Did You Know...?

 In a Zero Hedge guest post about Gold: "...it is perfectly legitimate to travel with precious metals. If you're entering, leaving, or transiting through the US, be sure to file FinCEN form 105 if the FACE VALUE of your gold exceeds $10,000.

For example, as a US 1-ounce gold Eagle has a face value of $50, you would need to file the form if you're carrying more than 200 Eagles (not including any additional cash/currency you happen to be carrying).

 It's also worth mentioning that if you are a US taxpayer, foreign safety deposit boxes where you have ultimate custody of your metal are currently non-reportable to Uncle Sam.

 So not only can you make a giant vote against the financial system, you can also regain some privacy.

Bug Out To Sayulita

Thinking Of Bugging Out?

The Activist just released its recommendations for the five best countries to move to.

1. Chile - go to Chile in our winter and spend summer there. "Chile is one of South America's most stable and prosperous nations, a recognized middle power and an emerging economy. It leads Latin American nations in human development, competitiveness, income per capita, globalization, state of peace, economic freedom, and low perception of corruption.  It also ranks high regionally in sustainability of the state."
2. Uruguay - "Uruguay, also in South America, is considered one of the freest, most libertarian countries in the world. This small peaceful country has the charm of Europe, modern infrastructure, a stable economy with agricultural self-sufficiency, world-class tourism activities, and a healthy banking system. Uruguay maintains the highest nominal GDP per capita in South America."
3. Thailand  and
4. Malaysia -  Both countries have very low cost of living. For me, though, it would take a huge adjustment to live in an asian country.
5. Mexico -  Nice to see Mexico on this list. "Mexico is an economic powerhouse and, although they rely heavily on trade with North America, they maintain a high level of food and energy self-sufficiency and have a much freer economy than the US. Also, Mexico's national debt is about 43% of its GDP compared to America's 106% debt-to-GDP.  Healthcare is an entirely free-market system with both public and private options for a fraction of US prices but with similar high quality care."

Mexico would be my choice for a bug out location. I suspect a lot of baby boomers will be eyeing Mexico.

A recent conversation on Mazinfo had an expat seeking info about flour weevils. What to do if you find contaminated food and how to rid your kitchen of it. Stephanie Raney in "How to Get Rid of Flour Weevils and Keep Them Away," writes that you should take all your food out of your cupboards, throw away all that you know is contaminated or that you think might be contaminated. "Be sure to check all sugars, grains, dried beans and breakfast cereals for signs of flour weevils. Do not throw the contaminated food away in your kitchen trashcan you will want to remove it from your home immediately." Then, thoroughly clean and disinfect your cupboards. Even replace the shelf paper.

When you bring in new sugar, flour, cereal, beans etc. first put them in the freezer for four to five days. The freezing will kill any weevils. Raney writes that "...the most important things are to keep foods prone to infestation sealed in airtight containers, to use older food first, and to only buy small amounts of foods that are prone to becoming home to flour weevils at a time. Good advice!

Belize

Photographer: Andrew Hitchcock, Flickr (Creative Commons)

High Brow Magazine suggests Mexico is the rising land of opportunity. Most of the MSM focuses on the violence south of the border, actually I would rather live there than any big city in the U.S., and they focus on the movement of people from south to north. There's another movement, however, and it's inbound migration.

A new study released this month by the Organization of American States (OAS) reported that the documented, foreign-born population in the country increased 45 percent from 2005 to 2010, reaching 850,000 people. Focusing on documented migrants, the OAS study reported that 65,000 immigrants came to Mexico in 2010 alone.

In terms of the national origin breakdown of new immigrants in the three-year period from 2007 to 2010, the study found that most came from the U.S. (10,472), seconded by Colombia (5,563) and followed by Guatemala (5,563). Cuba placed fourth on the list (4,871), Argentina fifth (4,242), Venezuela (3,950) sixth and Honduras seventh (3,755). Smaller populations of between approximately 1200 and 2100 people each hailed from El Salvador, Peru, Canada, Brazil, Chile, and China.

In Mexico, you can work from home and be warm, you can live where family is important, where it's a great place to raise kids, and it's a great place to retire.

The Courage Test

Hammock Musings shares his thoughts with us about a group of Gringos visiting Merida. I like this part:

They will soon be bombarded by brilliant colors, disturbing smells and clashing noises.  A shaded, cool oasis behind doors will provide relief.   Dreams and possibilities may be conceived.   Foreplay has begun as they move from oasis to oasis in this foreign land.

Crossing over is within the capacity of any in the group.  Some seem especially alert and attentive.  They could soon be breathing tropical air and wearing flip flops. Working out the details of a new life. Their whole lives could change in just an instant.  Many have the intuition for adventure but will fail the courage test.

Most of us are still in the foreplay stage. In a couple it's often that one is ready and the other thinks it's just not the right time. I'm constantly amazed by tourists who see a city once and decide right then to go home, sell everything and leave the States or Canada behind.