Do We REALLY Need a Bank Account?

Hi! It's Kiki!

Welcome back to Global Community Park!

I have a question.  This week I was contacted by my bank because they are adding new fees and changing some rules that'll take more money from us and take away the biggest perk I enjoyed at the bank.  You see, my bank like many others, had a policy that we can take out up to 1,000 USD over our deposits in case of an emergency.

Well, I've used it twice, once when we had to stay in a hotel after losing our possessions in a fire, and another time to move out of the hotel and into a house, this house.  They are taking that away and also adding monthly fees.

Are banks going the way of the
dinosaur??

That got me to thinking.  DO I REALLY NEED A BANK ACCOUNT?

I remember when people started getting rid of their landline telephones.  I remember how hard it was for me to accept the concept of not having a landline telephone in my house.  I had a cell and a landline and some people around me didn't have a landline.  I told them I had mine for convenience but after, when I got home, I thought about it and wondered it if I needed a landline. Now, hardly anyone has a landline phone, most of us only have cellphones.

But, back to banks.  I started wondering if I need my bank account at all.  Now we have paypal accounts that can issue debit cards and checks on request, and we can pick up any prepaid Visa at the store, put money on it, and use it anywhere and you can get a money market account just by registering for E-Trade.

Now, I'm deciding whether to close my bank account all together. I'm travelling globally and I can put the money I want to spend on a Prepaid Visa and on a credit card.  My savings can also be put on a Prepaid Visa and in a house safe.  I just don't see the need for a bank account anymore.

I know people who don't use paper in their mailing practices so they don't send or receive letters through a postal service.  They say all they recieve in the mail now is junk mail and solicitations.  They decided they don't need a physical mailing address, just their computers and cellphones.

The world is changing!  What do you think?  Am I forgetting something? I really want to know.  That's all for today! Have a wonderful day and don't forget to leave a comment.

Couldn't sign off without leaving a picture.  That piece of land in the
distance is an island called Coronado, USA  


Remember to share the link below:

Remember to share this link:            

HELP CRYSTAL  DENNIS

YUM YUM! MEXICAN PIZZA! Come with me Walking to the Grocery Store and Pizza Shop in Mexico!!

Hi! It's Kiki!  and

Welcome back to Global Community Park!!
On Sunday I ventured out of the complex to the local "7 Eleven type" store and mini strip mall called OXXO.  I vlogged the experience and for some reason I couldn't import the footage.  I've never had that happen before!

So I (luckily) took pictures too and I can share my walk with you that way.

This is my walk through the alley behind my house.  I'm going to the park

Here is a view from the park back to the houses.  That large house
is probably my favorite in the whole complex.  It looks like a castle
(albeit, a very SMALL castle)!  But really cool, nonetheless!

The park again walking through 

This arrow is pointing to the guard station.  Anyone coming in that
doesn't live here has to check in and leave their driving license with the
guard.

Here I'm crossing the bridge going to the OXXO, but I'm looking back at the
complex.  (how do you like my finger in the lense  LOL)

And here is the mall.  It takes approx 8 minutes to get here
from my house.

A closer look.  I love the pizza at this mall.  It's called Luigios
and it tastes like Domino's Pizza (yum).   Allot of people here
work, or worked in the U.S. at restaurants and they bring the
skills they learned in their kitchens, here and open restaurants. 
 So the food here is very good.  This pizza place also has
a bakery inside.  Most of the stores here have a bakery inside. 

This is my walk back to my house from the alley side.  It's about 3 blocks in.
I had this much better on a video.  Hopefully I can get it on here and share
the walk in a vlog with you.

Here's the beach again. I took this picture because
it reminds me of the 1960's Soap Opera, "Dark Shadows".
I have the DVD's and love to watch them. 

One thing I dislike about this area are the cobblestone streets.
They hurt your feet.  I had to buy some clogs so my feet won't hurt
when I walk.  I also love them, because they resemble the streets
in Italy, so very pretty!  I guess you can't have everything!  

Here are more close ups of the cobblestones that are throughout the
community.  Ouch!

That's it for today's entry. Thanks for letting me share with you once again.

GO FUND ME CAMPAIGN:CRYSTAL DENNIS UPDATE

There's a new song video on the GO FUND ME campaign I'm supporting.  Hard to 

believe there are no donations yet.  I think more will donate starting next week when

people start to get money again.  

The campaign has been on for 5 days (the length

on the page is not correct), and not the 18 days that it says on the campaign.  

I pray that someone will find it in their heart to help this very talented and deserving 

singer who happens to be blind.  She does not let her disability hold her back and

she is so filled with hope and promise.  

Please donate help her get to Chicago, USA so

she can fulfill her dream of recording her first CD?  

Her studio time is tentatively 

scheduled for late August will be vlogged from beginning to finish for viewing to

those who donate at a level that is yet to be determined. 

Click here to DONATE and if you can't donate right now,
please share her story with your friends and family



SEE YA NEXT TIME!

KIKI!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!

Hi! It's Kiki!

Welcome back to Global Community Park!

There's allot of activity out on the ocean today.  I saw some dolphins swimming by.  

I was reading up on dolphins since they swim by here allot and the dolphin society in Florida (sorry I forgot the name, but I'll find out and let you know), but the society says that we shouldn't swim out to swim with the dolphins because whenever they are en route they are performing a ritual.  They are either swimming to mate, or learning to find food (they said more than likely, it's a mother and baby).  They also ask us not to feed them because they'll start relying on humans to feed them and never develop the ability to hunt for themselves.  

So I just have to watch. But it is a beautiful sight that I hope to show you one day.

As I was writing this, a flock of pelicans flew by my patio. My patio is high up so they fly very close and often. I want to share so many of my experiences here on this blog. But I can't put it all in one post. So I'll stop trying.

Today I'm going out of the complex and I'm taking you with me!  

You'll see where I get my daily sustenance.  Well, not daily, but when I run out of bread and milk and other small things, I'll go there. They have more product than we have here inside the complex at the general store.

So come back later this evening or tomorrow if that's better for you to see some of Mexico outside of the gated community.  

I'm glad people are enjoying this blog. I am enjoying writing it. 

I'd love to hear from some of you because I have a feeling some of you are expats, have been expats, or desire to become expats.  I'm liking reporting on Mexico so much that I have a hard time switching gears to tell you about my 3 years in Vermont.

But today, once again, I'll share Mexico with you.  Check back soon for pictures of my trip to OXXO (pronounced  EX  O accent on the ex) mini mart.


once again   HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!!

TODAY IS A GOOD DAY TO HELP THIS TALENTED SINGER ACHIEVE HER DREAM

Crystal lost her Father in a car accident when she was only 10 years old. Shortly after that, also at 10 years old, she went blind.  Life has given Crystal many challenges and yet she manages to keep a positive attitude.  She sings like an angel and deserves to make this CD. 

Remember that no amount is too small.  If you can't donate at this time, please share the link with your friends and family.

Part 2

Hi and welcome to Global Community Park!

OK, so I went out today and took pictures at OUR community park here in this expat community.  Lots of people were out and about after all, it IS Saturday.

I walked around and went to the store that we have here right on the grounds.  We have a general store, and 4 restaurants that we can go to without even leaving the gated community.  We also have a barber shop with a guy who also does women's hair because he worked at a beauty salon for 20 years in the US before he came down here and a bakery.  Anyway, here are some pictures of the complex as promised.  Decided to add a youtube channel to go with this blog. Should be up by next week. For now, enjoy the pics!

 Here are some pics of the park

 Cool Rock Formation in this Park

This is an indoor/outdoor restaurant on the grounds

Just a peek at the grounds on the other side (the non-beach/pool side) of the community

Thanks for checking back!  

Hello and welcome again to Global Community Park!

Today I'm going to walk the grounds of this gated expat community and take pictures for you all to see.  I have to be careful because we have alot of millionaires that live here and they like their privacy.

Two houses away from me and my little rented house, there is a new family who moved here from Spain.  They are adding a courtyard to their house that goes out onto the beach and also adding improvements to the house that's costing them $6 million dollars!  I can't wait to see it finished but if the house blocks my view of the ocean, I'm  moving.  That's the advantage of renting rather than buying a house on the beach.

So come back this evening and I'll give you an inside look on this beautiful place.  Now today, I'm going to the park side, not the beach side. I have pictures of the beach posted already and I'll leave one here for you today. Come back and see more later!  Have a good day! and don't forget to help the blind Celtic Music singer realize her dream of making her 1st CD by clicking on this link and sharing it with your family and friends or donating yourself.

Welcome back to the Global Community Park! This is Kiki!

I wanted to explain the name of this blog.  You see, when I was raising my kids who are now 26 and 29 years old, my favorite place to take them, besides Disneyland, was to the Community Park. For those of you who aren't familiar with the term. These are beautiful parks that are set up in different neighborhoods.  Most have areas for kids to play, BBQ pits to cook in, swimming pools or lakes to enjoy, community jacuzzis and spas and all sorts of things to use that would cost alot if you owned them.  But you get to use them totally free and all day.

Well my new community park will be the global community.  I love getting to know about other people in other countries.  I'd like to invite the community to join in and share with us the many places they have visited.  I'd like this to be a place where we share pictures and stories and experiences of our lifetimes.

My personal goal is to start traveling to other countries and experiencing what the world has to offer.  My first stop was however, in the U.S. in a small town in Vermont that was similar to being in another country. I'm also gonna share my experience in Mexico. Actually, I feel more at home in Mexico than in Vermont.

I think I'll share an experience in Mexico first.  Right now I live in an expat community, but I travel outside from it quite often.  I actually had to speak Spanish more often in California than I do here in Mexico so I like to go out of the expat community every so often so I force myself to speak Spanish.

When I first got settled here, my neighbor took me to the shopping mall to pick up some groceries.  I was pleasantly surprised to see a Walmart, Home Depot, Office Depot, McDonalds, I felt right at home.

At this time, I don't have a car, so I get a taxi when I need to go shopping. The taxi costs 6 USD one way. One time a driver charged me 10 USD I forgot to ask him before I got into the cab, how much it would cost.  I won't make that mistake again!

It's so pretty here that I wish I could get into the water more often.  The beach is beautiful! Since I've been here I've been imagining myself also visiting other places like Belgium, Italy, United Arab Emirates, and Thailand.

Let me know where you've thought of visiting.

Here is a picture of the beach right outside my door.

Check out this Go Fund Me Campaign.  If you can't donate, please share it with your family, friends, and your social network! Let's help this blind singer out:

 http://www.gofundme.com/crystaldennismusic

Welcome to My Blog!!

I don't know what's been happening lately but we are getting more brave as Americans.  With house hunting going international and expat communities popping up all over the world, Americans are discovering a new way of living.

I started thinking way when at the beginning of this year (2015), I was displaced due to a fire inside my apartment.  I was living in a hotel in a small one room suite, and searching for 5 months for an apartment.  The ones I could find were too small and wanted too much.  Moving in fees were almost enough to secure the USA national debt!!

2 months rent and a months security.  I needed 3,000 just to move in and they required a 700+ credit score and a $145 application fee to tell me my score was too low. Then, I needed to have a monthly income of $4,000. a month, another requirement.  Whatever happened to just asking your last few landlords if you paid your rent on time.  I'd pass that one with flying colors!!

Anyway, this pushed me out of the United States and right into Mexico.  The USA is pushing alot of people out because there are whole communities of Americans down here.  Not only am I paying half of the rent, but I didn't need a major overhaul to get a house here. That is what I'll share with you in this blog and I'm looking forward to it. For now, I'll share my sunset with you. I hope this will be delightful for you.

Here is Sunset as seen from my patio.