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

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!

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.

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

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

"Ace" a écrit dans le message de news:
...
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!

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. Mind
you haven't been back to the UK for a few years.

Pete
http://mysnowsports.com - the forum for UK competitive snowsports
enthusiasts

"Matt T" a écrit dans le message de news:
...
On 29 Feb, 10:32, Ace wrote:
On Fri, 29 Feb 2008 17:23:16 +0100, in , "PG"
wrote:

"""""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."""""

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

"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 ...

"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

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.