JWL

There are some good posts here, but I do wish some would read ALL the posts before jumping in with replies totally unrelated to the/my OP's situation as clearly stated. I know it's the way with forum/a that we all love to have our tuppence worth, but c'mon, keep on track..


900 euro for 'our' electric is not 'my' electric in a small 2 bed or similar for one; and inheritance is clearly not a concern for me; the house would be bought and paid; I've never mentioned that I'm comparing France with the UK, have no intention whatsoever of relocating there and couldn't anyway.

And why on earth would I want to buy a flat in Brum?? Did I mention I have a thing for Brum along the way somewhere? I'd rather spend my days surrounded by dribblers than spend them in Brum...


Um...otherwise...

Novocastrian

Agreed. But your original question is unanswerable except with the response "How much you got?".

petitefrancaise

well we know how much he's got: his UK pension as he states right there in the first post.

How much as a cushion in the bank is what he actually asked. Well, go to a bank and ask how much interest they would pay on varying sums of deposits.

He asks about interest from his capital to boost his pension, well that made me laugh considering the interest rates being paid these days.

Depends on his lifestyle, the size/type/location of the house he's bought and what his plans are for the future.

good luck to him.

Novocastrian

He's talking about capital in addition to his no doubt meagre pension.

Yes, he was asking about a "cushion". I don't know about you, but I have a cushion and I assure you I would never put it in a bank. There are more sophisticated investments you know.

See above.

Quite. The OP was fairly clear on those things.

InVinoVeritas

The OP/you seem to think that not only should we read the entire thread to remind ourselves of your exact circumstances but also the other threads you have started and maybe even posts you have made in other member's threads.

I'm sorry but I don't think anyone here is going to make that kind of investment in making sure their reply is pertinent to your circumstances. You are lucky if they read much beyond the post to which they are replying. If you want to change this then a good starting point would be to expand your public profile beyond "Male".

Having said that I do agree that their are a few members who go way off-topic and the thread is then in danger of losing its original focus. But then we come across these kind of people at dinner parties too!

Chatter Static

After sleep on it waking up and recapping this thread I have come to the conclusion.


































Which just about sums it up....

Touraine

This is your problem.....but it is already been pointed out to you in the other threads. You are determined to find a cliché that does not exist.

If you live in a proper semi rural area and your house can be sold within the national average of 3 months you don't really need a large cushion of money.

However, if you fall for the trap of 'Brittany, small village or town or hamlet' as already pointed out, your cushion of cash will need to be large enough to buy a house/flat in the UK if you had to urgently move back. There is a high probability your little house may not sell.

EuroTrash

I can't be bothered rooting out your other threads but I take this to mean that you are not a British expat, however I didn't see where you mentioned this, and since the forum is called Britishexpats it seemed a reasonable assumption to make. We tend to assume that posters are Brits relocating from the UK unless they say otherwise. If not, the issues are slightly different.

Maybe you didn't read my post very carefully? I wasn't suggesting you live in Brum. I was suggesting that for many Brits, buying a property and renting it out is the best way of investing their savings, for a number of very sound reasons. 'Birmingham or somewhere' was a shorthand way of saying, a town where it'll be easy to find tenants so probably a university town, where property will sell quickly, and where property prices are likely to increase rather than decrease - B'ham, Leeds, Manchester, as opposed to a remote village in Cornwall.

As to the rest, I think Chatter static has come to the right conclusion.

I thought it was a discussion forum, not a Q&A forum. There's another thread complaining that it's too quiet and there is no banter or chit chat any more - but when you try, or go off at a bit of a tangent, somebody slaps you down.

InVinoVeritas

Either there's a problem with my computer or there's a joke here I don't understand but Chatter Static's conclusion consists of about 25 blank lines

loy loy

Rude. Just trying to help. The 900e fuel bill was an example of an out of the blue bill which could be anything. Judging by our experience, the insurance companies here never pay out, so any car accidents, leaks, tiles falling off roofs etc expect a bill. Then you can try and get your money back.

You have asked an impossible question to answer. No one knows how much of a buffer you need as no one knows how long you will be alive.

People are just trying to help. The flat in Birmingham someone suggested that you dismissed is actually a good idea. I wished we had bought a flat in a university town or city to keep a a steady income and also appreciate in value should you need to sell. This will also top up your buffer each month

You'll need about 1500e a month to live on nicely. If your pension doesn't cover that then you'll need more of a buffer.

Say your pension does cover your living costs, I would say 1000e for every month you plan on living would be a good buffer.

The person who said they survive as a pair on 1000e a month I am amazed. With a mutuelle for 65 year old, fonciere and d'habitation that must be at half of that gone.

Not sure if the OP plans on having a car but if so you need to add petrol, food, heating, insuranaces etc.

EuroTrash

Think Shakespeare.
And the rest ... is silence.
Or that's what I took it to mean

InVinoVeritas

Mmmm "trop subtil" methinks.

Chatter Static

Not all the lines are blank

EuroTrash

(IVV - You have to click 'quote' to see the hidden message )

Peabrain

LL
I know this has nothing to do with the question, which asks how long a piece of string is, and I do see that you say "Judging by our experience..." , but it might be unhelpful to suggest that French insurance companies "never pay out". I've had a bit of the opposite experience with la MAIF over the past few decades, and they are a steamroller when circumstances require. I've had them pay out over the odds for a car that I had stolen, rapidly trace blokes who refused to stop after an accident, paid out in advance for storm damage and so on. French insurance companies aren't all run by crooks.
PB