Really fucked off with Euro exchange rate

[GrumpyOldBag]

We have been going on holiday self-catering to the same place in Europe for over 10 years.

This year everything feels prohibitively expensive - to the point where it is really inhibiting what we can choose to do.

We are here for 2 weeks and it's really hard as family of 4 (with 2 teenagers) to spend less than £100/euros a day on activities/eating out.

Not in a beach resort type place, so taking a picnic to the beach for the day isn't an option - nearly everything there is to do here costs money. 3 euros for a coffee, 3 for an ice-cream - it all quickly adds up. Even the 'cheap' food in the supermarket is expensive. Practically at parity with £.

Bloody Brexit!

I am in France and Just paid 6 Euros for a big bag of crisps and a bottle of coke - it's shite!

We haven't eaten out much as it's not affordable - even to go to the camp bar for an omelet and chips for the 5 of us would be 30 E without a drink

I am in France and Just paid 6 Euros for a big bag of crisps and a bottle of coke - it's shite!

To be fair, you'd pay that in the average branch of Cineworld in the UK.

Just paid 6 Euros for a big bag of crisps and a bottle of coke - it's shite

But back in 2008 and 2009, it was similar rates. Was it shite then? Did you go to Europe then?

What should it be?

Some perspective

ortalina

To be fair if i popped to the shop in a minute and boight a grab bag and a coke and it was £6 i would think that was expensive as well

We were half board in Spain this year. I still managed to spend a lot.

I'm not expecting to be able to afford to go abroad again for some years, maybe never if brexit ends up being as bad as I think it's going to be. It's a massive, msssive shame and all so unnecessary.

We live in France. Locals buy crisps and a coke on Lidl for 2euros. We have perfected the art of picnic.

I know it's not the ideal solution if you are on holiday, but often there is a lidl nearby and you could uber it there and back, buying enough stuff for the week.

On the plus side, brexit has probably ruined my whole families chances of returning to the UK, but today the exchange rate on Gap.eu worked in my favour big time. So you know, small things

To be fair if i popped to the shop in a minute and boight a grab bag and a coke and it was £6 i would think that was expensive as well

But does it seem expensive to someone living in France?
Or..would someone from Germany think it's cheap but someone from France think it's expensive?

etc etc

Or are we just used to cheap prices? (and cheap / expensive is also relative for people in the UK)

Why does everyone hold up Spain as an example of an economic disaster? Their economy grew 3x as much as the UKs this year

I'm an overseas remainer and absolutely gutted although the silver lining is that I am having a marvellous time in the summer sales ordering from the now cheap u.k.!

YANBU OP. We've saved really hard and are going abroad next year with our two DDs and my DM (first time in 2 years for us, and 3 years for DM, so not like we get to go away all the time) and me and DH are getting increasingly twitchy about the exchange rate. In the post office yesterday it was only 1.02 euros to the pound. At this rate the euro will soon be worth more than the pound is by the time we go away. It's going to mean we're going to have to watch the pennies (well, cents) the entire time we're there and it's going to be a constant worry.

Fucking Brexit.

And all the Brexiters beforehand were saying that all the expert predictions of the pound devaluing after a Brexit vote was just a scare tactic. Because obviously all those economic experts just had no idea what they were talking about.

It's not just me saying it, it's Corbyn.

Interestingly, so is Macron. He's demanding EU labour reform, particularly for a revisions of the posted worker's directive but the politics of it all are very murky and there's evidence of potential horse trading over other EU directives that certain Central and Eastern European countries do not like.

According to the Big Mac index, the £ is 20% under valued against the Euro

www.economist.com/content/big-mac-index

*Not a reliable index

I know this is no consolation, but for British expats in Europe like me (who are affected by Brexit in other scary ways) at least our earnings here translate into more when we go back home...I'm planning a trip home right now and it's a silver lining I am clinging on to.

But yeah, Brexit sucks. Let's hope that Labour' new stance might have some sort of effect.

Just got back from France today and really felt the pinch. 80 Euros a day for a family of 4. We ate in a lot more than ever before but the supermarket shop felt really expensive too. Decent baby wipes for 9mo dd were anything between 2 and 3 euros! Nappies 11 Euros for 25 Pampers (unfortunately we ran out of our Aldi ones over there). Fuck Brexit indeed. I don't want to holiday in the sodding UK ffs.

OTOH - my city is a tourist city, so more foreigners come here and spend in local businesses - so they do well, meaning their staff get paid more, more bonuses and this gives me more money when they spend that money on my services..so I get more money.

Which I can then save up to go abroad with

Personally, I don't think it's anything to do with Brexit. The rates have been worse than this before.
We have been going to Spain for years and spending nigh on £100 per day for those years.
But of course, blame Brexit if it makes you happy!

Personally, I don't think it's anything to do with Brexit. The rates have been worse than this before.

WTF. Did you not notice the steep drop the day after the referendum?

But does it seem expensive to someone living in France?

I dont know how to answer that

And i dont speak french so i cant ring someone and ask

Only joking...i know what you mean

But i would still be HOW MUCH????

Make it last kids...make it last

It's a dismay that the argument back is 'typical remoaner' or whatever.

OK then lets go with many low waged people holiday overseas. They save up all year for a week in the sun. Nothing glam, but an effort nonetheless. The current exchange rate penalises them.

It obviously does not penalise those who live in such deprivation that this isn't an issue. WTO tariffs jacking up food prices will destroy their already perilous situation. I trust the government apportions the money we are allegedly getting back to the people who need it the most.

I live in south Devon and have all my life. This is the first year ive really noticed a lot of foreign tourists. We've always had the exchange students but this year it's been lots of Austrian/ German/ Belgian families and older coach tours.

It's funny we've had so long going to Europe and thinking 'I can't believe this is so cheap!' and now it's the other way round.

We have been going to Spain for years and spending nigh on £100 per day for those years

Rates do fluctuate, we went to spain many times when the children were younger and it was much cheaper than the uk

Now its about the same i would say

What thats down to I don't know

I agree mother

I have lived in France for the last 10 years and can say that in that time on average I think groceries have cost either the same or often more than in the UK. Though one big exception is alcohol. Fruit/veg about the same. But anything in a tin/jar/packet seems more expensive, and meat more expensive too. There are far fewer bargains to be had here than in the UK, not the same types of discount shop that permeate the UK high street, special offers in supermarkets all the time etc.

And i dont speak french so i cant ring someone and ask

Maybe on Mamasnet

No doubt with people recommending the UK as a dirt cheap tourist destination at the moment..