Category Archives: money

BK @ BK (Burger King in Puerto Rico)

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Well I have had another day of looking at properties here in Puerto Rico.  This time it was focused in Rincon.  Something I found kind of surprising was that all the coffee shops are closed.  Well, Surfs Up Coffee in Rincon was technically open there was no internet access and no coffee.  I stopped in and it was pretty empty.  I talked to the owner (Johnny Coffee as I’ve heard the surfers call him).  He talked to me for 45 minutes and never asked me if I wanted something to drink…lol.

Anyhow he did give me some good info.  This Puerto Rican Burger King has wifi.  I forgot my wallet in San German this morning and had all of $5 in quarters on me.  I bought 3 cheese burgers (Cassie would approve) and figured I’d make good use of the internets.  It seems to work well here.

So I checked some things out and have a few pictures to upload.  I am feeling positive today about a few of these.   I had talked to Jeff and Katrina last night about their experience moving here and their thoughts on what Cassie and I are doing.  It was a very good discussion and I appreciate all the advice.  It is a tough decision on what path to follow and how to follow it.  It is different for everyone.  I have a different idea than Cassie and I think that would be true for most couples.

Being here again reminds me of how fricken warm it is.  I was told by locals that it had been days of rain previous to me getting here but I’ll take that over snow at this point.   It has been an emotional trip for me especially without Cassie by my side.  It has given me some clarity to my own thoughts however.  I am a little homesick at times (even after a few days!) but overall I do want to move to Puerto Rico.  I don’t know if renting is the best idea, a large house in Rincon or a small house in the country.  I hope that Cassie and I can come to some kind of decision and if not, we have time still!  It has to be right for both of us.  If it isn’t….we will wait until it is.  The important thing is to never give up.  If you give up, then you’re done.   I won’t let that happen.

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Poker Memorial for Dad at Cattlemen’s in Greeley

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Thursday night we went to a poker memorial for my dad at Cattlemen’s Steakhouse in Greeley. He had talked about getting his poker group together along with us (his family) for months before he passed. He gave his best friend, Mory, some money to cover a nice meal and said to have a good time on him when he was gone. He was just that kind of guy. He loved poker and gambling and he loved his friends and family. It was a fitting tribute. And we felt him there that night.


The group at dinner

We had a large group come out. Most of his regular card crew came as well as their significant others. We all commented that we should have done this before. The wives had never met the other wives (it’s mostly a boys’ card club, but women are welcome), but they knew all the men from many, many years of rotating houses and fixing the food. So it was nice to fit the family with the card player. And we even had links we didn’t know were tied to Dad! (Greeley is a small world after all.)


Pre-dinner conversation

We had a nice meal that Dad would have approved of. He loved Cattlemen’s Restaurant here in Greeley and its western theme really fit with who he was. We toasted and told stories of his serious love of cards.

Then we got started with the poker. We had so much fun! We were laughing and joking and remembering his little sayings, like how Queens were Queeches, Kings were Cowboys, Twos were Deuces and other random fun stuff Dad taught us. I remember being four or five years old sitting on Dad’s lap playing cards with this and other groups. It was just a part of him. So this night was a perfect memorial.  And he was so forward thinking to put this idea into motion even before he was gone.

The night was wonderful. I felt like I had had a second chance to be with Dad again. We even dealt him in a hand of seven-card no peek and the first card turned was…a Jack! But it also left me nostalgic and longing to really see him. To hear him laugh, hoot and holler, joke and bet. To see him slide the poker chips around in his hands. To watch him bluff -something I can never muster enough sneakiness to adequately pull off.

And with all these memories, my feelings of sadness and loss welled up by the end of the night. But I know that I only miss him so much because of what a great hole he has left. In me, my family, and even this great poker group.

Dad’s perspective- he would be smiling

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Impulso Vivienda Puerto Rico Housing Stimulus

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I’ve heard about the new law, the Impulso a la Vivienda or Puerto Rico Housing Stimulus, that Governor Fortuño recently passed. Basically it sounds like they are trying to spur growth in the housing sector by encouraging more construction and more sales of existing houses. It seems the thinking is similar to the U.S. mainland use of the tax credits to spur more home buying.

I am not sure how much CRIM, sellos y estampillas (property taxes, seals and stamps) normally cost, but it sounds like with this program they will be waived for a period of 5 years if you buy a house between September 1, 2010 and June 30, 2011! 

We’ve received conflicting information about property taxes in Puerto Rico and housing in general. It’s hard to find accurate information as every person we talk to has a different interpretation. Some people have even told us there is no property tax!? In any case, it sounds like good news for people like us who may buy a Puerto Rican house within this time period.

To read more about this new law check out this Caribbean Business article or this blog post.

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Almost Through the Ugly Part

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We’ve been working on our rental pushing really hard to get it done in only 2-3weeks with the goal of having it rented by September 1! We took some time off of work to do it, but now we are back to work and have all of our other responsibilities in addition to working on the rental. BUT we are over the hump. We are almost through the ugly part.

In a remodel, as in life, sometimes you have to go through ugly parts to see the beauty underneath. This house wasn’t too bad to start with so it was a real struggle for us whether or not we wanted to do a complete renovation or just a minor refurbishing. We decided to do it the way we would want it if we were to live there.

But in the process, you make things really, really messy and ugly. Britton tore out all the cabinets, cut a hole in the wall in the bathroom in order to put a showerhead up, pulled out the bathroom vanity and toilet so tile could go there. The only outside help we hired is for tile installation (but we still picked out, bought and delivered all the tile) and the floor refinishing. Everything else (painting, installing cabinets, cutting and installing the countertops, trim, new faucets, etc, etc) was done by us!


Making it ugly (Bathroom)


In order to make it pretty (almost finished!)

I really love doing these rentals. I think it’s because it’s like life. You go through so many frustrations, and joys all in the same project. You are able to have both end goals and process goals all in one. (The end goal being having the house remodeled and someone renting it, the process goals being all the stuff to get there, the checklist of items-showers, tile, floors, painting).

There can be a real sense of accomplishment and achievement. You learn as you go. You try your best. You make mistakes, and try again. You want to make things a little better for you having been there.  And you want to get ahead; you want to keep moving forward. And sometimes when it looks so ugly that you just want to give up, you have to look deep inside and find the strength to push just a little harder, a little further, and it will all be worth it and beautiful in the end.


Making it uglier than before we started (kitchen)


Nearly complete -and looking good

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