Club Arnage

Hi, anybody any ideas as to the cost of living in France now, hearing rumours that its jumped up since last year?
        Cheers
             Ian (Liverpool Boys)

Didn't seem to be any more expensive when we were over at the beginning of last month, but the killer is the crap exchange rate.

Diesel is more expensive,the rest is the same.

Is that more expensive than the UK?

Filled up my "white van" today - cost me over £100 squid!!!!!!!  £ :o :o :o

I've bought cars for less than that.

t

Isn't that just the low emissions charge ;D.  A mate had to take his old Transit into London and it cost him £100.  Its not that smokey either, its just a tax on age.

On this months fuel bill, petrol seems to be about £1.40, with diesel a few pence cheaper.  Ouch.  I know its gone up a bit recently, but diesel used to be 2/3 the price of petrol - what's happened there.

France seemed to get expensive best part of 10 years ago.  Going out for a meal/food/wine used to be cheaper than the UK, but they've caught up. Its jumped more that the rate change

I was in Spain and Portugal recently. They seemed reasonably cheap but Germany last year felt quite pricey. On the whole I think the Uk is becoming more expensive but you don't really notice it, until you go abroad.

The poor exchange rate does make some stuff feel really expensive though...

I'd love to answer this but the house has been empty since last Le Mans so currently in the process of putting it on the market. Typically French taken 2 months so far for a few checks  ::)

Germany wasn't that expensive when I was over in September I didn't think, Same with Poland when I went in November. I do feel the UK is creeping up in expense. Fuel is becoming a joke again to

Oil prices have gone up from somewhere around $30 per barrel to around $70 in a couple of months or less.

Expect more rises!!

Diesel in hypermarkets was €1.36 to €1.40 a litre when I was there 6 weeks ago.
More at petrol stations and extortionate on the auto routes.
JDS explained the rise in diesel prices in France to due to the French Government removing generous very long term subsidies.
Still more to go, so it will soon be a case of tanking in UK before you go rather than the other way round.  

In january German diesel was 1,19 euro Andora 89 cents a litre but in Swizterland on the autoroute.......1'80.I got of and paid 1,50  Bargain.

Paid £1.17 for diesel in the UK a couple of weeks back but it is €1.40 here. But put it in perspective please. If using Calais let's for argument's sake say 600 miles there and back. at 40 mpg that's 15 gallons or less than 70 litres at a difference of 20p so £14. Three beer tokens at most!

Diesel is up to about £1.25 now I think, may be more. I wouldn't know, my electricity hasn't gone up :-)

But I noticed petrol is going up sharpish.

Diesel is near £1.40 around me now  :o

Beer was 8 Euros plus 1 for the mug yesterday at the circuit!

The ACO has had a single caterer agreement for many years now. It's the same franchisee as operates at the French Tennis Open, so Wimbledon prices, no surprise.
I think beer and other drinks are slightly cheaper at the ACO grandstand bar and the members' area at la Chapelle.

Is there a fine if, theoretically, one was to be foolish enough to accidentally  fill a mineral water bottle with say a clear alcoholic liquor such as vodka and take it into the circuit. And get caught.

Andy, last year I might have managed to "theoretically" get two wine boxes through security down to Tertre Rouge for the evening. Get a mate through the gate, lob the boxes over the fence to him then pass the security guy with an innocent smirk on your face.
This type of thing is, of course, against the rules and I don't want anyone to think that I condone this behaviour.

There's no question of a fine Andy.
 Worst scenario is that the bottle is refused entry to the circuit. But, in practice,  the check is for glass bottles or labelled  alcoholic drinks.
Of course this is an entirely hypothetical situation.

Then there is the miracle of the bottles of Coca Cola that become infused with rum

Thanks chaps. Hallelujah to such miraculous transformations and hypothetical beverage based errors.

We had a similar problem in Australia for the Ashes whereby it was only possible to purchase 3.2% lager in the GABBA, or what we called expensive piss. So each morning we accidentally marched in with a litre of vodka in a water bottle and a large bottle of Coke. We were warned, if caught, there was an on the spot fine of $200. We decided this was still cheaper than buying their piss. And of course nobody even bother to check the bottle...

That's reminded me of a story about Bathurst.  To limit drinking, spectators were only allowed to bring in a bottle of spirits or a case of beer, per man per day.  Adequate for many, but people broke in a week before the race and buried loads of booze, so that they could dig it up when the ration ran out.