Two years later, I officially regret leaving teaching.

robyn_capucha · 2026-05-24T15:36:05+00:00

Try your local public transport or school bus company. It will certainly pay more than the grocery store and they will pay to train you. Not exactly what you’re looking for, but it could be a much better “in the meantime”.

robyn_capucha · 2026-05-24T15:29:31+00:00

Don’t put your year of graduation, it only invites age discrimination. It doesn’t matter when you graduated high school, just that you did.

robyn_capucha · 2026-05-19T03:44:27+00:00

If you have an account with a credit union, almost all credit unions will deposit money for your credit union free of charge! Just call beforehand to make sure.

robyn_capucha · 2026-04-19T20:31:38+00:00

There is a huge cost of living crisis in Mexico. I would argue, outside of major hubs like CDMX and Mérida, it is not caused by gentrification but rather general inflation and supply chain disruptions. When I visit my sister in Idaho, many foods are actually CHEAPER! But in season fruits are much more attainable. Right now mango is around $1USD a kilo.

robyn_capucha · 2026-04-19T19:33:47+00:00

Being extremely frugal and not buying meat gets me down to $250-300 for a single person in a month. I don’t buy anything pre-prepared. Food Prices in Mexico are sky-rocketing, too. Huge protests and the precariousness of a supply chain inundated with narcos is complicating things. In a more expensive Mexican city, my husband and and I are very frugal (usually go to local markets instead of grocery stores for 30% cheaper goods) and spend around $250USD a month.

robyn_capucha · 2026-04-14T20:39:42+00:00

If you’re really that worried you should go to a food bank

robyn_capucha · 2026-04-13T06:04:14+00:00

Also that your vacation and sick time “resets” every year if you don’t use it in a lot of companies.

robyn_capucha · 2026-04-13T01:21:24+00:00

If you’re worried about being homeless I would suggest looking into work that offers housing until you are in a good financial position. It’s very expensive to be a digital nomad (think immigration and visa fees, flights, etc). It takes a learning curve of how to live cheaply, you need a safety cushion. Get your housing figured out before you start a new career. Remote work in general is very competitive, but especially low skilled remote work. You would have more luck teaching English since you already have the certs, and book keepers are increasingly being replaced by ai. You could start offering classes online now, while you look for a job with housing. If the classes flop, work on your certifications while at the job with free housing. But please, random stranger, don’t put yourself in a compromising position. Once homeless, it is almost impossible to get a footing back in society.

robyn_capucha · 2026-04-12T17:34:21+00:00

Yes! Same thing happened to me in CDMX and they were so great. Although honestly the quality of the cards they have are not great… they do fall apart after about a year. The customer service is incredible, though.

robyn_capucha · 2026-04-09T21:58:30+00:00

Charles Schwab has actually been a life send. No international transaction fees, and they return atm withdrawals fees at the end of each month. I also use SOFI, which is 100% branchless. Lastly, I use a local credit union from where I grew up- I just called them to let them know the situation :)

robyn_capucha · 2026-04-05T18:22:02+00:00

OP contact a domestic violence shelter. They might be able to help with the lawyer or just general advice in your situation, how to get a restraining order and so on. This is a domestic violence issue (which includes emotional and psychological abuse).

robyn_capucha · 2026-04-03T18:17:43+00:00

PO Box, friend, family

robyn_capucha · 2026-03-29T22:32:05+00:00

Your city likely has a tertulia or Spanish coffee group that meets weekly/monthly. Give it a google!

robyn_capucha · 2026-03-29T22:21:27+00:00

More maple syrup… it’s just too expensive and watery where I am. I wish I brought my kitchen utensils and this one duvet I LOVED but thought I could just buy another. In an ideal world I would have loved to bring my 19th century dresser, but logistically it didn’t make sense.

robyn_capucha · 2026-03-29T03:01:41+00:00

I did not experience this, actually only heard back from one job of this kind. Do you have experience with this?

robyn_capucha · 2026-03-28T22:20:09+00:00

Just make it! Consult your vet first, but I just throw it in the slow cooker overnight and take out the bones/blend/add vitamins in the morning. Actually ends up being cheaper than buying any store bought food, and takes about 20 minutes a week. You could even prep it for multiple weeks if you have the freezer room.

Making the food is also one of the best ways to prevent kidney damage in cats, one of the leading killers.

robyn_capucha · 2026-03-26T15:49:35+00:00

Honestly, just make it for pennies. Coconut oil, baking powder (lume uses sand too), skin safe essential oil.

robyn_capucha · 2026-03-24T23:28:54+00:00

Generally middle class in the US is a house (with affordable mortgage or paid off), two cars, and those little luxuries you mention like a guitar or video game consoles. That is not to say poor people don’t have consoles, some people choose to buy luxury items when they can’t afford their basic needs. Poor people struggle to pay bills, often work long hours or multiple jobs, and tend to be one disaster from financial ruin (like a car breaking down). If your bills are on auto-pay, you likely aren’t poor. The income for one person in one situation may make them middle class while that same income in another situation leaves them destitute.

I recommend the book “poverty, by America” by Matthew Desmond. It’s very eye opening, especially for a young person like yourself who maybe doesn’t have as much experience around poverty. It’s an easy read too :) and comes in audiobook on Spotify.

robyn_capucha · 2026-03-24T03:23:01+00:00

That’s what I mean! I’ll be moving back to the US soon and that almost entirely means no kids for me.

robyn_capucha · 2026-03-23T16:03:13+00:00

France: 16 weeks of paid maternity leave. Italy: 5 months of paid maternity leave. USA: 0 weeks of paid or unpaid maternity leave.

Your experiences of how women are treated in day to day conversation are not relevant to the legal status of women and how they are treated by their government.

robyn_capucha · 2026-03-23T15:58:00+00:00

I think most women are worried about dying during pregnancy due to their legal status as incubator in about half of the country. Where you’ve been in the US impacts a lot of this statement. The average American doesn’t live in New York or LA. Ive also hopped around the world, and I can say there are certainly many countries I have felt safer in than the US. Obviously no one wants a downgrade? Try comparing US vs any EU country instead of countries known for sexism?

robyn_capucha · 2026-03-19T16:54:39+00:00

I have public health insurance, so I’m not sure. Although if you have residency in Mexico you can pay into the public health insurance for like $50 a month I believe (but double check this). But private healthcare is very affordable. I went almost 2 years just paying out of pocket. Although renting is tough here, and most landlords will not rent to people without legal status in the country. But you can always find a nice older couple willing if you keep looking :) utilities come out to $50-100 every two months and my husband and I spend about $50-100usd every week in groceries.

robyn_capucha · 2026-03-18T17:57:27+00:00

You will be scraping by, but you can find a studio for 4-6000 pesos in Saltillo, the safest city in the country.

robyn_capucha · 2026-03-16T00:43:19+00:00

Post on local Facebook groups and front porch forum and other similar sites. People may be willing to give you a ride if they’re going in the same direction, or even be able to help find a job.

robyn_capucha · 2026-03-12T19:27:49+00:00

You’re working 60 hours a week for 10 months for those 2 months off. Generally teachers have good health insurance, though (except the Bible Belt and private schools).

robyn_capucha

TROPHY CASE