2018-Feb

2018-Feb

Friday, June 13, 2014

Sticker Shock?!

We have been living in Costa Rica for almost 6 months now, and one of the questions we keep hearing is "what surprised you the most about living in Costa Rica?" Hands down, I think the most surprising thing was safety (and drinkable tap water). We came down to Costa Rica prepared to live how we would in Honduras. When we arrived we were pleasantly surprised that it is much safer here. We actually take the public buses quite frequently (something we will never do in Honduras!), we walk to most of the stores we go to (which would also be a bad idea in Honduras). We don't feel the need to constantly be looking over our shoulders when we walk anywhere. In fact, many times I (Leslie) have taken Lucy for walks by myself and been very safe.
One of the other big surprises here was the prices of certain food items, things that were cheap in the US, and/or things we were accustomed to eating in the US. So we took a few pictures of some items and thought you might enjoy seeing what we see every time we go to the grocery store! (Disclaimer: these prices are from the cheapest grocery stores in the area. Also the exchange rate is approximately $1 USD to roughly 550 colones, which is subject to change.)

For all the non-math people (like me), allow me to translate the exchange rate! :) This 56 ounce bag of my favorite candy is approximately $15. 
$4 for the bottle of Hersey's syrup (notice the security tag!). And this is actually a very good price! These are usually $6-7. 
Almost $6 for this 2 cup bag of semi sweet morsels! 
Ok, something besides chocolate! haha! A nice big bag of Doritos for only $7ish! 
My favorite cereal from the States for only almost $6! (We have since found other things to eat for breakfast most days!) 
Who doesn't like a good peanut butter and honey sandwhich?? The big bottle on the right is only $9! 
And what recipe doesn't require cheese?? The white cheese on the left is only $9 for 400 grams! (I am unable to translate grams, sorry!)
Classes at 7:30 in the morning require caffeine (and unfortunately, neither of us are coffee drinkers). These 2.5L of coke are approximately $4 each. 
We found this gallon of lemon juice at the store this week and it is $16ish. (And who needs a gallon of lemon juice?!)
Ahhh bacon......I love bacon, however this bacon is 3 lbs for $19....I guess I don't really love bacon....
I hope you enjoyed our entertaining pictures and prices! Sometimes we go into the store and just laugh (or come out wide eyed and in disbelief!) But it reminds us time and again how thankful we are for all of our supporters and just how precious you are to us! Because of you, we can afford to go into the grocery store and buy the things we need to eat. But it also reminds us of the other people who live in this country with us (and will be living with in Honduras). They go into these same stores and see these same prices, and probably have more mouths to feed than us! How amazing would it be for our support to be doubled by the time we get to Honduras, so that we can help feed extra mouths! Have people over for lunch or dinner and share food and the Gospel with them! Through you and through Christ, may we be used to be a blessing to those around us!