Focus On Mexico - Your Guide to Moving and Retiring to Mexico's Lake Chapala

Lakeside Retirement Budget Planning

When planning a move Lakeside, one of the best things you can do for yourself is to plan your Mexico budget in advance. Of course you will inevitably make adjustments once you are on the ground in Mexico, but having a proposed budget will give you the peace of mind you need when making a major life move. While prices have risen somewhat in recent years, the good news is that Lakeside life is still quite affordable with careful planning. Visa Costs - the Bottom Line Your first expenditure once you've made the decision to move to Mexico will be your resident visa. Temporary Resident … [Read more...]

Prescription Medication and Over the Counter Drugs in Mexico

There are likely more farmacias (pharmacies) per head in Mexico than many other countries. Drugs are all pre-packaged usually in little boxes as opposed to plastic pill bottles, and either made locally or imported. Cost wise, local drugs are similar or less expensive than what you are used to, with imported drugs being a little more expensive. Depending on the drug you need, the generic farmacias may have the best prices. One of the biggest benefits of the INAPAM card that provides discounts to enrolled seniors over 60 of any nationality (as long as you are a temporary or permanent … [Read more...]

Grab Your Suitcase on New Year’s Eve!

If a possible move to Mexico is on your 2019 bucket list, you may want to try the Mexican New Year's Eve tradition of running around the house or block with your suitcase in the first hours of 2019. Or you may want to try some of the other Mexican New Year's Eve traditions shown here. https://www.chimuadventures.com/blog/2017/01/new-year-in-mexico/ Happy New Year to all of our FOCUS alumni and friends, especially to those we haven't met yet. We are looking forward to seeing you at one of our 2019 learning seminars. Many attendees have commented that they found the FOCUS program … [Read more...]

Piñatas and Posadas – Christmas in Mexico

Christmas in Mexico is similar yet different from the U.S. depending on what part of the country you live in. Large cities such as Guadalajara tend to have a similar U.S. like frenzied shopping atmosphere, but Christmas in smaller towns and villages is quite distinct. There is much less emphasis on gifts and more emphasis on the family celebrations and traditions surrounding Christmas. I took an informal poll of my ESL students to see what family gifts they were giving for Christmas and was charmed with the simple answers - a bottle of cologne, a shirt, a pair of shoes, a necklace, etc. - … [Read more...]

The U.S. and Mexico – Brothers From Another Mother

Jorge Ramos is a well-known Mexican American journalist and newscaster who has written numerous books, including the recent Stranger: The Challenge of a Latino Immigrant in the Trump Era. In this wide ranging interview in Mexico City, he discusses the election of the new Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, commonly known as AMLO, and interviews Americans living in Mexico and Mexicans who have returned from the U.S. This is a great birds eye view of Mexico today and why ~1.5 million Americans choose to make Mexico their home. Check it out and join us for one of our intensive … [Read more...]