Posts by serafina

Every time there has been a blanqueo, those who did it where later investigated.

It may sound tempting, but with each president being in charge for just 4 years, and no guarantee about what will happen next (they can - and they will - change the rules again), I don't see this as a solution.

If the exchange rate was the same, and price reasonables, I would pay using my foreign cards.

My main issue is not that some things were too cheap and needed to be reasonably priced, but that crappy stuff is now priced as in Europe, if not more, but it is still crap.

I am amazed by the prices of plastic cleaning supplies in supermarket, like a toilet brush or a bucket. Stuff that at Ikea is nicer, with a better assortment, and costs a fraction.

I am spending October and November alone, and while fixed costs are the same, I am also implementing my own austerity measures. My only concessions are cigarettes and coffee or chocolate croissant now and then. I don't go out for lunch or dinner, I don't order delivery - both things that I used to do in the past. I make my own bread and pizza, I barely eat any meat, and the only cheese I eat is on pizza. I eat mostly vegetables.

With most bills due by October 5, I had optimistically exchanged $500 on 9/30. Then I had to exchange $200 and finally $100. I think I have 30,000 pesos left in my wallet right now and I still have to pay for health insurance (about 248,000 pesos for the two of us, we are in our 40s). I believe I will have to exchange another $400 during October.

Electricity was 117,000 pesos. We used it extensively for heating during this cold winter. This is just payment 2/2 of the bimester. Payment 1/2 was 112,000 pesos (last month).

Mobile phones, two lines, is about 30k.

My private university fee is 147,000 pesos and mine is among the cheapest careers. I understand this doesn't apply to you.

A car spot at the car garage nearby is 90,500 pesos per month. It was the same as in September, much to my surprise.

Building expenses (no amenities, no doorman) - I expect they will be around 70-80,000 pesos

Gas (used for cooking heating) - around 20,000 pesos

Internet service - I believe it should be around 30-40,000

Cat food & supplies - around 40-50,000 pesos (dry and wet)

Car insurance - I believe about 100,000 pesos per month

Car gas - I rarely drive, so I haven't put in any gas this month. It should be about 30-35,000 pesos to fill it up (32 liters)

Other items are charged directly on our bank account (like car insurance, internet etc) so I am not sure about the exact amount.

Other items are very subjective.

I bought a medium coffee to go on Thursday, which came at 4,000 pesos and it was crap

A pain au chocolate to go (the frozen one that gets cooked by the coffee store) - 3,100 pesos

I no longer have my breakfast out, as it was 6,000-7,000 every time, and I didn't even buy a slice of cake, just the cheapest coffee and sweet.

Philip Morris (12 cigarettes) - from $2100 to $2350

Marmalade jar (250 g) - $4799 per jar, and I bought it at a bulk verduleria. In a dietetica, no marmelade is less than $5000, and if you want the fine stuff you can pay 10-15,000 pesos per jar.

When we arrived here 10 years ago, I wrote to my uncle that eating out was so cheap, that it made little sense to cook at home.

Right now, it is not the same.

A pasta dish it about 9-10,000 pesos, whereas even using imported stuff it is much cheaper:

- Pasta La Molisana (500g) - 2600 pesos at Jumbo

- Tomato sauce La Molisana (400g) - 1800 pesos at Jumbo

We can consider, generously, to make 4 plates with $5200, so $1730 pesos per dish vs. 10x outside

A basic pizza (muzzarella) in a pizza place I think it now costs from 15,000 upward, depending on the pizzeria.

- Flour (1kg) - 700 pesos (I use 150 g per pizza, so let's make 100 pesos/pizza)

- Fresh yeast (40 g) - 400 pesos (I use 4g per pizza, so 40 pesos/pizza)

- Tomato sauce La Molisana (400g) - 1800 pesos at Jumbo (a can is enough for 4 pizzas, so 450 pesos/pizza)

- Mozzarella slices (enough for 1 pizza) - 1800 pesos at El Puente

so 2390 pesos per pizza vs. 6x outside

If we want to be fair, my home made pizza feeds one, whereas the large muzzarella sold at local pizzeria feed 2 or 3 people, but you have to tip (10%) and drink.

In my area, the going price for a pint of beer is $4000. I buy a bottle of artisanal beer for $3000 (2 pints).

My Trapiche Origen wine is on offer at Carrefour, about $3450 per bottle if you buy two (vs. $4500 regular price). I drink 1 bottle over two meals. I would guess that for that price you barely buy a glass in a bar, nowadays.

There is a cake place I have wanted to visit for a while, with a large selection and large slices, but the cheapest one is $9800. Instead, I have bread and marmalade. If I am really in the mood for chocolate, I buy Rasta alfajores (2x $2000) and have them with bread. It is like a nutella panini, in the end.

Yesterday, I visited Palermo Hollywood as there is a local bakery that sells nice cinnamon rolls for $800. I bought 4 to freeze, so that when I am in the urge for a sweet breakfast I can simply heat one up vs. going to the coffee place and buy a pain au chocolate for $3100. While I was there, I saw they had chocotorta by the portion. It was $5500. Delicious, but at 4,60 USD per portion, and this being in a local bakery, nothing fancy, I don't see myself buying it regularly.

My diet right now is mostly pazza, rice, bread combined with vegetables, coffee and cigarettes.

Quote from Explorer

But, if I should attempt a tiny comparison, taking the current rate of $1=971 ARS, and an unprocessed food such as the steak, it looks like it sells at about $6.5/kg, whereas here it averages about $20/kg I think.

Why are you using the official rate?

I did keep an eye out for it between 4 PM and 4:30 PM. It was cloudy, so I only noticed a lower luminosity. Serafina was also super tranquil and we were watching TV together.

I found in my electric hardware bag a few adapters that I have bought from Temu for pennies.

They are rates 250 V 10A

No ground for Shucko plugs but that's not an issue for smaller appliances as they are double insulated anyway.

Quote from Bombonera

Well, another interesting point about aircon units. I have generally faired well with them here. Though of course I’ve spent the winter here this time round. They seem to often feature as heaters too and with one exception they have been fine.

The aircon unit in this place is a Sanyo something or other and it works extremely well and is very quiet too.

Maybe hosts don’t scrimp too much with aircon units when guests aren’t going to put it in their bag as they leave. And on top an aircon unit is a fixed asset expense potentially adding to or deducting from the value of the apartment which of course a hoover does not.

This has proved to be a useful discussion.

That's another decision that an owner has to do. When we decided to invest in a STR, we first needed to assess what tier of the market we were aiming at. Location is the main criteria, building features is the second one, and furnishing and furniture is the last one (you can't change a location but you can change furnitures).

If someone has inherited an apartment, or didn't originally buy the apartment thinking to rent it short-term, perhaps they did things gradually without having a holistic view of their endeavour. Perhaps it is an apartment where they once lived, and they were fine as it was - whereas now they should consider that people coming from abroad have different expectations and standard of living.
In my decade in Argentina, I have visited relatives' apartments where I wouldn't even spend a night if they paid me. But I would have never guessed that they were living on such different standard, as meeting them outside their home they looked groomed and not much different than me.

That's a consideration that brings together personal choices, upbringing, economy, and business.

Most people here are monotributista and there is no business expense deduction. They pay a fixed monthly tax based on their income tier.

I believe most are simply squeezing out some money from a property while preserving their capital (which they put in real estate vs. cash in the bank with 0% gain), and not very interested in being in the hospitality business per se.

Given the price of real estate in Argentina, I don't see how someone would enter into a STR business for a budget STR given the meager return that they can get. So they do the bare minimum to keep it rented, but their focus is on property appreciation.

The Argentinian coast is extensive and it is dotted with tiny towns along the way. I have only driven from Buenos Aires to Mar del Sur. Those small towns can be on the ocean (1 km from it) or ocean-facing. Some have beaches and some are higher than the beach and you have to walk or drive to the ocean. They are also windy and cold in winter. Food available is very plain and basics, with just a few small stores all selling the same stuff. The restaurant scene could go down to zero outside of the summer season. And I don't know how you can exchange/get money in such isolated places. You would be also very far from good healthcare.

You will definitely need a car. Cars can be expensive (even used ones) by EU-US standards and car insurance is more expensive than in Europe. Gasoline is cheap, though.

Bigger coastal town are between Buenos Aires and Mar del Plata. They get very crowded in summer as people move from the city to there en masse. Cariló is nice, but expensive, property-wise. It has a better food choice than other towns, though.

You can go on zonaprop.com.ar and browse property prices.

Quote from aficionado

f I do not find it, the natural peanut butters here are an ok, though not great, substitute.

That's a great tip! I had only seen it at the Armenian food store near my place, who sell good quality but pricey imported items. I can now see that there are several brands available.

I have also read that it is "easy" to make at home, although sesame seeds are not cheap and I don't think my blender is that powerful.

Quote from UK Man

From 4pm a partial eclipse of the sun will take place. Haven't the foggiest what will happen but I imagine it'll get less sunnier.

You've got science skills, too!

I have to say that using Tahini is crucial. It is quite expensive here in Argentina and I have brought a jar from a Italy. I have no idea how long it is going to last once opened, so I am trying to make good use of it!

I see there are some better price on ML, but with shipping costs being 4-5000, it is hardly worth it unless I combine several items in the same shipping.

El Puente on the Avenida was open until 2 pm. I started getting the first loaf out of the oven at around 3.30 pm. I didn't tell Rice until I had made one, as I didn't want to cause false expectations. To be fair, it is hard to screw the NYT no-knead bread recipe as it is very approximate in every step (no kneading, no firm shaping, and the dutch skillet method makes it hard to burn the bread), but I didn't feel like running around the block looking for wine while I had something in the oven. Also, it was unscheduled and I was surprised to hear Rice answering my call and coming at lightspeed

UK Man , when I buy alcohol, I tend to drink it as soon as possible, which is why I never have any stock at my place. The only bottles I have are J&D from the duty free shop, but god forbid I open one before my husband is back!

And it was not even 5 pm when we started our bread tasting.

Quote from UK Man

Well I do like booze with my food.....don't tell me you drank water with it?

I do, too. But since stores were closed today, I couldn't run out to buy any right before Rice 's visit.

I can see a certain pattern of thoughts in your posts, UK Man ! 😅

A get together in American English slang.

We had an impromptu 'Breaking Bread' snack-dinner with Rice and her spouse today. I had just made babaganoush (roasted eggplant smash from the Middle East) with chopped parsley and mint leaves, and added in blue cheese and blueberry marmalade as sides.

No wine shop open in a mile due to Día del empleado de comercio, but still a great G2G! I am glad that Rice has arrived and enjoying the beautiful weather!

Very hot here, about 27°C with a max forecast of 29°C for 1 pm. And then 30% of rain around 3 pm, but still very hot.

It is going back to 22°C tomorrow, so today I will enjoy shorts and t-shirts and our terrace.

Yes, the cultural offer is outstanding, but I am not sure that cities like Bahia Blanca or Necochea have that much offering.

Food-wise, my experience tells me that outside of Capital, the food choice is quite boring and repetitive.

Right now, Argentina is not the cheap haven to live on SS like it was a decade ago. In fact, several of the expats that I have met along the years who were enjoying their retirement in Argentina, have left for a variety of reasons (to be closer with their children/grandchildren in the US, both to enjoy them and to get help from them as they get older).

Quote from UK Man

These Argies can't half eat.....I was full up after the starters!!

Next time call me for reinforcement!

Quote from Bombonera

If I was a host I couldn’t look a guest in the eye as I was checking them in knowing what they were in for.

I think some of them actually live like that and have no idea of guests expectations coming from a different country/culture/economy. Some are just cheapskates and are afraid that the vacuum cleaner may get stolen.

If the price of a vacuum cleaner in Argentina equals 10+ nights of profits for a budget accomodation, they probably think that it is not worth the risk. Personally, I have decided to buy stuff of good quality right from the beginning as you get to maximize the profit you can get from them immediately vs. waiting to see if the guests asks for it (which was my husband's approach). I didn't buy the same level of stuff I'd buy for myself for the iron or the vacuum cleaner, but close enough. For larger appliances, like A/C units, fridge, and TVs, our STR has better stuff than what we do have in our own home (as it was stuff we bought when we arrived 10 years ago with the idea to stay for max 2 years).

A curious item caught my eye on MercadoLibre while I was shopping for our STR last year. It is an over-the-counter dishwasher. I saw one from a premium brand (I think Bosch) at Rodo, and since I didn't know they existed, I looked for prices on ML.

Also, the one in Rodo was more expensive than a full-size dishwasher by the same brand, which is counterintuitive to me.

On ML, I found a cute one called "Bob" that comes in several color, and it has a vintage look. The cheapest color, grey, costs 1.300.000 pesos, which is over 1,000 USD.

The same item (not same brand) is sold on amazon Italy starting from 300 USD.

Consider that the rental return in Buenos Aires is half or 1/3rd than in Italy, you can see why it makes no sense to put one in a STR.

Quote from Bombonera

It makes me think a vacuum cleaner hasn’t been anywhere near the place because it would pick them up.

Vacuum cleaners and - in general - effective appliances are not popular here - you can ask Splinter about even finding a kettle that does what it is supposed to do can turn into a challenge.

Those who are renting a low budget place are looking to save on every cost item they can, so they will buy the cheapest appliances or no appliances at all, as most appliances are expensive even if they are crap.

Think about doing the laundry: I have identified several tiers of appliances, from cheapest to most expensive.

Tier 1 - Manual centrifuge (foot operated) - misleadingly called "secadora centrifuga" in Spanish

In Argentina I have seen for the first time a foot-operated "secadora centrifuga" (dryer). I believe this is just a centrifuge for laundry done old style, i.e. washing by hand in a washing basin. This is a cheap solution for those who cannot afford a laundry machine.

Now it seems they have been replaced by the automated ones (see Tier 2)

Tier 2 - Centrifuge (powered) - misleadingly called "secadora centrifuga" in Spanish

Same thing as above, but you don't have a pedal - it will rotate by itself. However, you still need to manually discharge the water that gets pulled out from the garments.

Tier 3 - Semi-automated washing machine - Lavarropas Semiautomático

It looks like the one above, but there is a discharge pipe. However, it has no discharge pump, so you have install it accordingly to provide height to discharge the water.

Tier 4 - Washing machine - Lavarropas

As we know them in Europe

Tier 5 - Washer-dryer machine - Lavasecarropas

A combined appliance that offers washing machine and dryer capabilities. I have this one, but they are extremely expensive and even the models imported are just 3-4. When I bought mine, which is a LG, the model available only had one washing+drying program, i.e. I cannot use it as a dryer alone

So, cleaning in Argentina is very cost-driven.

As for cleaning supplies/items, a vacuum cleaner is not a given. For me, personally, is non-negotiable, but my sister-in-law lived for a decade without it.

Here they use a brush even on carpets (yikes!). Maids use whatever is available at the apartment, as they don't bring their own cleaning supplies with them (they are riding several buses, it would be impossible to them). If the owner provided only a dustpan and a brush, that's all the maid is going to use. Also, the cheapest dustpan do not have a rubber rim and it is not very effective in picking up the dust, in my opinion.

We have a vacuum cleaner at our apartment, but I can see that for a budget STR it is just an unnecessary expenses in the eyes of the STR owner since they are not the ones doing the cleaning nor using the apartment.