living cheaply in BA

[Fishface]

Yes it's quite painful the drop in the pound value, but i am happy as i have property here in dollars which i got when it was 2 USD to the pound, and now it's 1.48 USD to the pound so made a nice 25% on the currency - at least if i decide to sell amidst a crisis here i have some profit leverage on the currency, of which i currently have no intention of doing.

they reckon prices will drop 25% in 2009

good job you're not selling.

 

[diosaarenosa]

- get your veggies and fruits from a grocery store that just sells that, supermarket veggies and fruits can be 50% more expensive on average.

- do not go for brand clothing, the quality is not what you are used to, even if it is the same brand: got to small boutiques that are not chains, you will find everything is a lot cheaper.

- if you are into the club scene, I can assure you that 80% of the ladies never pay to get in, once you paid once ask for " tarjetas sin cargo " or " tarjetas de descuento " for your next visit.

- do not buy water or sodas cold from kioskos, they charge you more for those.

- get your basic groceries from a chinese supermarket ( they always have better deals ) then, whatever you cannot find there, go and look at the supermarkets ( Coto and Carrefour are cheaper than Disco and Jumbo ) get beef at the supermarkets. Wines are cheaper at the chinese stores.

- get chicken and eggs form a " granja " - poultry store

- if you like to go out to restaurants, for lunch mon/fri they all have " menu ejecutivo " for really good prices ( avg 20 $ ) During the weekends and for dinner they are more expensive.

- On wednesdays the tickets for movies are cheaper at most theatres.

Can´t think of anything else atm, I will surely remember some more =)

nikad

thanks for the tips, many of which i knew but failed to mention - the meals i was eating at the wifi cafe were the menu ejecutivo deal. i agree, always worth a gander.

yes, i only shop at coto in terms of the big supermarkets, nevertheless selectively, as i agree, many things are cheaper from the chinese supermarkets. it´s a case of comparing prices.

in terms of clubbing guys get a raw deal. women don´t really have to worry on the paying front for meals or clubbing here, e.g. in the context of being taken out by an arentine man, the woman paying is out of the question. old fashioned values (which i sometimes find hard to swallow being an emancipated independent women, but it does in turn have its redeeming features.).

non brand clothing - i cited yagmour as an example as i used to buy from them in 2002 and because actually the quality IS good despite being cheap. however i have bough loads of pairs of unbranded leggings from non descript clothes shops on cabildo, all pretty cheap. and avenida cordoba is THE place for outlets, it´s true. it´s all about being resourceful ultimately and having the luxury of time to do it effectively.

 

[JG]

Buenos Aires is now quite an expensive city. I think the only people who are living here cheaply are all those homeless who live in the corner plaza. My quality of life has dropped like a stone since moving to argentina. Think twice and thrice folks.

 

[diosaarenosa]

...and one of the most wonderous, awesome and valuable things about having a 'documento' is...

getting dos por uno at Freddo's on a monday !!

freddo is not of the quality it used to be and is mega expensive in relative terms. it used to be a family run ´artesanal´ ice cream parlour, now i´m not so sure of the home made element of the ice cream since it was sold to some hot shot ´empresario´several years ago, many of my argentine friends comment on the fact it´s not what it once was and i tend to agree going on past experiences.

it´s always good to go for smaller, independent/non-chain ice cream parlours, my cousin tells me there is a real demand for authentic home made ´artesanal´ ice cream, often the flavours are more authentic and flavoursome than perhaps freddo, although persicco still packs a punch, in spite of its price.

 

[JG]

Buenos Aires is now quite an expensive city. Im not sure who lives here cheaply anymore otherthan the homeless who live in the corner plaza. Think twice and thrice before you move to this dump, this very polluted city with paranoid fearful and cold people. Its a tough life here unless youre a rich expat.

 

[JG]

Im surrounded by internet cafes. i can post quicker than you can say why would anyone in their right mind move to this shithole of a city!