Inflation Wingers Post Here!

[Gringoboy]

Ethnic food?
Who says Argentines don't like it?
Are you referring to Indian, Balti, Chinese and the like?
My Arg wife and her son just can't get enough of it. They love it, especially when the parrilla has been over used.

 

[marksoc]

In most buildings I know you must pay the wages of portero(s). The expensas are calculated according to the number of apartments and their relative size. More apartments in a building, cheaper expensas. In my building we have one portero, one cleaner, one portero for Sundays, and one for "suplencias". Plus two elevators, etc etc. Total expensas for the building go for something like 25-30,000 ARS per month. The building has 11 floors with six to eight apartments in each one, plus payments for parking spaces if you have one. Also there are two commercial stores in the ground floor that pay expensas so all the rest get to pay less.

So, for 26 square meters I pay 50 USD per month, and I should pay less because some of the expensas are not even necessary. This year we are planning to hire a new administrator.

1000 ARS for an 80 m2 apartment with 24 hs security and two porteros is realistic, but depends always on the number of apartments in the place. This is only for info, is my situation. It is important to read your expensas bill every month and maybe be part of the Audit Commission (every building has one), or talk with the owner of the apartment about that.

 

[DontMindMe]

Agreed Gringoboy, I've made a variety of ethnic dishes to take to parties and Argentines are not afraid of flavor, they just generally don't like very spicy food. There's a difference. After all, Tandoor and Fabrica del Taco and all those places don't survive solely on foreign patrons.

Really the only reason I brought up the food thing was because despite everyone frequently listing the specific things they miss, some locals on the board continue to believe we are all dying to run back to fast food. I'm actually fine with the fast food here. Milanesa a la napolitana, choripán, papas fritas, empanadas, all delicious to me when done right. I just can't eat like that frequently without blowing up like a balloon and feeling gross. So that's why we complain. There are few affordable options, especially now with inflation, that aren't artery clogging and meat and cheese based. Cooking from scratch is great but every meal, every day, it gets tiring. Sometimes I just want to go grab a quick bite.

I will say that Cumaná and Las Cabras (and Las Cabritas in Cañitas, same menu) are very affordable options for dining out for good Argentine food. The cazuelas at Cumaná are to die for, and the ñoquis with creamy tomato basil sauce at Las Cabras and Las Cabritas are the best I have had in the city. Very affordable places. You can eat a full meal, with wine (a chino brand), for about 50 pesos a head. STILL. Territorio and Cafe Rivas in San Telmo are also very nice, very good, and very affordable.

 

[Gringoboy]

We don't eat in Capital, but we have been to a few weddings and events there, where some lovely ethnic food was served. We usually had to fight our way through the queue of Argentines.
No, the food we do is at home: curries, chinese etc. And it's cheaper than eating out nowadays, as we earn in pesos.

 

[Lucas]

yes and it makes no sense but the truth is this is considered cheap food in Buenos Aires . Shittys tacos are $ 3 each minimum in Buenos Aires . Do you know any place that they are cheaper ?

YES!!!

La Catrina, on Clay in Las Canitas -- our new favourite Mexican place -- Tacos are $9 pesos each.

We have only ordered delivery from them, not eaten there -- in fact not sure if they have tables. But everything we have ordered has been delicious -- the one thing I recommend is to order extra tortillas (and they are de maiz) -- We order the Alambre (de pollo/cerdo/bistec) for $48 pesos usually. The first time we also ordered an appetizer of guacamole. For two people this was too much food (and my husband can eat!). However they only give you 6 or 8 tortillas with the order, so now we usually order just a main (which comes with a decent amount of guac anyway) and extra tortillas.

EDIT: Btw -- order from them this weekend, who knows, by next week they may have raised the prices by 20%

Gracias! further info on that place

La Catrina]/url]http://www.buenosairesdelivery.com/en/restaurant/la_catrina_mexican_sushi
Clay 2666
Tuesday thru Sunday 12:30-3:30pm and 8pm-11:30pm

 

[globaljet]

I like a nice wine

 

[Farenheit]

So depressed about prices here. In UK you can buy 4 cans of tomatoes for 7 pesos!!! Just check out this supermarket saver website. http://www.mysupermarket.co.uk/shel...m_source=&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=17502

Not to mention Iceland, see all these frozen pizzas starting at 7 pesos. Oh, the variety!!! http://www.iceland.co.uk/our-food/frozen-food/pizza

 

[allcraz]

I do stock up on the Buy 1, Get the 2nd 70% off at Carrefour about once a month (and normally the next time I go another food group has the discount, so I do the same thing and round and round it goes). When going out for dinner, I'll try new places that have discounts (Guia Oleo or other) and decent reviews. But I have learned from my Argentine husband not to get so caught up on the prices and whining. I used to really go crazy. I remember having a breakdown a few years back when he wanted ice cream while we were out one weekend and I looked at the price for a 1/4 kilo and started crying. I'm much more calm about inflation now. Because I can't go crazy. It's not worth it. I know what to not waste my money on now and what's worth paying a little extra for every once in a while. In general we are not big spenders, and we make it work.

 

[fifs2]

I do stock up on the Buy 1, Get the 2nd 70% off at Carrefour about once a month (and normally the next time I go another food group has the discount, so I do the same thing and round and round it goes). When going out for dinner, I'll try new places that have discounts (Guia Oleo or other) and decent reviews. But I have learned from my Argentine husband not to get so caught up on the prices and whining. I used to really go crazy. I remember having a breakdown a few years back when he wanted ice cream while we were out one weekend and I looked at the price for a 1/4 kilo and started crying. I'm much more calm about inflation now. Because I can't go crazy. It's not worth it. I know what to not waste my money on now and what's worth paying a little extra for every once in a while. In general we are not big spenders, and we make it work.

Good post allcraz. In English we say " Cut your cloth to suit your measure" meaning basically live by your means and not your aspirations. With so much marketing in the vein of - you're worth it, spoil yourself etc- it's too easy to feel well I work hard I should be able to have this instead of thinking can I afford it? Living beyond your means isn't an Argentinean problem, it's a world one. The Ar inflation factor just distorts things rather more quickly and regularly than in other parts of the globe.

 

[AngelinBA]

I do have to say that we are all worth being able to buy a 1/4 kilo of icecream, though! I don't think that should be so far above our means.
We have a strict budget. My husband always tells me that it's not such a big deal when I come back from the supermarket with a shellshocked look on my face. Yesterday he went to buy some galletitas but went overboard (as normal) and came back home furious, had spent $250 and wanted to go through the receipt item by item to see where they were double charging him. They weren't, but he realised that our ability to impulse buy a packet of chocolate or a salame has almost completely disappeared.