FREEDOM! Update 2 and counting years of FI!

[Packratona!]

Hey all; realized I missed the update of the 2 year "anniversary" of being FI. So decided to do a short update. Read over my last one, so will touch a bit on what I wrote there.
Still learning and practicing new frugality skills.
1) Our health care insurance company, like last year's, is being cancelled at end of year so have to start new one, with new doctor etc. again. So, am being proactive and taking an exploratory two week trip to Mexico, to have dental work done, about a fourth of the cost of the estimate of my dentist stateside. It is a safe city where lots of Brits and Americans go to get their health care; some end up staying.
2) Newspaper subscription was I think $2 or something like that, for a two year subscription. Some kind of special they were running, noticed it on a card with the coupon code. So that is saving me almost $300 over the two years.
3) Got new email address so I can just do Wifi if the internet company I am with tries to raise our rates, we can just cancel.
4) Signed up for a Southwest credit card, so our airfare costs are almost nothing.
5) Remodeled our house, doing some of the work ourselves.
6) As part of remodeling, we had to basically pack up most of our belongings in boxes so they could be moved from room to room as we were working. We purged when we packed it up, and purged even more when we unpacked it to put it all back. A lot of work, we have a ton of stuff, but it is great to be more organized, with less stuff!
7) In between trips, will work on purging and organizing photos and paperwork. That will take longer to purge than our other belongings.

Hope to be completely done by next Spring. Then, I will have more time for some research and writing projects, as well as some more traveling.

[Gardenarian]

Congratulations!
My 2 year retirement anniversary is coming up soon - the time has zoomed by.

I've been thinking about Mexico for dental work to, but feel quite nervous about it. I'll be looking forward to hearing your experiences.

Kudos for coming up with new ways to be frugal!

[Packratona!]

Congratulations!
My 2 year retirement anniversary is coming up soon - the time has zoomed by.

I've been thinking about Mexico for dental work to, but feel quite nervous about it. I'll be looking forward to hearing your experiences.

Kudos for coming up with new ways to be frugal!

I try to write it my experiences when I get back! Will even try to take photos!

[freshstart]

congratulations on year 2, you're getting a lot accomplished

[ctg492]

Mexico for dental work. This is new to me, I am from the far north and so would never have thought. So what would be the savings really? I assume you can travel there with out a great cost.

[Packratona!]

Mexico for dental work. This is new to me, I am from the far north and so would never have thought. So what would be the savings really? I assume you can travel there with out a great cost.

My rough estimate of basic expenses thus far:

$1,320 for dental work there (the estimate from my dentist here, after bargaining, is about $5,500)
$ 245 for 14 nights of hotel per person (splitting the cost with sister). This is for room with air conditioning, hotel pool, breakfast included, two beds.
$ 78.59 for airfare to Cancun, this covers the fees, the actual ticket cost is paid for by Southwest credit card points. Scheduled the trip carefully so I pay the minimum in points.
$ 37.00 round trip luxury bus from Cancun to Merida, Yucatan, where the dentist is. This price fluctuates depending on exactly which class/brand of bus we get and whether we purchase it ahead of time or not.
$ 28.00 local bus transportation; buses cost 50 cents so budgeting $2 a day. Price will go up if we use Uber or taxis some of the time.
$ 140. pp for food at $10 a day. Free breakfast at hotel, one meal at a sit down restaurant (there are tons of them and food is great and price is good) and one meal will be snacks, street food, etc. (tacos 2/$1 for instance).

Total estimate for basic expenses: $1,849 trip including dental care.

I did not include: any pricey tours, taxi rides, or souvenirs. Our hotel is in the historic, touristy center of town and there is lots to do there that is free or very inexpensive, within walking distance.
I also did not include price of trip health insurance as I have not bought that yet. Also, what the cost of the dental work will be is based on prices quoted to me via email from the dentist there who has not seen my teeth yet. I just told him what I needed done based on what the dentist here said I needed done. But anyway it looks to me like the total savings will be several thousand dollars. Check it out on line: dental care in Merida, Yucatan! A lot of Canadians and Americans go there.

[19Sandy]

My rough estimate of basic expenses thus far:

$1,320 for dental work there (the estimate from my dentist here, after bargaining, is about $5,500)
$ 245 for 14 nights of hotel per person (splitting the cost with sister). This is for room with air conditioning, hotel pool, breakfast included, two beds.
$ 78.59 for airfare to Cancun, this covers the fees, the actual ticket cost is paid for by Southwest credit card points. Scheduled the trip carefully so I pay the minimum in points.
$ 37.00 round trip luxury bus from Cancun to Merida, Yucatan, where the dentist is. This price fluctuates depending on exactly which class/brand of bus we get and whether we purchase it ahead of time or not.
$ 28.00 local bus transportation; buses cost 50 cents so budgeting $2 a day. Price will go up if we use Uber or taxis some of the time.
$ 140. pp for food at $10 a day. Free breakfast at hotel, one meal at a sit down restaurant (there are tons of them and food is great and price is good) and one meal will be snacks, street food, etc. (tacos 2/$1 for instance).

Total estimate for basic expenses: $1,849 trip including dental care.

I did not include: any pricey tours, taxi rides, or souvenirs. Our hotel is in the historic, touristy center of town and there is lots to do there that is free or very inexpensive, within walking distance.
I also did not include price of trip health insurance as I have not bought that yet. Also, what the cost of the dental work will be is based on prices quoted to me via email from the dentist there who has not seen my teeth yet. I just told him what I needed done based on what the dentist here said I needed done. But anyway it looks to me like the total savings will be several thousand dollars. Check it out on line: dental care in Merida, Yucatan! A lot of Canadians and Americans go there.

Are you getting implants?

[Teacher Terry]

I doubt it because implants in the states are 5k each or if you need the entire top or both done each is 33k.

[iris lilies]

My friend wants to go south of the border to get one mplant and wants a friend to go with her. I suppose I dont really have a good reason not to go (she will pay my airfare, not sure about hotel) except that, I just am not interested in That part of the world. I am not sure if she is talking about Mexico or elsewhere, I cant remember.

[Packratona!]

Are you getting implants?

I am getting 3 crowns.