Erica and Jeff sat down and did something most people are too polite or too embarrassed to do: they shared their actual monthly budget, line by line, no rounding up, no conveniently missing categories. The total for a full month in Merida, Yucatan, not counting their mortgage payment, came out to $2,020. That covers groceries, a weekly housekeeper, dining out, all utilities, and getting around a city they have lived in without owning a car for nearly a year.

Some of the numbers are genuinely hard to believe if you have been paying American prices your whole life. Their electricity runs about $2 a month thanks to 16 solar panels. A housekeeper comes every Saturday for six-plus hours, cleans everything including the windows, the fridge, and the washer and dryer, and it costs $124 a month total. A root canal, out of pocket, no insurance, runs around $280. Back in Pennsylvania, that same procedure with insurance could cost $1,500 to $2,000.

They are also honest about the parts that are not a straight-line downgrade from American living. Starlink plus a Telmex backup runs about $223 a month. Groceries, between Costco, the local supermarket, and a bulk meat rancher they found, still come to around $752. Jeff has thoughts about Uber as a lifestyle. Erica has thoughts about Jeff's thoughts. It is that kind of episode.

The whole conversation comes with the caveat they repeat more than once: these are their numbers, not yours. Your lifestyle determines your cost, and they are not here to sell you on anything. If you want to watch the full breakdown with visuals, the video is on YouTube. If you found this useful, share it with someone who is thinking about making the move.

Erica and Jeff finally sat down and said the quiet parts out loud. This episode is their running list of the five things that make them grateful they moved to Merida, Yucatan, and the five things that still make them question every decision they've ever made. It's the kind of honest that only comes from actually living somewhere, not just visiting it for a long weekend.

The loves are real — the food, the cost of living, the pace, the way the city actually has a pulse. The hates are also real — the heat that feels like a personal attack, the contractors who vanish like they were never hired, and the slow creep of bureaucratic nonsense that makes a simple errand feel like a spiritual test.

As an American interracial couple who moved from Philadelphia, they're not here to sell you on Mexico. They're here to tell you what it's actually like — the good weeks and the weeks where you're just sweating through your shirt at 7am wondering what you've done.

If this sounds like your kind of show, follow so you never miss an episode, share it with anyone who's ever thought about making a big move, and catch the full video version over on YouTube.

Before you move to Mérida, Mexico, you need to hear this. Erica & Jeff bring in Carlos Bermejo and Juan Lara — co-founders of YucaFriends — and the conversation covers everything expat orientation brochures leave out.

Why does water filtration matter so much? (Hint: cenotes were Mérida's ancient trash system.) What happens when you skip AC maintenance for a season? One client came back to a 25,000-peso CFE bill — and a realtor who'd pocketed the payments. And if you think locking up your house for six months is fine, Juan has a tinaco story with a possible frog involved that will change your mind.

Carlos and Juan break down what actually makes expat life in Mérida work: realistic expectations, vetted contractors, and the willingness to meet the culture where it is. Their closing advice? Don't try to change the people. Just learn two words: cerveza and vino.

Find YucaFriends at yucafriends.com | Facebook & Instagram: @YucaFriends | WhatsApp available via their website.

Juan Pablo from e-control pest control in Mérida, Mexico is back — and this time it gets serious. He walks us through the four animals in Yucatán that expats actually need to know about: scorpions (the small ones are worse — trust us), the Chagas kissing bug (a slow, silent parasite that attacks your heart over 20 years), dengue-carrying mosquitoes, and four venomous snakes. Erica's mom got dengue visiting Mérida. Jeff walked toward a yellow snake and lost the stare-down. Snake antidote can cost up to 35 vials — Jeff's reaction to the price is a full mood. We also bust the biggest pest control myths floating around the expat community in Mexico, and Pablo closes with his best story ever: five cats, one candy factory, zero rats. Pablo's final answer to "Is moving to Mexico a bad idea if you hate bugs?" — you'll want to hear it.

📲 Find Pablo: Instagram & Facebook @econtrolmid | WhatsApp available

We sat down with Juan Pablo, owner of e-control pest control in Mérida, Mexico, and learned that "pest" is a concept — not a definition. Your tolerance level determines whether a single roach is an emergency or just a Tuesday. Pablo walks us through how often expats should actually get pest control service (every two months, more in rainy season), the eco-friendly products he uses — including Green Shot, made from five natural oils — and the homeowner mistakes that make pest problems worse. Spoiler: leaving dishes in the sink is the #1 offender. Living in Mérida isn't about bugs — it's about living in a tropical ecosystem, and Pablo explains the difference. Jeff has several strong opinions. This episode ends on a cliffhanger: four animals in Yucatán that can actually hurt you. That's Part 2.

📲 Find Pablo: Instagram & Facebook @econtrolmid | WhatsApp available

We invited Mariana (Mari) from MaxLife Yucatan onto the show — and if you're thinking about moving to Mexico, this episode might be the most useful 35 minutes you spend this week.

Mari is a Mérida-born immigration lawyer who has spent 6+ years guiding expats through Mexico's residency process. She's seen it all: people who show up to immigration with one day to spare, couples who accidentally let their residency expire because the date format is flipped, and buyers who didn't realize they had zero representation in their property deal.

We cover it all — the consulate-to-canje process, what obligations you have as a resident (most people have no idea), the real estate landscape in Yucatán, and who actually thrives in Mexico long-term.

Funny, practical, and a little humbling. This one's worth saving.

New episodes every Wednesday. Subscribe so you don't miss the next bad idea.

We thought one cat was enough chaos. We were wrong.

Six months into life in Mérida, Mexico, we adopted Milo — a tiny Bengal Tabby kitten who purrs like a motorboat, jumps into everything, and has completely rattled our older cat Leo.

This week we're talking about how we found Milo through a Facebook cat adoption group, the mildly suspicious Uber ride to pick him up (shards of glass on the gate, no doorbell, and someone else's house), what the first introduction between the cats actually looked like, and why vet care in Mexico — including house calls — costs a fraction of what it would in the US.

Is a second cat a bad idea? Another bad idea... approved.

Living abroad sounds amazing… until your parents come to visit.

In this episode we talk about Erica’s parents visiting Mérida, Mexico for the first time and everything that comes with hosting family when you live overseas.

Jeff had the job of preparing the house before they arrived which meant scrubbing walls, battling mildew from the humidity, and trying to make everything look perfect before the in-laws landed.

We talk about:

• Hosting parents while living abroad
• Preparing your home in Mexico for visitors
• What family members think when they visit Mexico
• The funny realities of expat life

Welcome back to This Might Be a Bad Idea, where love, life, and chaos collide.