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Lachouette

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Posts posted by Lachouette

    Laundry charges

    in B&B/Chambres d'Hôtes Owners

    Posted

    [quote user="Lachouette"]We've been trying our local CAT laundry when we've been  overwhelmed by bed changes but have yet to succeed in getting them to charge us anything other than the normal punter rate to do the sheets and duvet covers.  .

    [/quote]

    Just an update.........CAT will iron what we've washed and dried for 1.36€ a kilo.  This is brilliant when you consider the hassle of ironing bedding when you're already tired doing meals and cleaning rooms!

    Jan

    Warm Croissants or not????

    in B&B/Chambres d'Hôtes Owners

    Posted

    [quote user="Quillan"]

    If you have a 'Drakes' lorry pass your neck of the woods you can ask them for frozen Croissants and Choco's. These are not cooked and are very small. You take them out and shove them in the oven for 10 minutes and you have fresh cooked bread. Leaves a nice smell in the house but as said if your timing is out and the guests arrive before the bread is cooked you can have a problem. I tried them once and they are actually quite good but it's still quicker for me to go and get them from the shop.

    [/quote]

    Thes sound like the same frozen croissants you can buy at Metro.  They work better if you get them out before you get to bed the previous night.  By morning they have defrosted and risen beautifully, and all the 'breakfast chef' needs do if egg wash them and pop them in the oven to bake.  Voilà............instant warm and very fresh croissants without the bother of leaving the house!

    Jan

    Laundry charges

    in B&B/Chambres d'Hôtes Owners

    Posted

    [quote user="betoulle"]Now that's what I call a reasonable price - in fact taking Quillan's figures I think it would be virtually the same as doing it yourself.....  [/quote]

    ..............but without the hassle of actually having to do it yourself!

    You have my sympathies for the wedding party tonight - I've never known one manage to get up for a reasonable time for breakfast then leave in time for you to do changeovers.

    Bon courage,

    Jan

    Laundry charges

    in B&B/Chambres d'Hôtes Owners

    Posted

    [quote user="betoulle"]

    I can understand the need to send laundry out though if you are providing evening meals every night as the OP is - I don't know how you manage what is basically a dinner party every night with all the cleaning, washing, breakfast preparation, gardening,

    [/quote]

    That basically is our problem..............nearly everyone who stays eats with us as around these parts it's hard to find a decent restaurant.  Believe me, clearing up after a professional chef + being his commis, as well as all the other stuff leads to swift exhaustion after too many nights on the trot without a break!

    No-one in tonight so head chef fishing this afternoon and Madame La Plonge wasting her time....maybe I should get on and find that roller press.

    Jan

    Laundry charges

    in B&B/Chambres d'Hôtes Owners

    Posted

    [quote user="betoulle"]

     6,614 euros is 120 room nights at the original posters room rate (from his website)..........

    [/quote]

    I know this is off track...........but what do you mean 'from his website'?  I may wear trousers (some say the trousers) but Richard's the bloke in this organisation!

    Am now looking around for some idea of the price of a steam press/roller to ease the sheet ironing hassle and time.

    Jan

    Laundry charges

    in B&B/Chambres d'Hôtes Owners

    Posted

    [quote user="betoulle"]

    I presume approx 20 pillowcases were also sent....

    [/quote]

    We decided that if we sent the large items to the laundry we could manage the pillowcases easily - after all at the rate of 4 per double room, you can get a lot in a 7kg machine and they dry and iron so much more easily than the big things.  I think I've seen 0.50€ as the CAT rate but that might have been the commercial rather than Jo Public rate.  I've no idea what rate they charge for washing and drying towels as we don't have enough to send them away and not see them again for a couple of days!  The idea of having masses of bedding and towels is an appealing one, but with 5 rooms that's a lot of stuff to store, along with duvets not in use even when things are interchangeable amongst the room.

    Quillan's calculations are impressive............and maybe if we had more room we get could a second washing machine in to ease the load if we're busy.  The biggest pain is ironing the bedding, but that subject's been well aired here before.

    Jan

    Laundry charges

    in B&B/Chambres d'Hôtes Owners

    Posted

    We've been trying our local CAT laundry when we've been  overwhelmed by bed changes but have yet to succeed in getting them to charge us anything other than the normal punter rate to do the sheets and duvet covers.  I'd be interested to hear what others pay if they send their bedding 'out' to be washed, dried and ironed, and what sort of quantity they dispatch.

    Thanks

    Jan

    milk powder

    in French Food and Wine

    Posted

    Yes............and it's called lait en poudre.  Casino and Carrefour do their own brand, so I'm sure the other supermarkets do too, and there's a branded product from Regilait if my memory serves me correctly.

    Jan

    Duplication of social security number

    in Earning a Living

    Posted

       [quote user="oscar"]Lachouette, how did you find out that your number had been duplicated?  That's quite worrying. [/quote]

    As I said earlier, I'd heard from RSI that they would be the only caisse collecting my cotisations in 2008, and that they'd do this on behalf of the others, to simplify my life!  It's turned out to be anything but simple.  After several fruitless, 'there's no need to worry' sort of conversations with RSI about the lack of schedule for this year's payments, I asked the French médiatrice  of an association I belong to to phone RSI on my behalf.  She also phoned URSSAF as they continued to collect payments and eventually one or other of them admitted, when pressed, that I actually had the same social security number as Suzanne in Poitou Charente.  I've now been in touch with her and we share a common birth month and year, hence the duplication of a large part of our number............but why they gave the rest of my number away I don't know.  I'm sure it was mine first.

    A strongly worded letter has been received by both URSSAF and RSI for the Haute Vienne, and when I hear from them I'll post more news.  I'm not the only person in this immediate area not paying cotisations when up to now everything's been going smoothly, and another member of the assocation has made payments for someone living in Pas de Calais!

    Duplication of social security number

    in Earning a Living

    Posted

    Just to keep people up to date, particularly Cassis.............I emailed and Suzanne rang me that evening!  Great help from the forum!

    She too is having problems and had no idea that someone else might have the same number as her.  It'll be interesting to see how the RSI etc sort this one out.

    Jan

    Duplication of social security number

    in Earning a Living

    Posted

    We registered our B & B business in my name in 2004 and up to now have been paying cotisations to RSI, Organic and URSSAF.  Last September I received a letter from RSI saying that to simplify life, the payments to all three would be paid to them.  To cut a long story short, I've only paid the usual amount plus a bit to URSSAF, nothing to anyone else, and I now discover that I have the same social security number as someone called Suzanne Thorn(e) living in Poitou Charente and that there seems to be a total ***** up going on!!!

    I would like to contact Suzanne, for obvious reasons, so if you're reading this, or know her, please contact me.

    Jan

    In the Limousin

    Cotisations

    in Earning a Living

    Posted

    If it makes you feel any better.................I've been registered and paying cotisations to the 3 caisses by prelevement automatique since 2004.  Usually I receive notification for the year's payments by the end of the previous year, but for 2008 I only heard from URSSAF, and that's the only payment I've been making this year so far.  I've rung RSI twice now to ask what's going on, as I received a letter from them last year saying all 3 payments were being rolled into one, and it would be to them.  I like to think it's because we make so little money!

    If anyone else is in my boat I'd be pleased to hear about it as I fear an almighty bill when it finally arrives.

    Jan

    which bedding

    in B&B/Chambres d'Hôtes Owners

    Posted

    [quote user="Barbel Bob"]

    Thanks so far..........prob go for the duvets then, do you use protectors on everything? pillows & duvet as well as mattress protectors...........not sure whether to buy waterproof mattress protectors or just normal ones?

    [/quote]

    I don't use a protector on duvets and so far (fingers crossed) all's been well but do use an underpillowcase on pillows and an ordinary mattress protector as well as a cheapy terry sheet to keep things snug under the bottom sheet.  I wouldn't want to sleep on a waterproof mattress protector and only put one on a bed if I know a small child's coming to stay.

    Jan

    which bedding

    in B&B/Chambres d'Hôtes Owners

    Posted

    I agree with Cerise...........duvets of varying thicknesses and no top sheet.  In our 5 years this has worked well and we have more French and other European guests than those from the UK.  We've only once been asked for a top sheet!  White is a life saver when you have a lot of changes.

    The hardest problem with bedding, apart from all the washing and ironing, is storing spare pillows and duvets.

    Jan

    Chambre d'hotes Lose Tax Break?

    in B&B/Chambres d'Hôtes Owners

    Posted

    My understanding is that this is a new introduction!  The Winter 07/08 edition of the Gites de France national newletter announces that under certain conditions rural gites and chambres d'hôtes can be let off part of the payment of their taxe d'habitation but as the new law (Loi de finances pour 2007, les articles 1383 E bis et 1407 111 du code général) was announced so late it's possible that it will not be in operation during the first year.  To benefit this year, the form had to be filled in and sent off before 31 December 07!

    If you go to the 'particuliers' part of www.impots.gouv.fr and type chambres d'hôtes into the search facility, the article in question comes up, along with the necessary forms and notice.

    Jan

    Advertising prices

    in B&B/Chambres d'Hôtes Owners

    Posted

    We are with Gites de France, and not only do we have to display our prices on the back of bedroom doors, but also outside, so people can see in advance - ours are on a notice by our front door.  Gites de France guides for tourists actually state that the price per room includes breakfast for all those in the room, so if this particular CdH was a Gites de France member, I think you should write to the regional GdF office and complain.

    Jan

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