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Cost of Living for familes in France?


blackcat
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Sara,

"Having given out only as much info as I wanted to, I didnt feel that the questions I posed warranted knowing the full picture."

Giving a bit more background when you post a question helps everybody, including you. Similarly, responding to posts avoids people going off at tangents because they are guesing at what you really want/need.

One of my favourite sayings is that any idiot can find out answers; the difficult part is knowing what the questions should be.

If people give you advice about things you are sure you already know about then you can thank them and say you don't need any more. If you read all the answers you get in your threads you may well identify things you do need to learn more about.

This is a forum; nobody 'owns' any of the threads and often a question will trigger off a discussion that doesn't relate to the original poster's enquiry. People answer questions out of the kindness of their hearts. If you want a professional advice service you're at liberty to pay for one.

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[quote user="Albert the InfoGipsy"]

If people give you advice about things you are sure you already know about then you can thank them and say you don't need any more. If you read all the answers you get in your threads you may well identify things you do need to learn more about.

This is a forum; nobody 'owns' any of the threads and often a question will trigger off a discussion that doesn't relate to the original poster's enquiry. People answer questions out of the kindness of their hearts. If you want a professional advice service you're at liberty to pay for one.

[/quote]

I agree and I think Sara your reaction to the comments that you didn't "need" is a little aggressive itself.  No one needed to answer you and it appears that you are pleased with some of the information you received.  I suggest that no one was rude to you as such, just maybe in your eyes interfered a little too much in your personal lifestyle.  I should take care in the way you respond to such things or you may not get any comments to future questions for fear of over-stepping the mark and then you won't have any information.

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Thanks again to anyone who replied. I wasnt being knowingly agressive and apologise if I offended anyone. Maybe Im a little too sensitive when it comes to my personal life and family and perhaps I should stay away from forums.

Regards.

 

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[quote user="sara77"]

Hi

I dont think that the cost of living is much cheaper in France,

Don't you really?  That is not what you appear to have thought from your posts up to now[8-)] 

why on earth couldnt we manage on Ā£1500 in France each month, regardless of where the income came from?.

Because in France they don't have Ā£s even in Eymet so it will not be Ā£1500 will it?  My Ā£1500 last August is now Ā£1375 and you were talking about 5 people living on 1500 euros

"1500 euro was the figure I had in my head and was hoping someone would confrm that".

not Ā£1500[8-)]

The question I posed was just a cost of living query. I have been used to my husband working away for many years, its nothing new to me and I didnt ask for anyones opinion on how our income will be generated.

 and you didn't get it, you were advised that the Ā£ against the ā‚¬ is variable and that the Ā£ has weakened by 17% in 6 months to an all time low of 1,24 which would affect any income generated fronm the UK.

 .[/quote]

In posting this I missed Sara's later posts, I fully understand there is a balance between privacy and not enough information to enable informed anwers to questions but equally if you ask people's opinions that is what you get and you can take them or leave them, in all the posts to Sara's questions people wrere only giving opinions based on the incomplete information provided.

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Well, that put me in my place didnt it. Like I said, sorry and I will avoid forums. I am obviously far too sensitive as your last post upset me alot and if I cant handle peoples opinions then I should stay away.
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[quote user="sara77"]Well, that put me in my place didnt it. Like I said, sorry and I will avoid forums. I am obviously far too sensitive as your last post upset me alot and if I cant handle peoples opinions then I should stay away.[/quote]

In my posting this morning I could see the way that this was going and I tried to advise you to ignore the bits that didn't bother you rather than pointing this out to people.

Yesterday I answered a question about your Mom's pensions on the original thread you started. I answered your question but there was a lot more that I could have said on the subject. In some respects I feel that my answer was probably less than a full one. It's not always easy to draw a line when offering answers based on one's own experience.

Keep posting as we're not such a bad bunch when you get to know us a bit better.  [:D]

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[quote user="sara77"]Well, that put me in my place didnt it. Like I said, sorry and I will avoid forums. I am obviously far too sensitive as your last post upset me alot and if I cant handle peoples opinions then I should stay away.[/quote]

Sara

Don't be put off posting, you will get a lot of good advice and help on here,  I'm sorry if what has been pointed out to you has not been what you wanted to hear.  If you were referring to my post about cutting to the chase as upsetting you, I have re-read it and I really cannot find anything in it that should have upset anyone or offended, so maybe you are too sensitive.

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I too thought it was a little spiky, and might have been a bit upset myself if I were a newcomer (who didn't know that Ron's a great big softie really [:P]) and if it had been directed at me.

Don't be to disheartened Sara, you'll get used to people giving their forthright and honest opinions here [:)]

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Sara dont be put off  trying to fulfill your dream, life can be hard here when finances are tight, you have three kids so you will recieve a good amount of allowence famille or if hubbys still working in the uk you will still get your family allowence but as say you will be a resident here you may get the UK one stopped, you will recieve more here and get help with school books and holidays, my mam lives with us and loves it here and she recieves her pension we wouldn't have it any other way, life is better for the kids my kids love it, just make them concentrate hard on french lessons before you leave,

 Food I think( just being a mother and shopper for lots of people) is about the same as the UK but learn to look for the bargains buy in bulk when the offers are on (Foire de porc or beef) fill your freezer up, don't be a snob,  shop at aldi and Lidl buy from the markets the seasonal veg, and enjoy your kids taking them on picnics and walks with sarneys ( they love it better than resturants) and Nana loves coming too with her bottle or gin or wine!!!,

Pay for fuel and bills monthly get wood in the summer cos its cheaper, go to the large cities for major shops especally when the sales are on!

use UK e Bay for kids clothes, mine are kitted out in designer  but 99p auctions

look in the leaflets and always buy when on offer,

you 'll be fine, but if you don't try you'll never know,

I'm not saying I don't miss the good old north-east and the pound shops and greggs pasties though, but you will learn to live without, and its all for my kids!!!

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No, it was the second post, not the first, but that doesnt matter now. TBH I've had a really crap week so burning the kids tea would probably turn me into an emotional wreck! :))

A few weeks back I was on a forum where people were posting about the cost of UK groceries and listing what they buy. I mentioned a brand of cat food that I use and a woman decided to lay right into me about what I'm feeding my cats. Another week I was on a parenthood forum and someone had a go at me because Im a Stay at Home mum and apparently its not right that my husband is out doing his bit and Im not!

... so my experience of forums havent been that great!!

Anyway, for the person who said this was like a soap ... tune in next week when Sara turns up on Rons doorstep and offers him 1500 euros to take her cats and give them a better life! (or was it 1500 pounds)

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Hi sara77, dont worry so much!  We all have our feelings and its easy on a forum to say something that is taken the wrong way-so forgive us!  We are a youngish struggling family we only have one child and a new business which is eating up the money!  from our personal situation our original income of just over 1,000 euro per month was nowhere near enough and i'm not one to go out and by clothes (my husband actually nags ME to go and buy some, but i hate shopping! ) i would have thought that given no major disasters 1500 would be just fine.  Its really no different to the uk except that there are very limited places to buy cheap things.  no cheap clothing stores - at least not in our area - think pricewise about m&s price level.  That really does push clothes and shoes prices up for kids. (but if hubby is in uk then great!).  Speaking from personal experience what i found really hard was the feeling of being so alone in a foreign country.  Its not that we dont have english people about -its just that when my husband worked away in germany for months at a time, it was always then that things went wrong!  Its really hard being alone and foreign.  However i'm just a real wimp and i was so pleased my husband returned here to set up a car parts business.  Things are loads better for us now and i truly hope that you find living here a fulfilling experience.  Good luck i'm sure we all wish you well.

Amanda

http://www.catalytiques.com

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[quote user="sara77"]

Anyway, for the person who said this was like a soap ... tune in next week when Sara turns up on Rons doorstep and offers him 1500 euros to take her cats and give them a better life! (or was it 1500 pounds)

[/quote]

I'm not a 'person' Sara, I'm a living walking god, total master in my own universe (but it's only a small one [:)], my universe that is !)

My five penneth to you, lighten up a bit, sift through the comments, laugh at the stuff that gets to you, give as good as you get and most of all enjoy this 'virtual' world that we all spend time in.

Gary.

 

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[quote user="Bugbear"][quote user="sara77"]

Anyway, for the person who said this was like a soap ... tune in next week when Sara turns up on Rons doorstep and offers him 1500 euros to take her cats and give them a better life! (or was it 1500 pounds)

[/quote]

My five penneth to you, lighten up a bit, sift through the comments, laugh at the stuff that gets to you, give as good as you get and most of all enjoy this 'virtual' world that we all spend time in.

Gary.

[/quote]

 

I'll drink to that. cheers

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Amanda, thanks for your reply, I really appreciate what you've said and it must have been hard for you being alone. So glad it all worked out for you. People I know that have made the move abroad have said similar things to you so Ive taken it all on board.

Thanks to all of you for your replies, and for Benjamin who said he was off to lay in a darkened room, thats where Im off to now. My, this thread is long ...:D

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Although at the moment we still live in the UK, on our visits to France I regularly call into any Lidl supermarkets we come across in France, to compare prices with the UK. Bearing in mind that Lidl stock some of the same products in France as the UK, I would say that on the whole the products in the French Lidl stores are somewhere near 20% cheaper than the UK. This time last year they were 30% cheaper, due to the higher exchange rate.

 

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[quote user="sara77"]

 

. Another week I was on a parenthood forum and someone had a go at me because Im a Stay at Home mum and apparently its not right that my husband is out doing his bit and Im not!

 

[/quote]   Sara, I've been a stay at home Mum for the past 24 years and its only when I came to France that I was offered a job albeit part time,but still a job.  I've also run the business side of the family business for 32 years as well and help the OH with the work as well.I am not ashamed to be a housewife which is still pretty unusual here today in France.
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Sara, I think you should be proud to be a stay at home mum - it's the most important job in the world.

The only thing I would like to ask you is why you are thinking of moving to the Dordogne? It is quite an expensive area in which to buy property, and from what I understand (I might be wrong) the local taxes can be higher than some other rural areas of France. You mentioned about your husband needing to fly to the UK from Bergerac - where does he need to fly to, could you not use another local airport instead, that might have cheaper flights anyway ? (if it's Ryanair then Bergerac is always one of the most expensive).

Re: your living costs, if you can grow a load of your own veg, keep some chickens, rabbits etc then you can cut down on your weekly shopping bills, and once you get to know your neighbours you'll find you'll be given all sort of produce in exchange for whatever you can offer (not necessarily foodstuffs). At least that is our experience.[:)] Good luck with your plans.

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Yes, I am proud of being a stay at home mum and was astounded at the reaction of the lady on that forum and gave my reply as well as I could without being too rude! What she didnt know is that Id also been a working mum for 11 years prior to my present 4 years at home so had seen things from both view points. But I guess thats the trouble with forums, unless you post up your life story noone really knows the full picture.

We are looking to move around that area because the children would like to be around some british families like us, at least for the first couple of years. I have had some lovely e-mails from mums living in the Bergerac/Eymet area who have been most encouraging and given me so much information. Some also have husbands that commute to the UK and have made it work for them so I found that very reassuring too.

 

 

 

 

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sara77,

It seems to me that the main issue is the practicality of maintaining the best of both worlds on a long term basis, where you and the children enjoy the perceived better quality of life in France, whilst your husband continues to work in the UK where you say his trade is paid three times as much as compared to what he could earn in France.

The best way for you to find out would be to move to France for a year and rent a house, to see if the dream lives up to reality and experience what are the financial implications, which can be complicated if your husband continues to work and be resident in the UK. For example, your husband is obliged to continue to pay UK National Insurance if he works in the UK, so do you have to pay the equivalent French charges as well and what exactly would be your situation with regards to French health care under the new rules in this situation?  

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[quote user="Sprogster"]

The best way for you to find out would be to move to France for a year and rent a house, to see if the dream lives up to reality and experience what are the financial implications, which can be complicated if your husband continues to work and be resident in the UK.

[/quote]

Agree totally Sprogster

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