Was living in France cheaper ? 'The Font' produces the latest household budget showing our food and energy expenditures. For the last six months (compared with the comparable period the year before) our food expenditure is up 27% and energy costs up 168%. That 168% energy hike is a stunner as we've downsized into a house that is one sixth the size of the one in France ! The good news is that the big ticket items - house and car insurance - are about 40% cheaper. Sadly, wine is much more expensive here in the UK - probably 35% more for a comparable bottle. The same with fresh fruit. The fall in Sterling against the Euro, thanks to one or other of our inept governments, hasn't helped comparisons.
5 comments:
The comparison I'd be interested in is the unit cost of energy. How much per kilowatt hour in Scotland versus France? One aspect of the heating costs debate in the UK that seems to be largely ignored by our London-centric media is that, based on my experience, the number of days when one needs the heating turned on in NE Scotland is at least double that in SE England - a big hit for those on low incomes.
A shame but predictable, I guess, that wine costs more here!
Cheers, Gail.
Nice photos of Sophie by the rockery and all alone on the beach - poor girl - have all her friends deserted her today?
At this moment it's precisely 6ºC here in eastern Spain, and the sky resembles that of your beach photos - no sign of the sun. It's been exceptionally cold for the past month or so, and no sign of any warmer weather ahead. Most houses here are built for the warm weather, which means they are ice houses in winter! Insulation, heat pumps, and solar panels have only been encouraged, and available, over the past two or three years, but
wine is still cheap!
Give the sweet girl an extra hug - being that there is no one to greet on the beach,
Sophie looks lovely and floofy in the first picture. My heating bill for natural gas furnace, fireplace and hot water heater went up 65% from last year due to the carbon tax. If I qualify I can get a refund of $300 from the Federal Government. Not much can be done other than lower the thermostat but that is not always practical in Eastern Ontario Canada where the temperature can drop to -25C.
Yes, an especially pleasing picture of Sophie beside the heather. I look forward to the arrival of warmer weather though apparently it won't be any time soon.
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