# Costs in France 5 weeks



## jagmanx (Sep 30, 2022)

Before travelling we moved funds into Our Starling euro account.
Just been checking and summarise
This all spending including 140€ tap repair.
Uk Pre-spend was
£400 shuttle and £80 medical insuance
French spend below in euros
140 tap repair
460 fuel
630 food and beer
50 Aires


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## Pudsey Bear (Sep 30, 2022)

Would mean more with distance travelled and meals out etc.


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## jagmanx (Sep 30, 2022)

No meals out just a few beers . Excellent in house cuisine !!!   
5 weeks 1600 miles


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## Pudsey Bear (Sep 30, 2022)

Not bad numbers then, Liz is a good cook, but when we go away I like to buy her lunch out every day, we very rarely eat out at night as we are usually parked up by 3pm.


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## TeamRienza (Sep 30, 2022)

You did well there. We arrived 7th sep and are here till 12th Oct. As you may know we also use Starling. No issues at all with it, although it is noticeable that when fueling at self service €150 is ringfenced but adjusted to the correct amount within minutes. Our figures for sept represent virtually all of our spending, we did an 8 week run to Spain (Vigo) in May/June so are faffing about Brittany this trip 
to keep our costs down. My figures don’t include a €610 ferry crossing paid in August.
So far we have spent €1319, the main elements are,
€619 food
€273 fuel
€175 Aires plus 2 nights at a municipal site
€41 laundry
€70 on plants and pots
€58 (that I know of) on new jacket etc for wife
The rest we just frittered on whatever.
Also an unitemised amount as we begin to accumulate foodstuffs and wine to bring home including one bottle @ €10 an unheard of amount for me, usually about €4 per bottle Around 13 bottles gathered in but the real purchases will only start at the end of next week.!

PS. The cost of the van divided by nights used is about to dip to £100 per night (£50 each). Just a fun calculation since no running or maintenance costs are counted. On target for 100 nights again this year.

Davy


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## jagmanx (Sep 30, 2022)

Yes An interesting calculation as  to what you include
I partition off what I class as yearly costs
Tax insurance servicing MOT storage repairs depreciation etc
But include extra costs
Mind you we use furl and camp and food in UK 
Perhaps I will apply to be Chancellor ????
AKA Kamikazi Kwarteng


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## tidewatcher (Sep 30, 2022)

Been over since late august head back in a week. Only class fuel as an extra as we normally eat food all year and eat out occasionally though it’s far cheaper at lunchtime in France than the UK. Also by drinking a lot of wine I save even more. No idea what it cost to be honest but bank still looking good.


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## Budgie (Sep 30, 2022)

Just got to France, well been here 3 days, its been 3 years since we last were here, and have immediately noticed things seem to have not gone up in price as much as they have in the UK, diesel @ £1.47 litre, food in supermarkets seems cheaper, eating and drinking out seems not too bad now either compared to the UK now, on our way to Spain and are thinking this 3 month trip will probably end up with us saving some wonga with the cost of everything in the UK at the present, unbelievable!!


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## barryd (Sep 30, 2022)

I've always found France cheaper than the UK for the things I like which to be fair is mainly French cheese and booze 

Certainly going out for a lunch or a few drinks seems cheaper or better value.


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## GMJ (Oct 1, 2022)

Budgie said:


> Just got to France, well been here 3 days, its been 3 years since we last were here, and have immediately noticed things seem to have not gone up in price as much as they have in the UK, diesel @ £1.47 litre, food in supermarkets seems cheaper, eating and drinking out seems not too bad now either compared to the UK now, on our way to Spain and are thinking this 3 month trip will probably end up with us saving some wonga with the cost of everything in the UK at the present, unbelievable!!



We find Spain significantly cheaper than France. For example a litre of gin c.€6. 12 small cans of beer is less than €3 too.


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## jacquigem (Oct 1, 2022)

In Spain Still getting 3 course menus with drink for 13 euros or less. Camperstop has gone up to 13 euro per night , from 11 and electric now metered at 70 cents per kwh. Was 4 euro flat charge. Supermarket shop has gone up but still seems cheaper than France, Belgium and UK. Diesel up as previously reported , probably cheaper in France over last couple of months!


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## Pudsey Bear (Oct 1, 2022)

Anywhere you don't need heating on is going to markedly save you money, maybe even enough to cover the cost of the fuel to get there.


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## barryd (Oct 1, 2022)

Spain is cheaper than France I guess but its the quality of produce in France which IMO provides better value. I hate shopping in Spain. Their supermarkets are awful.  Has anyone ever bought anything resembling proper decent cheese in Spain for example?   I rest my case.


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## jacquigem (Oct 1, 2022)

barryd said:


> Spain is cheaper than France I guess but its the quality of produce in France which IMO provides better value. I hate shopping in Spain. Their supermarkets are awful.  Has anyone ever bought anything resembling proper decent cheese in Spain for example?   I rest my case.


We used to get decent uk cheddar before Brexit but we usually wash down the Spanish cheese with Spanish red and after a while you don't taste it !


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## Robmac (Oct 1, 2022)

barryd said:


> Spain is cheaper than France I guess but its the quality of produce in France which IMO provides better value. I hate shopping in Spain. Their supermarkets are awful.  Has anyone ever bought anything resembling proper decent cheese in Spain for example?   I rest my case.



I have to agree Barry. Spanish Supermarkets are pretty rubbish.


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## Pudsey Bear (Oct 1, 2022)

I make my own cheese.


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## barryd (Oct 1, 2022)

Pudsey Bear said:


> I make my own cheese.



Oh dear god.


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## barryd (Oct 1, 2022)

Robmac said:


> I have to agree Barry. Spanish Supermarkets are pretty rubbish.



The worst ones I ever came across was Turkey.  its a few years ago now so maybe its changed but jeeesaz they were Grim.  Probably why you dont see many fat people in Turkey. There is nothing to eat.

I'm not allowed in UK supermarkets but a trip to a large E. Leclerc in France is a bit of a treat.  One with a massive cheese counter and the selection of booze is out of this world.  I dunno about anything else as they are the only sections I need.


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## Budgie (Oct 1, 2022)

Wherever we are we look for a French style food all you can eat buffet ie "buffet volonte cuisine francaise" on Google maps if there is one near we are there like a shot,  very good value and you can try all the different French dishes you that you normally wouldn't have a clue what they were by looking at a French menu.


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## Jo001 (Oct 1, 2022)

barryd said:


> Has anyone ever bought anything resembling proper decent cheese in Spain for example?


Manchego?


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## Pudsey Bear (Oct 1, 2022)

barryd said:


> Oh dear god.


Dead easy Barfs, loads of recipes out there and books, my mother used to make cheese.


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## Pudsey Bear (Oct 1, 2022)

I have to agree, there is zero decent cheese in the UK, it all taste like plastic even in the specialist shops, Cheese on toast is one of my faves but not had any decent stuff for decades.


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## Robmac (Oct 1, 2022)

Pudsey Bear said:


> I have to agree, there is zero decent cheese in the UK, it all taste like plastic even in the specialist shops, Cheese on toast is one of my faves but not had any decent stuff for decades.



You jest Kev?

Get some decent Blue Stilton down you man, or any decent, strong English cheddar.

For Cheese on toast, a good Red Leicester is great.


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## barryd (Oct 1, 2022)

Yeah thats bollox Kev. There are some fantastic cheeses in the UK to be fair.  However me personally Im a fan of the raw milk cheeses and they are not big in the UK.  However if you can get hold of a Baron Bigod which is basically a Brie De Meaux when its properly ripe its better than any actual French Brie de Meaux I ever tasted and its made in Suffolk! https://fenfarmdairy.co.uk/cheese/

As for making your own. Michelle bought me a kit for Christmas.  I had to buy a load of other stuff but it was a complete disaster. Kitchen ended up like a milky curdy bomb site and all of it ended in the bin.


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## Robmac (Oct 1, 2022)

Pudsey Bear said:


> I have to agree, there is zero decent cheese in the UK, it all taste like plastic even in the specialist shops, Cheese on toast is one of my faves but not had any decent stuff for decades.



Of course you could stick to French Cheeses Kev, they are available here.

I'll send you some 'Laughing Cow'.


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## Pudsey Bear (Oct 1, 2022)

Robmac said:


> You jest Kev?
> 
> Get some decent Blue Stilton down you man, or any decent, strong English cheddar.
> 
> For Cheese on toast, a good Red Leicester is great.


Doesn't work for me sadly, it's something to do with my taste buds , my docs over 30 years ago did some tests to see why food others like I find truly awful, seems I have so many more than is normal and can taste what others can't.


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