glad to see they have made this change. 

8 minutes ago, AndyPanda said:

Nobody suggested it was Utopia. Not sure why someone has to make this comment every time Canadian medical system is discussed. And you are a Canadian? It's usually those of my countrymen who are against "universal health care" that keep flogging this dead horse.

Maybe people keep making this comment because it is true. If you are referring to the dead horse as the Canadian medical system, I would agree.

The purpose of opening the account is to keep a minimal amount of cash the and use it as a form of ID. It seems a bank account is often required for other purposes. For instance, we tried to get a storage unit and they required a bank account.

If transfers are required we would use Transfer Wise. It simplifies international transfers. 

12 minutes ago, happyjillin said:

We are with Intercam and couldn't ask for better service. 2 branches in Ajijic.

We tried intercam but were told there was a 30 peso fee for debits and a 90 peso fee for ATMs that were not intercam.

My wife and I are having a challenge getting a bank account open. Every bank and even at the branch level seem to have their own and different requirements. Is there a bank that is more geared to foreigners? We have temp residency and have a letter with a local utility bill. Some banks are requiring a Mexican phone number and/or permanent residency, among other things.

What is the cost of an MRI locally. I have a shoulder/arm that I would like done. 

34 minutes ago, Ferret said:

Welcome to the adult world of Mexican medicine. I'm sorry I'm late to the party but assumed (incorrectly) that you would have wanted a lab in Jocotepec. I always recommend the Chopo Lab. You can walk into any lab and order whatever you want checked out (blood tests) and the results will be sent wherever you want. It's a breath of fresh air.

No problem. We were heading to Chapala anyway for other things. Seems like setting up a bank account is a bigger challenge than we originally thought.