Living abroad tips and hints for money savers

droopsnout

Yes, DG, have used that site. She also eventually agreed to let someone from DSS (or whatever it is these days) come and go through it all with her. No joy.

Ain't no justice.

chalky_75

Hi everyone -- I have not been on for ages so am glad to be back-- Actually glad to be back to Spain on Tuesday.We have had a very busy summer in the U.K since our return in June. Our house in the UK needed some serious TLC and that and lots of family things have kept us busy.
So it seems ages since we have been in Spain.
Lots of people ask us what we miss about the Uk when we are in Spain ---- equally people ask us what we miss about Spain when we are in the Uk. Thought provoking!!! We certainly have more time to think slowly and clearly in Spain.

Well we are looking forward to the impact of blue skies,sunshine and warmth, markets and meals accompanied by Rioja of course. Long coffee breaks and chatting. The mountains and beaches. Time to walk and talk.No shopping as such and definitely no Christmas hype

What we shall miss-- the family and friends - and leaving poor MIL -- who will be out for a visit soon. And DD'S gorgeous Springer Spaniel.
But we say a big thank you every day to be lucky enough to have both.

slopemaster

seven-day-weekend wrote: »

Wolverhampton is not in the Black Country (well only a tiny bit on the south-eastern tip)!

Oh! I'm from Wednesfield and always believed it IS in the Black Country - tho of course the heart of it is Cradely, gornal etc

seven-day-weekend

Hi there , another Wulfrunian! I'm from Newbridge.

Are you an expat too?

AFAIK the only part of Wolverhampton that is in the Black Country is a tiny tip of Bilston as it gets towards Sedgley.

slopemaster

I'm an expat in Reading just now!
But, yes, I spend part of the year in France
(and have spent most of the last 16 years abroad).

oldandhappy

Any particular region of France do you favour. Brother in law has moved to France 2 years ago now and settled very well. not too far from Limoges.Would be interested to hear of your experiences whether France or anywhere abroad. Dianne

slopemaster

We spent 10 years in the Nord/Pas-de-Calais/Somme area, but probably wuldn't have chosen that if it wasn't for work. It's flat and muddy, with a climate not much better than UK. I remember mangleworzels (sugar beet, actually) and pluie verglacante - which is when rain falls on frozen ground and turns it into a skating rink. Having said that, I did come to appreciate the good things about the area too, like the big open skies, and being able to easily go to Belgium or the UK, or at a pinch Germany, for the weekend.
More recently we have been in the Alpes de Haute Provence, which is one of the most beautiful places in the world. We bought a house there 17 years ago but only managed to really move there 6 years back. We're in a village with 700 inhabitants, amidst the lavender fields. Summers in the region are hot, and rather crowded with tourists - and have become much hotter and more crowded over those 17 years. The other 3 seasons are lovely - I especially like the winter.
As far as 'settling in' - well, we will always be outsiders to some degree. But, so long as you're OK with that, it's fine. The received wisdom (which our experiences seem to confirm) is that the Provencaux are more open, but also more superficial, than the Nordistes.

slopemaster

Inspired by Chalky's post about what you miss when you're in the other place...

Well apart from the obvious food stuff - have to go one way with wine/olives/goat cheese and the other way with Marmite, Patak's pickes, split red lentils and decent tea!

Coming back to southern england from Provence, people always seem so rushed and so rude. No-one says good morning or anything, and I find it a shock.
Going back the other way to France, the biggest thing that drives me up the wall is the generally appalling customer service. Especially in businesses such as banks where people still seem to think they are public functionaries - and the French in general accept this; I think they defer to 'authority' more than us Brits.
(Hmm... wonder if those cultural differences have any relevance to Santander's appalling customer service in the UK?)

droopsnout

Have to agree with you, slopemaster, about levels of customer service in France. They are years behind those in the UK, and still further behind the Americans (from what I hear - never been to the States).

Manners, on the other hand, I now find appalling in the UK, and have had a couple of interesting conversations (!) with shop assistants in the UK who addressed me as "pal" and "mate", which really grates when at home I am always politely addressed as "monsieur".

I have never had dealings with Santander, but my mum has, and she seems very happy with her experiences. On the other hand, I have been extremely unhappy with Halifax, both before and since their ties with HBOS and then LloydsTSB. Customer service at smile, though, has been excellent. Advice given at Barclays has been plain inept and incorrect. I don't trust any of them any more!

There's only one thing I miss about the UK, products-wise. That's sausages, so all visitors are required to bring some, and we always return from the UK with a large stock in polystyrene containers with freezer packs. But prices of food are now much lower in the UK, we find, so the supermarkets in Dover, Folkestone, etc., are raided prior to boarding the ferry.

In the other direction, we take foie gras and wine, mostly, but also local chocolates, prunes (yes - a local speciality), croissants and chocolatines (called pains au chocolat everywhere else in France), pains aux raisins, pates and terrines.

slopemaster

droopsnout wrote: »

at home I am always politely addressed as "monsieur".
.

That's an interesting one.
Working in France, I found it strange to be addressed as 'Madame J' by those working for me - including my foreman who was nearly 20 tyears older than me - whilst I called them by their first names. I did eventually persuade my foreman to call me by my first name, though another foreman who was younger than me never would.
Yet I did eventually to some extent get used to it and feel it very inappropriate if certain people called me by my first name - after all,
'Nous n'avons pas garde des cochons ensemble'!

And of course Monsieur/Madame on its own is incredibly useful
a) if you can't remember names
b) as a polite way to call out to someone - better than 'excuse me'
g) as a way of freezing someone with icy politeness!

I do take exception when I get business e-mails from people I have never met addressed 'Hi Jenny, hope you are well'. And it also seems a bit odd when people in UK assume the right to address my 79-year-old mother as 'Millie' without asking her if she prefers to be 'Mrs M'