The cost of life abroad...

[MerrySherryRider]

You're so right, it is utterly beautiful. The buildings and churches in the old part are stunning. The Opera house is beyond everything I could have imagined, we're staying at the Grand just opposite and OH is busy admiring the skill of the decorators. (Me, I'm admiring the food.)

I'm jealous of you, RR, that you will be living in a place that I could happily stay in forever, although, I am torn between here and Chartes, which I love also.

 

[JCWHITE]

Possibly the Bordeaux tram system looks like being extended to the exhibition area,by the Lac, so may be a get together at the Salon du Cheval in 2014 is becoming a real possibility!
At last weeks show, there were so many top end retailers, makes me wonder what recession!
Bordeaux is beautiful , also check out the new look Ikea, its huge!

 

[MerrySherryRider]

Ah, yes, was kicking myself for arriving after the show last weekend. Haven't seen Ikea and due to the airline's meagre baggage allowances, I'll be packing very creatively tomorrow.

 

[RichardRider]

You're so right, it is utterly beautiful. The buildings and churches in the old part are stunning. The Opera house is beyond everything I could have imagined, we're staying at the Grand just opposite and OH is busy admiring the skill of the decorators. (Me, I'm admiring the food.)

I'm jealous of you, RR, that you will be living in a place that I could happily stay in forever, although, I am torn between here and Chartes, which I love also.

Lived 9 years near Chartes as well...or sort of; near Anet(Chateaux of Diane de Poitiers,) only 70kms out of Paris. It was great for riding(all sorts of competitive stables,) great hacks and hourly trains into Paris. It was much more practicable than here professionally. You may want to check it out as well...

cheers...rr

 

[sunnyone]

We sold up and moved a couple of years ago. Initially to Spain as we had access to a flat there but the only livery yard for miles around was not as we had hoped i.e. treated their own horses badly e.g. not calling vet to PTS an old pony who could not stand, just waited days for him to die (Liverpool Care Plan for horses maybe?). Costwise our own costs were less than in the UK as we routinely eat only local produce at about 45 euros in the supermarket a week. Our 2 horses cost us 500 euros a month in an outside sheltered area. This included hard feed and straw (no hay!) to eat, and droppings cleared. Also the use of a shower, a large indoor and outdoor school. When we searched for land of our own the typical agricultural price was 56K a hectare for what seemed like rubbish to us. We checked out ads rather than phone where we saw signs so a deal may have been there but not at 1/10th of the starting price. Hence we decided to move north to somewhere where grass is plentiful and much cheaper i.e.about 5K a hectare and moved to France. Our French too is a lot better than our Spanish.

We are now in Aquitaine to the west of Bordeaux. We bought 4 hectares so that we can get some body in to share with us. For us we found a modern 3 bed semi-bungalow with 1/5th hectare beside a canal with boats and a cycle path at the bottom of the garden for approx £100k.The 2 horses went to grass livery when we arrived for 310 euros including hay and feed. There was also a lunging area and outdoor school. Other yards in the area can charge 320 euros for full livery for 1 horse, depending on their facilities. Now the horses are on our own land they have hay at 2 euros for a 25kg bale from a farm about 2 miles away and hard feed mix at 13.50 euros. The latter has gone up a complete euro since Christmas due to the rise in cereal prices. I cannot find straights.

Our own hypermarket costs are about 60 euros a week, sometimes much higher, as it’s nigh on impossible to buy anything other than drinks in packages which retail at less than 1 euro. I know I could save some money by going to the farm shop but we don’t need a kilo of fruit or a tray of apples at a time. Our local markets are no cheaper than the supermarkets as “quality” is their selling point.

When in the UK I stock up on Fairy liquid, the regulation Cheddar cheese and crackers, rib eye steak, cheap cake and dessert mixes and double thick cream. When in Spain it’s garlic tostados, tinned olives and tomato frito. When going from France it’s goat’s cheese and Camembert and obviously quality wines.

Additional thoughts: mobile phones can be bought unlocked in Europe from 29euros so no need to stay locked into a contract or network. Pre-pay credit is normally valid for a year. Wood products are much more expensive in Europe. Bulk buys of non-food items are simply multiples of the single unit price with no discount. Horse trailers are cheaper in the UK, even those sporting a French maker’s name and plastic garden furniture is 50% cheaper in the UK. Robinsons Equestrian deliver to Europe as do German saddlers .

Vets in both France and Spain have been cheaper than in the UK, send you to the chemist for any drugs where they can’t compete on price, and have been willing to seek advice at once from their university vet school when faced with a problem where the solution wasn’t routine.