A diller, a dollar

We have watched with dismay as the dollar continues to sink abysmally against the Euro...today, nearly $1.42. When we were here in March, it was $1.26, and upon our arrival in August, around $1.31. Do the math: in USD, the cost of our 1,700 Euro a month apartment has climbed from $2,227 to its current $2,414. That's an 8% increase in a month. Talk about inflation! If things continue at this rate, by next June, we will be paying more than $4,000 a month!

These increases really hurt with big-ticket items...like tech services. Two days ago, the hard drive on my 4-year-old laptop crashed. (Apparently, with laptops, one year equals 20 human years...so my machine is on its last legs.) The Yellow Pages here (paginas amarillas) are loaded with listings for tecnicos electronicos, many offering in-home service. So I called one and received a prompt visit at 4 p.m. that day. Before calling, I looked up every word I could think of relating to computers, and wrote them all down (another impromptu, do-it-yourself Spanish lesson). Yesterday, my machine was delivered by my exceedingly genial and knowledgeable tech, Michel, along with a bill for...464 Euros! I gulped, then excused myself while I ran down to the bank on the corner and withdrew enough cash to pay the tab. "My goodness," I commented (in Spanish) as I handed over the banknotes, "technical services are much more expensive here than in the U.S.!" After explaining to me that I was paying a premium for 24-hour service, Michel hunched over my calculator, then gave me back 50 Euros, since no parts had been required. (My data is safe, my hard drive is intact, and Outlook (Spanish version) has been reinstalled.) But still.

What this means to me is that it is going to be cheaper for me to buy some products online in the U.S., pay for them with my U.S. dollars, and pay to have them shipped here.

When will the dollar stop its sickening downward skid? Can someone explain this phenomenon to me?

One solution would be for me to obtain my residencia (resident permit), get a job in Spain, and get paid in Euros. Easier said than done...plus, who wants to hire an American lawyer with no knowledge of the Spanish legal system? (I could be wrong about that. I could also change professions.)