The bags you bought and the bags you brought
Sunday, January 22, 2012 at 01:05PM 
I just wrapped up another shop at Pali. For those not familiar with the cash-n-carry chain in Costa Rica, the end of your shopping experience is a long table where you get to spread out your purchases and pack them in either the bags you bought or the bags you brought. As I consider myself an expert packer with an almost OCD quality in not allowing others to pack for me, this experience is always a treat. While I was packing my goods I thought back to my first trips to Pali lo those many years ago. We often went in gaggles of 4 and worked ever-so-hard to balance the weight of each bag such that no one would be stuck carrying an unfair load on our often four kilometer hike home. Remembering that time, and currently having to incorporate my business, I oddly enough found myself taking pause to remember the mantra any small business owner will tell you; it’s now what you make, it’s when you make it. Cash flow is why the lines at Pali are so long on the 15th and 30th. That’s when everyone gets paid. I’ve been a renter, paycheck to paycheck, “it’ll work itself out somehow”, non-saver for as long I remember. Not the best trait for a 36-year-old English teacher monetizing a small business. But as I start invoicing clients, sitting in conference calls with sales teams and advertisers, launching affiliate programs, and calculating payroll, I start to really take stock of how valuable my first year in Costa Rica was. I learned how to live lean and balance my bags. I did not, however, learn to save for rainy days (we get a lot here, literally). Nor did I learn the value and danger of credit. The parallel I like to draw (‘cause I’m just that way if you haven’t noticed) is that after 5+ years of living and working in Central America, I’m right back where I started; packing my own groceries in Pali. This time, I brought my own bags and my walk isn’t as long.
Reader Comments (1)
"Paper or Plastic?"
"click, click"