Living abroad tips and hints for money savers

seven-day-weekend

Heard through the grapevine tha tthe Fat Lady is definitely going to sing tomorrow!!:j:T:money::j:T:beer:

droopsnout

Great stuff! Congratulations!

Our kids had a book when they were little: "Peace At Last!"

Very pleased for you, s-d-w.

seven-day-weekend

Fat Lady sang this afternoon.:j:T:beer:

droopsnout

Woo-hoo!!! :j :T :T :rotfl: :rotfl: :T :T :j

donny-gal

Very pleased to hear your good news (out in the sun escaping the rain). DG

chalky_75

Just popping in after an extremely busy few months-- Our first grandchild was born in December -- a gorgeous little boy called William and since Christmas we have been updating/renovating our house in the UK after neglecting it for the last 5 years since retirement and having fun.
Of course all such work takes longer than expected but thankfully came in on budget!! So we were already booked to go back to Spain/ Almeria next Monday until end of june. Probably a good thing really as we are both worn out and would just carry on with all the finishing bits!

SDW-- Wonderful news!
Donny Gal--- Long time "no speak"

Best wishes to veryone else both near and far!

seven-day-weekend

Just to update on my on-going Spanish business:

We couldn't close our Spanish Bank account before we left as there were still Direct Debits to come from it. By my own experience, everything in rural Spain has to be done in person, so we thought that we would not be able to close it until we returned to Spain on holiday.

Anyway, I thought I would try writing a letter. I did this in my best Spanish (with the help of Google Translate) and sent it off with a copy of our passports and residencia cards with our fiscal numbers on, asking them to close the account.

This was a couple of weeks ago, heard nothing.

This morning I tried to log into the internet banking, it said I was not authorised to do so. So I e-mailed the bank, attaching a copy of the letter and they confirmed the account is now closed.

Anyone who has spent any amount of time in rural Spain will realise what a great acheivement this is, to ask for something by letter and actually to have your request carried out!

Delighted!

We hope to visit our village in the autumn, it will be nice to see the old place again. The person who bought the house has put a website about it on Facebook, very good.

droopsnout

Success indeed!! Well done.

seven-day-weekend

What's happened to this thread? Have you all returned to the UK?

Heard today of yet another Brit returned to UK from the area of Spain where we were. We appear to be the only ones who have done it through choice. Everybody else has returned because of financial or relationship difficulties.

droopsnout

I'm still in France! Still loving it, and have just tonight had a lovely evening with French friends.

The pound is at 1.28€, and things are looking better financially.

I can't speak for Spain or even other areas of France, but if all those arrogant, know-it-all Brits who I overhear in a certain cafe do decide or have already decided to return to the UK, that can only be better. They bring shame on us all.

In saying that, I have to add that I know that this is not the case with you, s-d-w!

I just wish that people who moved here did so because they actually love the country, its culture and its people, but far too often I hear Brits laying into the French quite viciously, and I can't help thinking that they moved here just for a better climate and for the cheap wine (and cheap property, back in the day).

Social positioning seems to be the order of the day with some folk: "I have a property in France/Spain/Italy/wherever, you know."

It doesn't score points with the French/Spanish/Italians/wherevers. Rather it puts them firmly alongside the Brits seen on TV here in France in a series of programmes about Benidorm. You can imagine what that is like!

So well done to you, seven-day-weekend for your modesty and honesty.