Living abroad tips and hints for money savers

Merrywidow

Oh Droopsnout - you are getting yourself in a real tiz over the money. You won't improve it by checking it every few minutes - you will make yourself ill. Think lovely thoughts, think how lucky you are in France - just think how depressing it is in England at the moment. Think about sunshine, the coming summer. As you say Prison is always an option!!&*%$. You could always take in Lodgers - B&B etc. Chin up old friend.

Merrywidow

Just a thought - Droopsnout - have you heard of Swap a skill, its a flourishing idea with a web site - I wonder if you have something similar in France. The English version is getting an airing on our TV shortly, they were asking recently for people who have taken part. Try their website. I will look up its correct name - I joined recently - but not started on anything.

droopsnout

When the crocodiles are snapping at your bum, it's hard to think of anything but its teeth!

No, I haven't heard of Swap a skill. Whilst it may exist in some of the larger French cities, I doubt that it will be widespread in the countryside. But I'm game for anything. I can offer a few English lessons to French people, and vice versa. But I somehow doubt that they'll raise the money needed!

We have in fact realised that in a few (short?) years we'll have the money to do the necessary water treatment stuff. But whether to sell or not is still being considered.

Care is needed, to avoid the "out of the frying pan ..." scenario.

droopsnout

Oh, and I should have said that the weather here has been wonderful for several days now, and we've been working outdoors in short-sleeved shirts, etc. Temp in the sun has been over 30C in the afternoons. Very pleasant indeed.

And yes, it does do a lot to distract the mind, and cheer you up.

And I have a lot of jobs to do at the moment, which serve both to distract and to put pressure on. I'm doing my best to be cheerful!

seven-day-weekend

Chin up droopsnout.

I know what it's like worrying about these things.

All I can do is empathise, and that I will do in large quantities.

Merrywidow

Its amazing what the sun can do. We too have the lovely weather - glorious after all these long, cold and wet months just too feel the sun on my body makes such a difference. I have spent the last two days in the garden sweeping leaves etc. I have three very large and ancient oak trees, half a dozen silver birches and a few other leaf shedding trees and its unblievable the amount of leaves they shed.

As you say, Droopsnout, "out of the pan" would be to return to England and be a sight worse off. The www.swapaskill.com was only to give you an idea of what skills are needed and perhaps you could sell - teach a farmer english and swap for free produce - bit weak but you get the gist.

droopsnout

Thanks, Mw. I'll check out Swap a skill later, that's for sure. Right now, I'm preparing my lesson for tomorrow morning. French to a Brit lady who's opened a B&B nearby.

Then I've got the minutes to do for the tourist office's AGM.

After that, a couple of delicate business emails regarding a project in the UK.

Who says retirement is boring?!

droopsnout

seven-day-weekend wrote: »

Chin up droopsnout.

I know what it's like worrying about these things.

All I can do is empathise, and that I will do in large quantities.

Thanks to you, too, s-d-w.

Must admit, I hadn't realised I came across as such a worrier. Hope you're not all over-concerned and worrying about me!

mioliere

HI everyone - I haven't been on here for a while. We're so busy packing, the time has just disappeared. We leave on the Saturday night ferry, so, at the moment, the house is full of boxes, and lots and lots of dust! It's been very hectic, especially with all the paperwork - it's not like moving house within the UK, is it? We're both cream-crackered, I'm panicking and DH isn't (nothing bothers him, which I suppose is a good thing, but it means that I do the worrying for both of us).

Droopsnout - it's very worrying seeing the value of the pound dropping like that, but I echo others who say that the situation here is going from bad to worse. The IMF said yesterday that the UK will be the last country to emerge from the recession, because it is in such a bad way. I'm lucky in that my children are fairly secure in their work (I say 'fairly' because you can't be sure, can you?), and, although they have mortgages, they don't have additional debt, so I don't have to worry too much about how they'll cope.

We'll have to carry on working, but I can do my work anywhere, and DH has been offered more work in France than he's getting here - there's just nothing about at all. I think, financially, we'll be a lot better off, with much lower overheads, but, of course, it remains to be seen.

Well, off to pack another box!

Kathy

gfplux

Hello Droopsnout. Try not to worry everyday about the currency. You may remember that I have committed myself for 12 months on the rate. having done that i try not to look as most of the time i just give myself pain.