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#1
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Euro madness!
Can't believe the way the Euro has appreciated against Sterling (and
especially the Dollar) - GBP = EUR 1.305 this morning on the BBC. It's going to make those Cervinia smoothies even pricier next week. I prefer not to think about the lift pass ;-( Steve P |
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#2
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Euro madness!
On Fri, 29 Feb 2008 09:41:52 -0000, in
, "Steve Pardoe" wrote: Can't believe the way the Euro has appreciated against Sterling (and especially the Dollar) - GBP = EUR 1.305 this morning on the BBC. It's going to make those Cervinia smoothies even pricier next week. I prefer not to think about the lift pass ;-( You've just got used to the stability of the last ten years, and presumably also been affected by headlines stating "Worst exchange rate ever". The rate you quote is equivalent to 8.56 French Francs, which is actually a damn site better than it was for much of the mid-1990s. So yes, it's still going to be more expensive than you may have got used to, but count your blessings! |
#3
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Euro madness!
On Fri, 29 Feb 2008 17:23:16 +0100, in , "PG"
wrote: "Ace" a écrit dans le message de news: ... You've just got used to the stability of the last ten years, and presumably also been affected by headlines stating "Worst exchange rate ever". The rate you quote is equivalent to 8.56 French Francs, which is actually a damn site better than it was for much of the mid-1990s. So yes, it's still going to be more expensive than you may have got used to, but count your blessings! Perhaps the cost of living has risen faster in France over that period as well, I've the impression that most prices (other than housing, alcohol etc) are at least on a par these days, when back in the 80s and 90s France was a fair bit cheaper in many areas. The euro changeover saw some hefty rises in the likes of restaurant bills well beyond the alleged inflation rate. I've always argued that prices did not increase (much) as a direct result of the euro switch - certainly it's a popular belief that they did, but given that supermarket prices are still marked in FFr it's not difficult to refute that claim. Mind you haven't been back to the UK for a few years. The UK still seems very expensive whenever I go back there, particularly restaurant prices. And alcohol, of course. |
#4
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Euro madness!
On 29 Feb, 10:32, Ace wrote:
On Fri, 29 Feb 2008 17:23:16 +0100, in , "PG" wrote: "Ace" a écrit dans le message de news: ... You've just got used to the stability of the last ten years, and presumably also been affected by headlines stating "Worst exchange rate ever". The rate you quote is equivalent to 8.56 French Francs, which is actually a damn site better than it was for much of the mid-1990s. So yes, it's still going to be more expensive than you may have got used to, but count your blessings! Perhaps the cost of living has risen faster in France over that period as well, I've the impression that most prices (other than housing, alcohol etc) are at least on a par these days, when back in the 80s and 90s France was a fair bit cheaper in many areas. The euro changeover saw some hefty rises in the likes of restaurant bills well beyond the alleged inflation rate. I've always argued that prices did not increase (much) as a direct result of the euro switch - certainly it's a popular belief that they did, but given that supermarket prices are still marked in FFr it's not difficult to refute that claim. Mind you haven't been back to the UK for a few years. The UK still seems very expensive whenever I go back there, particularly restaurant prices. And alcohol, of course.- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - Comparing my winter and summer spending (Lavachet Tignes, Balham London) I would say quite a lot is on a par - essentials in France have probably just taken the lead on the back of the Euro, and having to drive 40 minutes to Super U is slightly annoying compared to the 5 minute walk to Sainsburys/Marks/Waitrose. House prices per square metre are roughly equal. Renting in Tignes is more expensive than Balham (even taking into account seasonality) if you rent from a Brit who's renovated - if you rent a French-owned apartment with 1980s decor, it's cheaper - so call it evens. Council tax seems cheaper than the French equivalent by quite a lot, but then it's difficult to compare this kind of thing without spending some time completely in the French tax system (no thanks). French utilities and insurances seem to be cheaper, but again, being in a co-proprietaire scheme makes it less obvious what goes on what so I haven't been bothered to sit down and work it out exactly. Eating out and drinking I actually find cheaper in Tignes - partly because I get locals prices and freebies, but that can't be the whole picture. My favourite restaurant here is maybe Eu70 a head and I'd expect GBP60 a head for the same quality back home. The Tignes leisure centre is probably 50% cheaper than the Balham one (and waaaaaaaay better), and once I've got my season pass and paid for my parking space my outgoings are very low over winter - it's all food and booze and nappies. Over summer my travel expenses rocket even though I use the bike a lot, and my spending on clothes and completely unnecessary consumables and entertainment similarly trends upwards at an alarming rate. Still not ready to give up either though. I'll have my cake and nibble on it, thanks. And Ace is right - if Sterling hadn't been so strong in the last 10 years I might not be in the happy position with that cake. Matt |
#5
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Euro madness!
On 29 Feb, 17:25, "PG" wrote:
Just spent the equivalent of £1.60 on a meal for two with several courses plus soft drinks *.... but then I'm neither in France nor the UK right now ;-) Pete Heh - I knew that was coming. You've probably got better snow than us right now as well :-( Matt |
#7
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Euro madness!
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#8
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Euro madness!
"Matt T" a écrit dans le message de news: ... On 29 Feb, 17:25, "PG" wrote: Just spent the equivalent of £1.60 on a meal for two with several courses plus soft drinks .... but then I'm neither in France nor the UK right now ;-) Heh - I knew that was coming. You've probably got better snow than us right now as well :-( Yeah it's been getting a bit chilly, I'll have to turn the fan down ... |
#9
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Euro madness? - Sterling madness, more like...
"PG" wrote in message ... "Matt T" a écrit dans le message de news: ... On 29 Feb, 17:25, "PG" wrote: Just spent the equivalent of £1.60 on a meal for two with several courses plus soft drinks .... but then I'm neither in France nor the UK right now ;-) Heh - I knew that was coming. You've probably got better snow than us right now as well :-( Yeah it's been getting a bit chilly, I'll have to turn the fan down ... Of course, if the UK had had the nerve to adopt the Euro awhile back, we wouldn't be having this type of problem now... or pay extortionate bank charges for currency conversions (the banks always win), etc. Yes, it's bad enough when you're on holiday, but when you live and work in the Euro-zone full-time it becomes a major expense if you receive payments from UK-based clients. How about 20+ Euros to pay in a UK cheque? Not that I'd be tempted back... :-) RM |
#10
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Euro madness? - Sterling madness, more like...
Roger Moss wrote:
"PG" wrote in message ... "Matt T" a écrit dans le message de news: ... On 29 Feb, 17:25, "PG" wrote: Just spent the equivalent of £1.60 on a meal for two with several courses plus soft drinks .... but then I'm neither in France nor the UK right now ;-) Heh - I knew that was coming. You've probably got better snow than us right now as well :-( Yeah it's been getting a bit chilly, I'll have to turn the fan down ... Of course, if the UK had had the nerve to adopt the Euro awhile back, we wouldn't be having this type of problem now... or pay extortionate bank charges for currency conversions (the banks always win), etc. Yes, it's bad enough when you're on holiday, but when you live and work in the Euro-zone full-time it becomes a major expense if you receive payments from UK-based clients. How about 20+ Euros to pay in a UK cheque? Not that I'd be tempted back... :-) RM For quite a while now I thought the pound was over valued and I could not really see how that was sustainable between neighbours with open borders. In reality I thought on my many visits to France (fairly expensive in the euro zone) the correct exchange rate should have been about 1.33 euro to the pound. I also have this niggling suspicion that this was one of the reasons Britain never entered the Euro. That and the natural resistance of the banks who take between 5 and 10% of each transaction. |
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