More ways retired expats can save money in Costa Rica

Americans and Canadians tend to complain about the cost of clothes in Costa Rica. Here are a couple of solutions.

I always try to give tips about how to save money in Costa Rica. One way is to find businesses that can repair broken items inexpensively. In the U.S. people are accustomed to discarding all sorts of things when they get damaged instead of repairing them.

A few years ago I came across a business by the name of Típico Heredia where anyone can have leather products repaired or restored. Shoes, purses jackets, suitcases with rollers, zippers, and a whole lot more get fixed affordably. The friendly woman who runs the business can also fabricate a variety of products. She has custom-made several concealable leather wallets and fanny packs for me. Her work is first-rate, guaranteed and can save retirees, who are on a budget, the trouble having to replace a used items with a new ones.

The business is located in downtown Heredia, one block west from Los Angeles Park (el Parque de los Angeles) and a quarter of a block south on the left-hand side of the street. For Spanish speakers the phone number is 8797-6762.

As I have alluded to in previous articles, there are also hundreds of Ropa Americana shops all over Costa Rica. These establishments specialize in used clothing imported from the U.S. With a little patience a person sift through the merchandise and find some really nice clothes that appear to be almost new. For instance, my son came across a virtually new Levi jacket for which he paid five dollars. Yes, you heard right! In the states one of these jackets can be over fifty-dollars. Imagine this! A lady friend found a Louis Vitton handbag that cost her three dollars. One of these purses can cost hundreds of dollars. These are just two examples of how cheap imported clothing can be in Costa Rica. It really amazes me what some Americans donate to organizations like the Good Will which in turn ship items to foreign countries like Costa Rica.