Save me some money!

Totally skint liveaboards are quite widespread. Moneysaving ideas include (or course) staying on the hook, and proceed to not washing much, filling jerrycans ashore with free water from the beach showers at night, and pickling any fish caught in previously-saved screwtop bottles and stashing them in the bilges - I'm told that people who do this are known as "tinklies" because their boats tinkle at anchor with all the bottles in the bilge...
 
Nostradamus - if you are still in France this is a hot tip!

Go to the nearest Géant hypermarket, and buy the cheapest possible item you can find - eg a single banana. At the checkout they will give you a voucher offering €30 rebate on your next purchase of over €200.

Go back into the Géant and buy two Casino brand C8 car batteries at €102 each, which are on "special offer" with a €16 rebate voucher, valid for any future purchases at G'eant. At the checkout, use your €30 on €200 rebate voucher, and pay just €174. They will also give you the two coupons worth €16 each to spend on anything you like in the Géant at your next visit (eg food), plus another €30 rebate voucher on your next purchase of over €200.

Now go back to the "Accueil" at the Géant, and return the two car batteries (tell them the bornes are on the wrong way round or something). They will reimburse you for the full cost - ie €204.

So there you are, €30 up in cash, plus €32 vouchers to spend on food. Plus you still have another €30 rebate voucher so you can go and buy two more batteries...
 
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I wouldn't recommentd this but the French cruisers know how to live on a low budget. In the Caribbean the well known description of French cruisers is 'most people fit out their boats to go cruising, the French go cruising to fit out their boats'.

There are dozens of examples here are three. Two French guys tried to take off the Aries gear on Brit boat in Chagos, he caught them doing it. A French single hander was caught leaving Guadeloupe with nine outboards and dinghies on board. Two French guys stole a racing yacht in the USVI's, they repainted and renamed it in French St Martin and sailed over to France.

There is even a French book with an ISBN number about cruising on a budget, one chapter is 'How to steal things'. Classic.
 
Ric said:
Nostradamus - if you are still in France this is a hot tip!

Go to the nearest Géant hypermarket, and buy the cheapest possible item you can find - eg a single banana. At the checkout they will give you a voucher offering €30 rebate on your next purchase of over €200.

Go back into the Géant and buy two Casino brand C8 car batteries at €102 each, which are on "special offer" with a €16 rebate voucher, valid for any future purchases at G'eant. At the checkout, use your €30 on €200 rebate voucher, and pay just €174. They will also give you the two coupons worth €16 each to spend on anything you like in the Géant at your next visit (eg food), plus another €30 rebate voucher on your next purchase of over €200.

Now go back to the "Accueil" at the Géant, and return the two car batteries (tell them the bornes are on the wrong way round or something). They will reimburse you for the full cost - ie €204.

So there you are, €30 up in cash, plus €32 vouchers to spend on food. Plus you still have another €30 rebate voucher so you can go and buy two more batteries...
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Hmmmm........Somehow I find this rather sad
 
Like It

Ric said:
Nostradamus - if you are still in France this is a hot tip!

Go to the nearest Géant hypermarket, and buy the cheapest possible item you can find - eg a single banana. At the checkout they will give you a voucher offering €30 rebate on your next purchase of over €200.

Go back into the Géant and buy two Casino brand C8 car batteries at €102 each, which are on "special offer" with a €16 rebate voucher, valid for any future purchases at G'eant. At the checkout, use your €30 on €200 rebate voucher, and pay just €174. They will also give you the two coupons worth €16 each to spend on anything you like in the Géant at your next visit (eg food), plus another €30 rebate voucher on your next purchase of over €200.

Now go back to the "Accueil" at the Géant, and return the two car batteries (tell them the bornes are on the wrong way round or something). They will reimburse you for the full cost - ie €204.

So there you are, €30 up in cash, plus €32 vouchers to spend on food. Plus you still have another €30 rebate voucher so you can go and buy two more batteries...
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Sad but I like it, did it happen by accident,? (i.e. did you buy and return 2 batteries) or was this an organised scam.

SWMBO has just frowned and said we will not be taking part.....................
 
NDH said:
Sad but I like it, did it happen by accident,? (i.e. did you buy and return 2 batteries) or was this an organised scam.

SWMBO has just frowned and said we will not be taking part.....................
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Strangley enough that is exactly what my wife said bu I would love to know how you discovered it.
 
Well admittedly I have not actually done this!

I did discover, however, that if you buy a Casino C8 battery and then return it the next day because the "bornes" are the wrong way round, they don't ask you to hand back the €16 voucher and give you the full refund.

Also, I did unintentionally discover that if you make purchases of over €200 (thereby qualifying for €30 rebate), but then return one item (in my case an incorrect printer cartridge) that takes you below the €200 threshold, they let you keep the €30 rebate.

So, putting two and two together, my cunning plan should work :-)

After all, you did ask for money saving tips in France - just trying to be helpful..

Ric (who wishes he had an Oyster 45 like you)
 
Winter 2000 -2001 we ware wintering on the Canal Du Midi. There I met a guy, said he was “Frisian “. He lived in a engine less sail yacht together with two ferrets, a dog, a cat and had a donkey tied to a three next to his boat. The most strange man I ever met. Heavily drinking ( Whiskey ) half of the time stoned, earning money by begging. Been part paralysed he sat sometimes at the entrance of the local Carrefour supermarket with all of his animals and did some tricks with them. He told me he earned roughly 25 €/ hour ( Franks then ) Used the donkey to tow his boat from one place to another. ( Max stay is 14 days on the same spot )
He spoke seven languages fluent and was highly educated.
Some time ago I was moored in Mandraki Rhodes and had the time to study a Gipsy women begging. I can assure she was “ earning “ much more than 30 € / h. Not older than 25 but dressed as a old Greek women, head scarf deep over the head, sitting on the floor at the entrance of a church, walking stick, and muttering some prey, totally disguised as an Greek old mother. Pros.
 
Ric said:
Well admittedly I have not actually done this!
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What a shame! I really liked the purchasing recommendations and the refund argument. The single banana and the rebate voucher set the scene.

Very plausible in a satirical sort of way and therefore (to me) funny.:)

But do I detect a surprising whiff of disapproval? Hang on - maybe you were serious!

:rolleyes:
 
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