Living abroad tips and hints for money savers

donny-gal

LesD wrote: »

Did get ripped off when buying some dollars from the ABM AMRO cashpoint. Wouldn't accept my Nationwide debit card so had to pay both the ABM and a Natwest fee! Still, the convenience was helpful.

Was this a cash machine in the US?

DG

LesD

donny-gal wrote: »

Was this a cash machine in the US?

DG

Hi donny-gal.

ABM-AMRO have a bank of machines in Schiphol airport - one of which issues dollars. The transaction is, however, a Euro currency exchange transaction - with a fee. With my Nationwide card, I should have avoided the Euro to £ fee. But the machine rejected it!

donny-gal

So maybe you would be have been better waiting to get to the US and just getting dollars out of a cash machine with your Nationwide card?

DG

droopsnout

S-d-w, sorry to read your news. Hope the repairs are both effective and reasonably priced.

Our roof is leaking around the chimney stacks (all three of them), as no flashing was used when it was constructed/renovated. And now the laptop has died.

Can't find an affordable one in France so sadly I'm going to have to get one in the UK. ("Sadly", because I want a French keyboard for the accented characters).

Savvy_Sue

droopsnout wrote: »

Can't find an affordable one in France so sadly I'm going to have to get one in the UK. ("Sadly", because I want a French keyboard for the accented characters).

Have you thought about a netbook? I don't know where my resident-in-France friend gets his kit from, but he always seems to have the latest (although it's probably running Linux!)

droopsnout

Thanks, Sue, but really want a notebook.

Savvy_Sue

droopsnout wrote: »

Thanks, Sue, but really want a notebook.

I can understand that, although DH says he receives much admiration when he gets his out in public, and I am going to show it to my colleagues next week because some of them are complaining about the weight / size of their laptops.

I couldn't use it all the time: MSE doesn't display very well although I could probably tweak it, but DS2 has one, and when at Uni he plugs a 22" monitor, keyboard and mouse into it and makes it look like the real thing! :rotfl: Even with a laptop I would want to plug a keyboard and mouse in for extended use.

I think DH would like to buy one for me, but I don't think I use it enough to justify it. Although I have seen them in pink, which is tempting.

Anyway, reverting to a previous question I posed, we've postponed our holiday from February to the end of March (decided I trust DS3 to go to school if he's home alone more than I trust him not to get drunk every night if we're away over half-term). I think DH is still mostly tempted by the Canaries, but I want to look into Cyprus, I don't fancy Egypt - any other WARM suggestions?

donny-gal

droopsnout - small laptops and notebooks are still "state of the art" and you need to go to at least 15" usually to get a bargain. Many 17" often are cheaper. However, you mentioned the lid was poorly, maybe your "death" may be that it is not just telling the laptop the lid is open (small switch thingy). If you find that there is then an option within a laptop to do one of three things when you close the lid - Hibernate, close down, or DO NOTHING. I have mine switched to that now as I have monitor and keyboard out in France as being a typist prefer the spread of keys on a keyboard, not least the number pad. Depending on age spec., and cause a repair could be a good option, the expensive bit the screen was good you said?

On reliability and my own experience I stick with Dell for laptops, though the Alid one when on does give 3 years warranty.

DG

seven-day-weekend

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

, DH says he receives much admiration when he gets his out in public, and I am going to show it to my colleagues next week/quote]

:eek: :eek: :eek: :rotfl: :rotfl:

carrots

seven-day-weekend wrote: »

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

, DH says he receives much admiration when he gets his out in public, and I am going to show it to my colleagues next week/quote]

:eek: :eek: :eek: :rotfl: :rotfl:

:T :rotfl: :rotfl: