Money question

Miguel says on Mar 17, 2005, 10:48:

Mrs. G Since you are internet wise, you can do a google search and find out the conversion for pounds and pesos; then you should try to decide what you want to do with your money, and budget accordingly.

Lauthra says on Mar 17, 2005, 10:49:

I reckon That'll be enough, that is roughly what Barry and I spend on extras during the month, so you'll be fine, do have means of taking more money out in case of any emergency or what have you.
Nato ;)

Nato (='.'=)

nanis says on Mar 17, 2005, 10:50:

thing is i have no idea how much 8.5 million pesos is.. back when i lived in Colombia about 12 years ago that was a lot of money but i don't know if it still the same. i'm sure is not and that is why i'm scared, i don't want to run out of money

caslug says on Mar 17, 2005, 11:04:

Since u r not paying for rent.. then that amount 8.5mil should be sufficient. The real questions, what do you want to do when you're there? Shopping everyday, drinking every night, gambling, just lounging around the park, taking vacation to other cities, traveling by airplane everywhere, or what? Those factors will determine how fast you burn your money.

nanis says on Mar 17, 2005, 11:11:

Well i was planning to go to San Andres for a couple of nights may be 3 or 4 and go out clubbing every now and then and buy some shoes because i'm crazy about them! i can't have enough shoes and take my daughter out that's about it, i am also going to Manizales for a few days but i won't have to pay rent or food there either, i think that lauthra is right i have so many on stand by in case i run out of many there, but will this money i'm taking be enough? i hope so and thanks for the reply guys

elmodefoque says on Mar 17, 2005, 11:13:

mira mrs G, don't worry your pretty little head with disgusting money, i gotta tell you something very important. Anoche, anoche soñe contigo, soñe un cosa bonita, soñe que tu me querias y que me adorabas.

over 5 million colombianos in USA and only 27 barranquilleros, i'm one.Curramba, el mejor vividero del mundo!

elmodefoque says on Mar 17, 2005, 11:14:

listen, if you need money just call me, then i'll call your husband to send you more.

over 5 million colombianos in USA and only 27 barranquilleros, i'm one.Curramba, el mejor vividero del mundo!

nanis says on Mar 17, 2005, 11:15:

haha thanks elmo, now why didn't i think of that? you are my hero!

Neonovo says on Mar 17, 2005, 11:17:

I took $50.00 US last time I went... So when the mean-looking dude in the boarding tunnel -after the flight attendant lets you by, but before you get in the plane- confronted me and asked me "How much cash are you carrying?" and I answered $50 bucks, he smiled, changed his demeanor and let me by.

I'm a fervent beliver in ATM cards, 'cuz that way you minimize chances or atraco.

Paz
Neonovo

ARMacleod says on Mar 17, 2005, 11:19:

Exchange rate, Mrs G, the last time I was in Bogota the exchange rate was COP 4700 approx to the £1, however when I changed the cash in the banks the best I got was COP 4250 - £1. I spent about £500 per week but I bought furniture / electrical and all sorts of things.

My novia worked it out that we both could live well on £150 per week, excluding rent.

Anyway have a great time, I am sure that you will.

Being of unsound mind and dubious disposition, I cannot be held legally liable for any indiscretions."¡El diablo me hizo hacerlo!" But don't worry, be happy.

The brain is like a parachute, it only functions correctly when it is open. Pax vobiscum.

nanis says on Mar 17, 2005, 11:26:

Neonovo I won't be carrying my money around no way! i will only take about £100 with me in case i need anything at the airport or in the plane.

JamesVh thank you for your post it helped quite a lot!

kat1 (Moderator) says on Mar 17, 2005, 14:11:

But if Mrs Gomes if planing to go to San Andres just the tickets are more or less 300 T0 400 POUNDS FOR THE 3 of them and then the hotel she has to live in quite low buget I reckon, and she has to know where to spend her money, not to go to fancy shopping centers..Mrs Gomez are you planning to go to Cartagena?

engage brain before opening mouth

dwmte says on Mar 17, 2005, 14:56:

mrs gomez... i remember well the price of pesos 12 years ago. in u.s. $$$, 450 CP was $1.00, now, these years later, it's about 2,600 CP per $1.00. that might be a bit high these days, other posters can fill in that.

but yes, ma'am, big difference in exchange these 12 yrs later.

good luck on your vacation. i think if that's the budget, and you want to do the things you've listed, you'll have to be serious about a budget and reign in the spending to make it on that amount. otherwise, if you want to 'enjoy' colombia and go shopping with the family, etc, i would probably plan on just about doubling that amount. good luck.

dw.

cypher says on Mar 17, 2005, 15:17:

i guess that 8,500,000 would be enough.. but i would try to increase it at least to 10,000,000.. but it all does depend on what you gonna do..considering a bottle of aguardiente in a club costs at least 50,000 pesos if your not careful you'll party away your money.. another thing and this is from experience.. money seems to evaporate for me in colombia.. from spending a couple of pesos here and there eating snacks and drinks, and trust me you will be wanting to savour all the beautiful food thsi country has to offer.. buying some small gifts, clothes maybe and shoes, lol to treating family and friends.. and come on family and friends expect to be treated =) i guess you lucky cos you are not going to be paying rent and stuff.. as someone said before make sure you have extra cash available incase of an emergency.. and regarding a trip to san andres.. if you check out www.despegar.com you can see that 4 days 3 nighths all inclusive costing 818,000 per person so i would try and budget the trip outside of your spending money if posible..

and yeah you are right life is nothing like it was 12 years ago.. they even have 50,000 pesos notes, i remember the days when the biggest note was like 10,000, hahaha and things are much more expensive in general

p.s. i went to colombia in 2002 and spent double the amount, haha bad budgeting =)

bleaton says on Mar 17, 2005, 15:38:

pesos L2000 is about 9,000,000 pesos, I do not know why you would carry that much cash with you when you can use an ATH (ATM), they are everywhere in Colombia and it is soooo convenient and the best exchange rate.

brian

Lauthra says on Mar 17, 2005, 19:04:

One suggestion Don't take travellers cheques, you get a lower exchange rate and you have to buy them in dollars, for they don't accept Pound sterling traveller's cheques...go figure...
BTW, if you want to go shopping that won't last one shopping spree :P
Nato ;)

Nato (='.'=)

poco says on Mar 18, 2005, 11:56:

Overview - Currency Exchange A little background.

Many countries in the world have HUGE fluctuations (percentage wise) and are constantly “traded� or “exchanged�. Not for your average investor. You are trading against “big boys�, ie: governments, banks, every credit card withdrawal you make in Colombia, someone is buying and selling the currency.

There is nothing wrong with a small investment in a currency you think might be useful in the future. If you are right, you win, if you are wrong,, what the heck,, you can still exchange it for something that fits your current needs. This is something fun to do and keeps you abreast of the area. Seriously, Many are completely happy with their current status.

For instance:
The peso is much like the dong. Colombians think “peso�. In Vietnam they think “dong�. 99% of the population do not care, think about, understand or have any control over their dong. Vietnam was an example because of the extreme percentage fluctuations caused when the dong goes up or down. Much of Asia has similar fluctuations of the same short duration.

Vietnam citizens believe their dong is just fine because it fits into the local economy. The population does not or can not travel and has no way to compare their dong. OK until you find out your dong is almost worthless and has little value in other locations.

You may not be aware of this but the Chinese are holding theirs up by artificial means and this is hurting everyone. Someday this bubble will burst.

Why will the dong go up? Look at the trend,, how many people in Vietnam can AFFORD to travel,, “zero�? They are staying at home, plugging away trying to get enough dongs to eat.

The rest of the world sees a small dong and knows they get a “lot more bang� for their buck. There will be a head long rush into dongs. Everyone will want some. Now you are sitting on top of a dong gold rush. Hold your dong, trade it for something bigger or just let it go.

Different strokes for different folks.

"Violence is the first refuge of the incompetent" - Isaac Asimov

ARMacleod says on Mar 18, 2005, 13:54:

Poco my dear fellow Methinks you have gone off at a tangent there somewhere along the line. Mrs Gomez asked about the £ GB- V- $COP What has that to do with your dong? Something Freudian there.

I have a feeling that you are trying to sell something here. The lady is going to Colombia, not Vietnam, and is not having a stopover in China, why, for pities sake, would she be interested in the international financial dealings of oriental currencies?

May I respectfully suggest, if you have an interest in the financial dealings of the Colombian peso and competitive exchange rates, or stocks and shares dealings that could be beneficial to the forum, then post your own subject. Share your expertise with all our members and we can join Kerry in the millionaire ‘high flyers' club.

Try to stay on track, there's a good fellow.

I don't care if I am rich or if I am poor, as long as I have plenty of money.

Pax vobiscum.

Being of unsound mind and dubious disposition, I cannot be held legally liable for any indiscretions."¡El diablo me hizo hacerlo!" But don't worry, be happy.

The brain is like a parachute, it only functions correctly when it is open. Pax vobiscum.

ARMacleod says on Mar 18, 2005, 14:05:

Transformation Substitution of the 'dong' for 'dick' we have: (for those who did not catch the ball when it was passed to them)

For instance:
The peso is much like the dick. Colombians think "peso". In Vietnam they think "dick". 99% of the population do not care, think about, understand or have any control over their dick. Vietnam was an example because of the extreme percentage fluctuations caused when the dick goes up or down. Much of Asia has similar fluctuations of the same short duration.
Vietnam citizens believe their dick is just fine because it fits into the local economy. The population does not or can not travel and has no way to compare their dick. OK until you find out your dick is almost worthless and has little value in other locations.
You may not be aware of this but the Chinese are holding theirs up by artificial means and this is hurting everyone. Someday this bubble will burst.
Why will the dick go up? Look at the trend,, how many people in Vietnam can AFFORD to travel,, "zero"? They are staying at home, plugging away trying to get enough dicks to eat.
The rest of the world sees a small dick and knows they get a "lot more bang" for their buck. There will be a head long rush into dicks. Everyone will want some. Now you are sitting on top of a dick gold rush. Hold your dick, trade it for something bigger or just let it go.
Different strokes for different folks.

Forgiveness is devine!

The brain is like a parachute, it only functions correctly when it is open. Pax vobiscum.

dwmte says on Mar 18, 2005, 14:39:

heh, dick head..... er, sorry, king james...

you simply have to stop this yankering...my sides cant stand the pain.

i swear brother, dicks abound, are they up or down. is it a limp dick era or are there signs of a rise? we'll just have to hold on to em and watch. the tighter we hold, the more resistance there is to positive change. but the 'chinks' are artifically boosting their postition by not trading fairly in the world market, fearing that after all's said and done, they might be found to have just regular old dicks, like everyone else.

dw

dwmte says on Mar 18, 2005, 14:47:

heh james... i almost forgot...now that we've figured out all the details, just how many dicks do you figure mrs. gomez will have to drag off to colombia to insure her positive entrance and safe exit?

i'll bet it's more than she had planned on. what with her upkeep,etc.shoes, daughter, husband, san andreas. good lord, we're talking a lot of dick. how does one carry around that much dick without attracting attention? you know how those colombians notice a lot of dick. christ, we're talking about the potential of a riot.

what's the solution? more dick, more fun; less dick, well you know the answer to that, no shoes.
dw

ARMacleod says on Mar 18, 2005, 15:03:

Sorry dw. I am not sure what you are implying, but then I am a bit of a dong head anyway.

Being of unsound mind and dubious disposition, I cannot be held legally liable for any indiscretions."¡El diablo me hizo hacerlo!" But don't worry, be happy.

The brain is like a parachute, it only functions correctly when it is open. Pax vobiscum.

quindioman says on Mar 19, 2005, 03:59:

Might be useful for Mrs. G Ok....I tend to send money over every month....last time the pound £ was at $4,500 pesos.
To put it into some kind of context this would buy you...:
A nice lunch....(perhaps a bandeja paisa....for 1)
A short taxi ride...depending on the city.
1-4 beers (depending on city/location)
4 $1,000 peso "chances"...you gotta try it...very very colombian thing to do (it's a sort of lottery).
£2,000 sterling will get you over 8 million pesos...now you mention everything is paid for (accomodation, flights/stay at San Andres)..if you are very wise with your money you would probably not even spend all of it.
I find that I actually give away more money to family/friends than I spend on myself....8 million pesos would be the equivalent of 2 months wages of someone like a doctor or another professional along those lines...so I would not worry too much about the money issue as it seems you have just about enough money to get by on....that's the brilliant thing about flying out from England as the pound is soooo strong against the majority of currencies you really do make thye most of your money.
Hope that helps.....and I would suggest a trip to my homeland of Quindio which is biting on the heels of the traditional tourist spots along the North Carribean coast as the most visited area and fast becoming the number 1 tourist spot in Colombia...it's where the Colombians in Colombia go when they go for their holidays.
Hope a gram of this information proves useful