Quillan

Look at the following (use http://babelfish.altavista.com/ for translation) http://www.livingfrance.com/instantforum/shwmessage.aspx?ForumID=17&MessageID=3504 http://www.livingfrance.com/instantforum/shwmessage.aspx?ForumID=17&MessageID=3522 http://www.livingfrance.com/instantforum/shwmessage.aspx?ForumID=17&MessageID=3524   This will give you a start, you can then try searching through this part of the Forum on keywords you have found in the above links. It's all here (somewhere) all you have to do is find it. The info is sound as I used it to register and had no problems.

Have a look at.: http://www.livingfrance.com/instantforum/shwmessage.aspx?ForumID=17&MessageID=3504 and follow the links, they are in French but you can use a online translator like http://babelfish.altavista.com/  

I think it works out at around €600 per day.

"In fact, I have looked at the autumn stuff here and there is absolutley nothing that I would want to buy at the prices even say Kiabi are asking." Pat told me, as I dutifully followered her around Toulous with my wallet at the ready (what fun lads), that the cloths for 'the fuller figured woman' were like something your granny would wear. It would seem that French women are expected (in fashion terms) to stay a size 10 to 12 until they are about 65 years old. The problem for me now is that Pat wants to return every 3 or 4 months for some retail therapy, I shall therefore need some serious wallet therapy there after, are there any support groups I can join chaps?

[quote]All this discussion about supermarkets is very intersting, but only a small proportion of or weekly budget goes on food. If you cook from scratch you can eat cheaply and well on very lttle, especially...[/quote] One thing I have found cheaper IS car maintance. Over £500 for a full service on my Discovery in the UK, only €380 for the same service in France through a main agent. Before anyone says anything I have to use a main dealer whilst the car is in warranty.

I actually read this some time back. Our doctor, for some strange reason, has only finance magazines in his waiting room (the name of the magazine I can’t remember) which said the same thing. It also had lots of charts with price comparisons (in cost per square metre) for all over the country and over the last 5 years.   Perhaps he puts them there to depress you before you go in and anything he tells you will sound good after reading the magazines.

The thing about comparisons is like for like. I only compaired brand names not outlet named goods eg. cat food, we feed out cats Felix pouches, £3.98 in Asda €4.20  (£3.07 @ €1.4 to £)in Champions, just one example. Melons £1.50 in UK €1.00 in Champions (these are ASDA prices by the way). Now we can buy unbranded cat and dog food but the animals won't eat it. I don't like ASDAS or Tesco tinned toms or backed been because they are a lot cheaper and more runny. So if you have to live on a very tight budget it may be cheaper but if you like quality produce you pay for it and it costs more in the UK/ Cheap cloths in Matalan are better quality than in France plus they go to size 22 for women in all products, something they don't do in France (wife says they don't go over a 14 normally). Matalan stuff is very cheap even compaired to our cheap shops here and the markets. I bought loads of thick cotton shirts in Matalan, 2 for £6. They are the same as I bought 2 years ago before I moved and have lasted very well. I do think that the quality of supermarkets in the UK are much better than France (layout and ease of use) but then we have just had out Champions and LeClerc updated and now they are more like UK supermarkets.

The Tesco and Asda stores are virtually side by side and to be honest there was not much difference in price between the two, probably due competition between them. I noticed in the past that store prices can vary depending on the local competition and from one area to another. They also have different produce depending on the 'class' status of the area would you believe, suppose thats pie and mash in East London and smoked salmon in the south of London

[quote]Mr Kenway, where were you with this information when I needed you, in my mega-squabble over on TF with jasonito? SB exits stage left, muttering darkly about chivalry, damsels in distress etc.[/quote] Sorry

Having just got back from the UK (first visit in 20 months and glad to be back in France) I had the opportunity to go round my old supermarket and did some price comparisons on the items we buy in France on a weekly basis. I have to say that the UK is now cheaper than France with the exception of meat. Even vegetables are cheaper in the UK. France is defiantly not a cheap place to live. Many of our guests from Germany, Belgium and Spain have all complained about prices in France this year. The only things I could find that were more than France were fag’s petrol and wine.

You should try it down here (Aude). We live in the foothills of the Pyrenees (the mountains start to rise about 100M from our house). Loads of Brits come down this way thinking it will be nice and warm then when winter comes with the snow, rain and ice they then talk about moving to Spain although this last winter it was not much better there either.   The winters are shorter but we don’t get off that easily, we get much the some as every one else it’s just crammed in to a shorter time scale. The other side of the coin is that we have had about 5 hours of rain since May. We are lucky to have the river and irrigate the garden by pumps although all the grass is brown at the moment. If you like cepe (spelling wrong I think) mushrooms expect to pay a lot this year as there are none at the moment.

In the UK you have 2 years of NHS treatment entitlement after you stop paying NI. If you are of retirement age then you no longer contribute, if you are under retirement age you have to ‘sign on’ and in doing so you automatically get your NI stamp paid which entitles you to use the NHS and contributes towards your state pension. So technically you don’t get NHS treatment for free. Unfortunately the ability of the NHS to check that everyone has ‘contributed’ is very poor and even if you are asked for your NI number nobody bothers to pursue it if you tell you can’t remember it although I believe this is gradually being tightened up.   Even if you live abroad but hold a UK passport you can pay in to the UK system for your pension only (class 3 stamp), it is not possible to pay towards NHS or unemployment benefit.   Many, many people go down the E111 route which is fine if you have an accident like get run over etc but for other treatments like for example cancer you are not covered. You will find that you still have to pay (in France anyway) and claim the money back when you return to the UK. Annual travel insurance may help but there are clauses as somebody stated recently and you will have to prove you were on holiday not an extended stay. You could go down the BUPA route but as I said that is mainly for people who work away from the UK on contract work or are sent by their company. In this case you will be paid in the UK and therefore make NI contributions.   I am glad you have decided to ‘stick with it’ with regards to staying in the French system. The 8% is not really as bad as you think if you compare it to your UK contributions and the way they are calculated (they are taken before tax and personal allowances). I guess if I wanted to complain about anything with the French system it would be the 10% they take from everyone to pay for the previous years deficit and I was not even here when they ran the debt up put as I choose to live here I guess I have to pay.   The ‘top up’ insurance is also not as bad as it seems and as a family where both of us have to have drugs to keep us alive and/or increase our quality of life we are actually better off. Our dentistry and glass’s are paid for and we don’t pay for any prescriptions (which exceeded £60 per month in the UK) and it only costs us just over 900€ per year for both of us so we have had our money back probably twice. The only thing we have ever had to wait for has been an eye test.   I think that judging by what others are written most of us that live here year round are very happy with the French medical system even though we may feel it costs a lot. My own mother-in-law is presently in the last two or three days of her life due to cancer (there seems to be a lot around at the moment) and since being taken to St Bart’s Hospital in London for chemotherapy has contracted both Chicken Pox and Pneumonia from within the hospital. In comparison to the treatment and standard of care my friend’s wife is receiving in Carcassonne St Bart’s looks like a third world medieval hospital. So I for one don’t mind paying and it worries me that the quality of the French health service will drop to English standards if more people try to circumnavigate the system hence my previous comments. I also think and believe I am right, that those of us that do pay get really niffed about those that don’t but should.   Quick note: I type in Word and reduce to 10 pitch then cut and paste for posting. In my last post it didn’t work 100% and made it look like I was shouting which was not my intention. Hope it doesn’t do it again, sorry for that.    

[quote]Hi All,95% of the up dates on SP2 are not relevant to most users. The important up dates are Explorer and outlook express which can be done from the MS website fairly quickly.Also, if you have any MS ...[/quote] I am sorry but your comments are not totally true, you should look at http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/winxppro/maintain/sp2chngs.mspx in the TechNet library on the Microsoft website. There is a certain amount to do with internet and email security but there are a lot more other 'things' that it fix's or enhances. With regards to the use of 'keys' new corporate keys were isssued some time back and as part of the install proceedure of Windows XP (the bit when it downloads the updated setup program from the internet) the old keys are removed and the installation will not proceed. It is nothing to do with the installation of SP2.

[quote]If you are not employed in UK eg: retired, private income etc. Then you have a choice to either pay class C NI contributions or not. Entitlement to National Health Service treatment is based on reside...[/quote] I don’t know where you are really coming from with these comments but to be honest if I read them as you have written them then you are either a) very stupid or b) very naïve or c) had some very bad advice or just didn’t do your homework.   Some weeks back I wrote a piece about some friends of ours that have tried to circumnavigate the French system but unfortunately one of them developed cancer which may prove fatal. They are being treated in a French hospital and now have a horrendous bill to pay which may result in the forced sale of their French home. It has already resulted in the confiscation of their UK passports by the gendarmes until the issue of payment for the treatment is resolved.   Your comment of “but like all Frenchman I'm looking for a loophole!” is really quite silly, nobody likes paying tax etc wherever they live but it’s a fact of life and as you have decided to live in France you pay their tax’s and social contributions and slighting the French won’t do you any favours either.   With regard to you now living and residing in France, you are now classed as resident because as you previously said you are paying social charges (by your own admittance). Therefore under current UK law you will be treated as a non resident in the UK and technically will have to pay for doctors etc (there was a post on the old forum about this some time back), my wife had to do this on a recent visit to the UK (£30 for a doctor).   This sort of attitude really makes me angry. So much information has been given on this forum about the French system and what you pay, most of it by people fare more qualified than I. You can’t beat the system so don’t even try and as far as your comments on freedom of choice is concerned you have one, pay up or go home if you don’t like it.

[quote]I received my Carte Vitale at the end of August after asking for one in my name several months ago. Until now, I have been on my husband's. I must say it will be more convenient for me to have one in ...[/quote] I got mine first with both our names on and then Pat goes hers a few weeks later. I notice she is still on mine but I am not on hers.

[quote]I have been advised elsewhere on this forum that it is not possible to live in France and opt out of the state healthcare system and go 100% private. BUPA for example have tailor made contracts for Eu...[/quote] Firstly it is correct that if you are a resident in France for more than 180 days you have to be a part of the French system. You can only (I think) get 100% private insurance if you are refused entry to the French system. Secondly, I have been a memeber of BUPA for many years in the Uk and when I spoke to them about coming to France all they could ofer was the equivelent of a top-up insurance which was the same number as the cost of a French one but in pounds so it would have cost around 50% more. The type of European cover (and international cover) offered to people is for workers, say computer consultants, who work via a UK company and travel the world working for 6 months in this country and six months in another etc etc. By all means speak to them (BUPA) but I don't think you will find what you are looking for. With regards to opting out of any state system I don't think you will find you can. I appreciate you are retired and drawing a pension but you should have costed out your living expences in France before you came and included your health cover. The French health system is far better than in England (read the other post about French hospitals) but there is a price, and it's more than in the UK but then you pay for what you get. Perhaps the UK system would be better if they charged people more for their NI contributions and stopped treating people who arrive in the UK with no money and have never paid anything in (like France). Of course I appreciate the human rights issues but then for those that activly support them then let them pay more NI, another 10% to 15% perhaps should sort things out.

[quote]Hi Chris We have the same terms as you. However, my lovely bank has charged me 2 euros for paying in Euro Travellers Cheques, which is I suppose better than the 21 euros they charged for the 150 eur...[/quote] Maggie, It's good wheeze for the banks these Travellers Cheques, here is a tip. Take cash for the cheques then pay the cash in. If you ask them to put them straight in to your account they charge but to pay cash they can't, it's illegal and is covered by the terms of the Travellers Cheques people. My bank is really good becasue they know that I know if you know what I mean so no money actually crosses my palm but on the computer it's paid to me in cash then paid in to my bank account as cash. Try it and see what happens.

Hi Miki, Sorry I shoud have explained, we are talking Euro's only. The law is that it must not cost more than the internal cost (say moving from one account in France to another persons account in France) of moving Euros when moving Euroes between other Euro states. So it costs 5€ to move money between say France and Germany or Spain. England, not being in the Euro zone, can charge what it likes although the norm is around £25 via a bank. Interesting to note Teamedup's comment because I checked in my Franch bank, it costs less to send money to England from France than to send it to France from England. As I said we get people to send us Euro Travellers Cheques by registered post, it costs them to buy but nothing for us to cash and they have the grief. Having said all this we hardly ever ask for a deposit, it's to complicated. We have had one no show in two seasons (they did email us about 10:00pm on the night they were suppose to be here). We do make it very clear than unless previously agreed we reserve the right to re-let the room after 18:00 but we are running a B&B not a gite which I apprecieate is very different when it comes to re-letting at short notice. I guess I am very lucky but it works for me (and her).

I’m in the wrong part of the Forum because I run a B&B but the payment and deposit issue is the same.   Our terms are quite simple, cash, Euro Travellers Cheques (these cost us nothing to cash) or French bank cheques. We don’t have a UK bank account any more because we live in France and anyway English banks want loads of money to transfer the money across (£25 if you are with the Abbey). We don’t have credit/debit card facilities which we thought would be a problem but it isn’t. Bank transfers also work and are very common in Europe you just give the account name, IBAN and BIC numbers and it costs the sender 5 Euros for the transaction so you don’t loose anything. As somebody already stated the banks are 'switched on' and fraud does not happen. I guess the systems you look at (as the person collecting the money) are those that cost you nothing, hence we don’t have a card machine.

[quote]I agree with pretty well everything said above. We certainly offer to provide a meal on our clients' arrival, as almost always they have had a full day travelling down to us. It seems to be in the sp...[/quote] 'Spreading the money about' is I think very important also the ability to cook regional food which to be quite honest a French restaurant will beat you hands down at.   We live in an area of exceptional high un-employment and the mayor is very keen to attract visitors so we like to think, like you, that giving everyone a ‘bite of the apple’ is the correct way to do things.   Charging wise we charge 25€ per head which includes and aperitif, wine with the meal, Blanquette, a brandy and coffee. Food wise we offer a starter, main course, cheese and desert. What we can’t make (Booze and cheese) we buy locally, again to help others and to give clients a taste of local produce. I have to say that going this route is not always cheap. All our wine is bottled and we don’t pay less than 5€ a bottle, none of this cheap stuff in a carafe.

Being very keen when we started we applied for a Grand Restaurant Licence and did evening meals. I’m a great one for costing things (legacy from my previous life) and like to think I’m reasonably good at it. People often make the mistake of costing the basic ingredients and not the services (gas and electricity) required and time taken which is often the largest cost.   We soon discovered that cost properly that there really was not much money in it, sometimes none at all. Having said that there is at times a large enjoyment factor and sometimes after an excellent meal with superb company it feels a bit of a cheek to charge them.   Our attitude is that we will do a meal for late arrivals providing they pre-book. Like others here we prefer to use fresh veg etc and where applicable from the garden which is semi organic (I use chemicals sometimes when I really have to hence the semi bit).   We have about 4 or 5 restaurants in Quillan which is 5 mins away plus an Auberge about 1 minutes walk away, ideal for those what want to drink and not drive. These restaurants cater for most types of food from Pizza upwards to local/regional cuisine and are very good value and cheaper than we have to charge.   I do take the stand that’s it’s a good idea to ‘spread the money’ around a bit, we get guests and there is no reason why other local business’s can’t earn a few bob as well. This attitude does us well and they often recommend us to people looking for rooms, it’s sort of a help each other attitude.   There is one small problem, the winter or out of season. Many of the restaurants close (3 closed for the winter on the 1st Sept would you believe) and guests find it difficult to find places to eat so this year we are going to try half board on our winter breaks, ‘her in doors’ is currently working on some menus and we will see how it goes although I feel it will still be little money for a lot of work.

The last two points are interesting and quite valid. The diesel option is the way to go if you can afford it. These are bigger beasts and this is reflected in the price, they often have a power take off like a real miniature tractor. I would have loved one but the wife wouldn’t swallow the 9,000€, spoils all my fun.   I forgot to mention side and rear ejection. The side ejection is where there is often a rubber ‘bit’ sticking out of one side through which the clippings are ejected. This is normally the case with units that have no grass box. They are made of rubber so you can get right up to things and are designed to be flexible although most people drill a hole and thread some string through to lift them out of the way.   The rear ejection system is more often employed with grass box’s. The mulching operation is often included and works as already described often taking the form of the plate which you can adjust up and down. The same plate is often used to adjust between wet and dry mowing.   I have to say that perhaps it is a manufacturers thing but I mowed about half a acre yesterday of 2 ft high grass with no blockages or problems of any kind with the box on. There is often an interlock so the cutter stops when the bag is emptied or moved even so ALWAYS STOP THE ENGINE BEFORE PUTTING YOUR HAND OR ANY OTHER OBJECT DOWN THE EJECTION SHUTE.   Talking of interlocks some US mowers have one for reverse i.e. the blades stop rotating then reversing but there is often a switch to disable this if required. It’s stops you mowing the kids apparently….shame.   Most mowers have a tow hitch. Personally I have a leaf sweeper (currently for sale, used one season emails direct please) and a trailer which I find very useful for bringing logs up to the house and other general gardening activities.   Other options are things like lights, so you can mow in the dark!!!!!!   Finally, Ian, 48” and 22hp well that puts me to shame what a big boy you are…mmmmmmmm……..nice. Bet that brings a sparkle to the girls eyes.   Have fun.    

When we arrived in France and before we moved in to our new house out of bordom I ran a spread sheet on food costs (sad isn't it). This was two years ago now but at the time the average weekly food and fuel bill (for the car) was the same as the UK. Some things were cheaper other more expensive so it balanced out. The only thing I did notice was that salad stuff had a taste, meat was better even in the supermarket but veg and fruit (in the supermarket) were not always as fresh as in the UK. You also have to check the sell by dates in France.

Funny enough I have just bought one but before I did I carried out some research.   Background.   We had an old ‘Yard King’ which came with the house. This year I bought a new cutting assembly which was consisted of a cutting deck (The bit underneath with the blades, blade bearings etc) for around €500. This was fitted and 2 months later the engine went bang. The engine ‘Briggs and Stratton’ needed a re-bore with honing and an oversize piston and rings. Not to difficult in the UK but try explaining this in French. So to cut a long story short I decided to buy a new mower.   The first thing I did was look at my garden which is a combination of large (about 1.5 acres)  open grassed area and the rest is grass growing round trees, vegetable plots and flower beds. I had no problems with my old mover as it was Hyrodrive and would reverse cut just by pressing the peddle.   There are three different types, those with gears, those with ‘Hydro’ drive and either with or without a grass collector. There are even some with power takeoffs but I don’t think the likes of us can afford the latter or would have a use for it.   Geared mowers (I was lucky to try one belonging to my neighbour) have a set of forward gears and a reverse gear. The throttle is fixed speed and mounted typically on the dashboard. Cutting round trees and things meant constant gear changes and quite honestly a pain in the butt. Open areas (no trees and beds to go round) were no problem for this type of mower.   Hydrodrive, which the Yard King was, is a hydraulic drive system which means you set the throttle speed to max and then there is either one peddle to tilt back and forth or two separate peddles, the harder you press the peddle the faster the machine goes. If you are a driver you ‘take’ to this system very quickly and can control the machine with great accuracy which results in not having to go round trees and beds with a strimmer after. You can basically go back and forth round a tree changing the angle a bit at a time and cut up to trunk no problem.   Collector. This is a bag that fits on the back to collect the cuttings and it’s use is a matter of personal choice. My new mower has one and it’s also great for collecting leaves which I used to do with a leaf sweeper attached to my old mower. It was big and cumbersome and not very good, worse so on uneven ground. The bag means I can sweep as I mow so if you have a load of trees then this solution might be for you. (Anyone want to buy my old sweeper). I have not found the added length of the collector on the rear any problem, in fact I hardly notice it’s there.   Cutting Deck. Some have wheels and others don’t. The wheels are to stop ‘grounding’ and work rather well. My old mower had a ‘floating’ deck with no wheels and often grounded going across uneven ground leaving bald patches, the new one with wheels does not do this.   Buying. As somebody said there are companies that sell to DIY shops who in turn re-badge them and they appear much cheaper but they do tend to be bottom end products or obsolete (sorry but it’s true). Engines are important, Honda make the best followed by Briggs and Stratton, don’t entertain anything less. Power of engine is important, we have 2.5 acres and so I went for a 15hp engine. Smaller engines run faster and can burn more petrol and don’t last so long on large areas. When looking lift the ‘hood’ and check the engine it should have the Hp written on it usually in big letters (a mans thing we like to brag about size and power).   Size of cut is also important. There are about 5 different sizes of cut, the bigger the area the bigger the cut, the bigger the HP of the engine, don’t buy a big cut (38”) with anything less than a 14HP engine.   If you have slopes then ask what angle it can cut at, this is important as you don’t want it to roll over on you. As a general rule the higher you sit the less of an angle it cuts at.   If you have the money then go for a big brand, either Yard King or Bora, Take the attitude that they are like anything else, decide on a model the search the internet for the cheapest price and buy from them. Most companies offer an assembly service for those not of a technical mind. I didn’t take up on this but all I had to do was put acid in the battery, fit the seat and steering wheel then assemble the grass collector. Some ship with no oil in the engine, some with but ALWAYS check before you use the mower. It was hard work getting it out of the wooden packing case but I can use the wood to make a super chicken shed.

Most people who decide to wait for MS to sort out the patch are in a way doing the right thing but not for the reason they think.   MS send beta versions to all companies selling certified software so they can check their software. Some companies get on it straight away, some do not treat it with the urgency it deserves or rather do a quick test, yep that’s Ok, then wait to see what happens. It’s the old difference between being pro-active and re-active. The companies that sell products not ‘certified’ by MS have to wait for the full release. Often there are new drivers (my HP DeskJet T45 need new ones) to take in to account new DLL’s etc. So by waiting you are actually waiting for the rest of the industry to catch up, not for MS to sort out the bugs.   As for spending £120 with Microsoft to get a problem sorted out, well what can I say, it’s never cost me a penny (well except once or twice for the cost of a call). They are always very helpful and give true 24hr 7 day a week service. Their website and TID’s are always worth a read as well.