It has all gone wrong.....
 

Has anyone read the Sun today? There is an article about Brits living in Spain, who are having a hard time due to different circumstances. The exchange rate for pound to euro has hit hard, and pensioners are suffering. To the people who are thinking about making the move, take heed. Dont put all your eggs in the one basket. I hope these people can have a happy ending and hope that good times and good news are coming.

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The Sun :lol:

Even if the Euro became 1:1 it would still be cheaper for pensioners to live there than in the UK I'd imagine.

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It depends on the amount of pension because a person with a low income or pension can get extra payments in the UK. They can get help with rent and things, and if they are disabled they can get carers allowance and such. Of course the more well off pensioner need not worry about such things as the exchange rate.

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A lot of the extra payments can move with you to Spain if you ask DWP for the paperwork.

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IMO You'd be off your rocker if you moved to Spain if your pension was that minimal and you couldn't afford to buy a property outright.

Do pensioners do this? move there and rent permanently? seems a bit insane since as you said they would be better off in the UK in that respect, even before the pounds strength compared to the euro.

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You read The Sun? You sick freak! :lol:

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I bet like most of us he just wipes his bum with it, and thus can't help but catch the odd word .

I stopped reading the papers more than a year ago, and feel a lot better for it.

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It is not only pensioners that are having a hard time, one story is about a couple in their 50s who tried doing odd jobs and airport runs, but there are so many Brits providing these services that they cannot sustain themselves. They are trying to sell up before they are repossessed.They dont have Spanish health care. It is stupid, but people come to Spain all the time and think that they can get by doing odd jobs. I would never be that brave, we came here speaking the language fluently, I am UK born of Spanish parents and my OH is Spanish from the North West. We still thought long and hard about making the move, though.

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Read the sun and others here www.wrx.zen.co.uk for free however no bum wiping material included :rofl:

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So is it possible to make a living by speaking Spanish and not doing anything else? I don't get your point there MM?

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I don't think that was the point, more that even with more going for you (eg fluency in Spanish which is an advantage out there if you want work) it's pretty damn reckless to go out there without proper support.

...and yet, isn't chasing the dream what it is all about? I bet that if onle sensible people with full financial backing and carefully thought out plans went to Spain, there would be a lot less of us out there.

A little madness is like yeast......

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Madness gives you thrush too, bloody hell!!

Take the point B, but as you point out there must be plenty of peeps getting by, doing all sorts of stuff - I couldn't do it, but many may not have much to lose - skint and homeless in the UK, skint and homeless in Spain - you decide?

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Well that's what brought me here! Lasted 5 years so far!
Stuck a pin in the map, packed the car and left!

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And look at you now, a newly painted pool - no house, living of Mcd's scraps - but what a pool!!!

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No, the rest is there too!

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So you say - where's the pics to back it up?

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Have added an old pic to my Gallery

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Nice pool shame about the garden:rofl:

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Hell yes. I guess for some skint in the UK is better. Not for me, and not for a lot of others.

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I doubt you're skint anywhere Bil.

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No, thank F***, but were I skint, I'd prefer it in the sun.

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I think thats the point, at the moment anyone who has to work (ie not old enough to retire) seems to just be getting by - no one appears to be earning a decent living, work of all kinds is thin on the ground for the Brits and many Spanish too - was speaking to a Spanish estate agent yesterday and he said he is just "surviving"

If you are rent/mortgage free then you do stand a chance, if not then yes skint and at least in the sun is an option :unsure:

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We were able to take early retirement ,come here and buy a mortgage-free house (from the proceeds of an inheritance plus the lump sum from my husband's Teachers' Pension) and live here on the income from his pension. This has sadly diminished due to the exchange rate but we can still manage.

However, we were able to keep our house in the UK and in fact would not have come full-time had we not been able to have done so, or at least a small flat.

I personally would rather be skint in the UK, where I know the rules!

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where the rules are, since you are now old, screw you.

The UK is not much fun when you are old. Cold wet and grey, all of which conspire to shorten your lifespan, and reduce the quality of your life to boot.

Also, bear in mind the the cost of heating your house will rocket in the UK as they are only just waking up to the fact that house insulation needs to be improved. At least in Spain you need a lot less heating!

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Not necessarily...............if you live in a townhouse with tiled flooring it can be freezing.

Rosemary

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...but so much nicer in the summer!!

Here in the UK we need the heating on from September to April, at least 7 months of the year.

Could you visualise needing the heating on for half the year in Spain??

Then there's the years when you need it on in August.....

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I've recently added up my gas/electricity bill in the UK for this winter period Nov 1st -> End of April = £610!!!

We're not home all day and we're not ones who feel the cold that badly, so it's not on high or on all the time, always off during sleeping hours.

Scary to be honest.

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If you are skint there is no place like the úk. I am British born, with Spanish parents so I can appreciate the peace of mind you have in a country like England. I have members of my own family Aunts, uncles, cousins etc in Spain, who are really suffering. They dont seem to think that they are, but I dont know how they sleep at night, having seen the advantages to be had in UK. One cousin of mine works in a power plant (a big company) he takes home just over 950euros a month. He has 3 children. He works about 40 minute drive from home, and has expenses ,petrol etc. There is no such thing as Working tax credit or housing benefit for him and his family. If you earn 900 a month you must live on 900 a month, if you have one child or twelve. All I am tyring to say is, dont knock the UK, all of us here living in the sun (by choice) are at an advantage. Lets be grateful, I am. Life is very difficult here for the poorer member of society.

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I'm gonna live with bil, it's freezing in my casa in the winter:eek:, thank goodness for the log burner that's all I can say. Oh and the hot air from the aircon units:thumbsup:

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Agreed the UK benefit system although having many flaws is a good comfort if you fall on hard times, but like they say if it's not available then you don't miss it and get on with it, like your family are...

One thing that confuses me about Spain and the lack of housing benefit if you land on hard times, why isn't there copious amounts of homeless people living on the streets? I can safely say that I've only ever seen a handful of obvious homeless people on the streets. Infact you see more in London in one night than I've seen in many a year of traveling to Spain on business or pleasure.

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One reason is that the last generation and generations before always thought ahead. The would build a property, live on one floor and build an extra one or two flats for the childred, for when they got married. Married children often live above their parents, it is very common. This custom is dying out now because most properties, even in rural areas, are being built by big companies. Years ago most people built their own home, on land that they usually inherited. When I say built their own home, I mean Mum mixing the cement, dad laying the bricks and kids helping too. Society is changing, although some areas like Galicia still have more traditional values, where whole extended families live off the land. :eek::eek:

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I lived and worked in spain for two years,had my own house on a spanish morgage,but got sick of paying too much money for everything in spain.but for gods sake everyday in spain,pensioners moan about money money money,why go to spain in the first place,cos its hot,its not its freezing in winter.You all sit in the sun too long,your skin looks like an aligator,and please dont wear a thong or tanga on the beech,some people are trying to eat.Stay in england,or sorry you tried that not enough money.OK here is the answer,lets say your in your 50s or 60s,you sell your house for 150k dont go to spain come here to lovely sunny romania yes thats correct romania,buy a house for 25,000 euros live off the rest of the money.Yes its cold in winter but put the central heating on.here are some costs beer pint 20p loaf of bread 10p nappies pensioner size 5p each blood pressure tablets 80p for 20.

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Yes!! We usually have heating, at least in the evenings, from Nov - Apr inc...6 months of the year! People don´t realise that until they live here!:D We´re only in our 30´s and don´t feel the cold too much, but yes it is needed!

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Somehow, I dont think that's what he wants to hear.

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Welcome back Grooster!

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Ha ha ..... just noticed this... I thought as much on another thread! :D:D
He has such a way with words.... makes me want to melt.... literally... into oblivion!

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Here we go again,look i have given my personal views on the subject,i am speaking from hands on trial and error,but look again senior members having ago at me,and yes it is personal.Why not start a new thread COME HERE IF YOU ARE A NEWBIE GET SLAGGED OF FOR EVERYTHING YOU SAY???? i have not said anything personal to anyone,i was taught good british maners

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I'm not slagging you off Grooster! Just welcoming you back Grooster!

Although I do wished you had more flare with your new nickname, looking down at your laptop and calling yourself that is rather.. well... uninspiring! :)

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The name grooster means nothing to me,but if it makes you happy?

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:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup: :thumbsup::thumbsup: