The Spanish Way is Cheaper

Is Adapting to the Spanish way of life Cheaper than the British way?

First off let me give you my view of what I think the differences are here and what i have seen living in Spain 17 years.

When i first moved to Spain here it was an amazing feeling, knowing that i didnt have to go back to the UK after 2 weeks like most holidays you have. I remember well the first few months i eat out about 3 times a week in restaurants like a tourist and loved it. Then after a while it got a bit much and we settled into going out to eat Friday or Saturday nights.

I am sure that when most Brits move here they do the same thing and why not it feels great.

Way back then i was a member of an English club here and they went out for lunch or dinners every week so we normally joined them. In this club were British people, mostly retired that did this every week for years and they went to mostly English bars that expats had opened up here,

AT first I thought this was great and i did meet loads of new clients this way and make some great friends.

The problem is that after time the conversation gets to be the same as most of these Brits mix with the same people week after week.

I do understand that being in a British community does appeal to some and each to their own but for me it was not why i moved here.

One of the topics to always come up at these gatherings was where to buy British food and bits people loved back in the UK.

Now often these British must have items are very expensive here, one day i remember a British guy in a local supper market ask a shop assistant where the Kelloggs Corn Flakes were and he got annoyed when she tried to tell him there was none.

This was the day i told myself that i would eat and drink what the spanish did and get use to it.

Really there is only one thing i miss and thats my mums sunday roast as here its just not the same.

Anyway as difference go there are a lot but there are 2 types of Brits life i see here .

1st. The british who move here and continue to have all the uk products sky tv the British food and dont really mix with locals and the reason they dont mix much is that they dont bother to learn the language or they start and give up. There is a couple i know here that moved here when i did and still they can only order the basic foods in bars and hand gesture to get what they want.

I am not saying there way is wrong just that they are missing out on so much more here.

2nd…Then there is the Brits who move to Spain and really throw themselves into the way of life trying everything and going out of their way to meet and mix with local Spanish. These are the ones who normally stay here permanently and experience all that spain has to offer.

Its not easy to do this, you have to make an effort to go upto Spanish and talk to them, its hard to learn the language as you get older and we feel embarrassed to try, but it does get easier and worth the effort.

So why is the Spanish way cheaper?

Well the first few years i was here i went to the local supper market weekly now i got to my local Spanish market to buy the bulk of my weekly shop, not only is it far cheaper it is fresher and less plastic.

If you can throw your self in the deep end from day one and adapt to the Spanish food drink and where and how they eat then it really is cheaper.

What are costs in Spain Heres my list.

OK so most know i love my tapas here but i find that when we go out with friends we have 3 drinks and 3 tapas and thats enough for me. Sometimes my wife and i have gone out to have tapas at our local and its way cheaper than eating in.

There are local shops that do daily menus to take away. i am not talking about high street takaways here. these are very small shops just set up to do lunches. they change the menus daily and the dishes cost about 3.50 euros each. There is one near where i live now and my wife calls ahead in the mornings to order the food that she picks up on her way home at lunch time. Fast cheap and health fresh food all for 7 euros for 2. You cant cook it for that at home if you take in ingredients and electric costs.

This is very popular with Spanish and these shops are everywhere but most brits dont ever use them or even know about them. I will do a video next time i go as the food is very good and very different than what most brits would normally eat.

Yes we all may like our favorite British drink or food but if you try the spanish equivelent you may find a new best drink or new best food that will probably be way cheaper.

Its not wrong to live how you want here and we are all very different thats for sure but it can be so much cheaper if you think, eat and drink like the Spanish.

Do you have to have your British food and drink or have your tastes change since you have been here?