Cost of EHU at CLs
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you really dont get it do you...that is exactly what some people have to do, but vast amounts to them maybe the price of a 2nd hand caravan and then spending what they can afford whilst away which may only be a small amount, so e.g. paying for electricity by meter would be great for them if pitch fees were lower, because they would be in control of how much they spend on the meter, rather than this one price fits all, did you not have people who lived like this or live like this in your area?, we had plenty, as kids we were one.
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well done....to me that is what caravanning/MHing is all about, roughing it a little bit but keeping warm and dry as possible with minimum expense, trying to compare caravanning/Mhing with staying in a hotel, b&b cottage etc is a no brainer.
Each to there own Rufs. To us getting it as close to a hotel / cottage etc but mobile is what it is all about. If we want to rough it a bit we still have the tent in the loft. 😂 We didn't get a Caravan and then a MH to do minimum expense. We were doing that before.
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Completely agree Husky.
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wrrrrong....my daughter some 6 years ago now, bought a clapped out old carvan for less than £4k , I loaned them the money, they have a 2007 Ford Galaxy 170k on the clock used for towing and everyday use, the reason behind this was so that they could make use of relatively cheap CL's and go to places such as the lake district, wales, the reasoning behind this was that apart from pitch fees and some diesel they could live just as cheap if not for less money in the caravan for a couple of weeks, but enjoy the air, exercise etc, they are not alone believe me. They still have the caravan but sadly this will probably be its last year in service.
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they have to do that? have to go on holiday?
If they don't have the money for the price set by the CL or whatever, then, sadly, they do not go. CLs (and the club) are not a charity. But why not start one yourself?
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When we were younger and bringing up kids, we couldn't afford a caravan and do the traveling we wanted. So we bought a tent and a baggage trailer!
What we certainly didn't do was over extend ourselves ( buy a caravan) and then complain we could afford to run it in the manner we wanted.🤔
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Very commendable and she has my admiration. But what I quoted from you was "scrimp and save for 51 weeks" for "1 week away" not a "couple of weeks". OK, maybe not much difference in principle but the fact remains that , as I said, it's "highly unlikely" that such families would be using club CLsites.
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When I left college at 21 I needed to keep the car running for work purposes. At age 23 took a mortgage and I was on a car allowance for work. At age 24, despite working a number of part time jobs with only my income to feed the family and pay the mortgage I had to leave the car garaged and use a ratty 50cc motorbike to commute after having stripped it down, rebuilt it and given the paintwork some attention. We still managed a family holiday but I used to hire 10 year old cars from a backstreet trader for an annual holiday. By age 27 I changed job again and this job had an essential car user attached as well as a preferential loan. Car came out of the garage on days when it was needed for work and I bought a cheap and old basic trailer tent. By making use of the CL network non facility sites we were able to holiday far more frequently and also do weekends. Using many commercial or club sites was not affordable if I wanted to have as many holidays.
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We started off with a tent ,then a trailer tent (old and a bit tatty) then when our daughter came along in 1969 FIL "lent?"us the money for our first caravan i think it was about £350 as he was not having his grand daughter in what was basically a tent,
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with 3 hungry children and 1 husband she has to be, and just to answer hour question CS, no they dont HAVE to, but people work hard for 51 weeks put a little bit by each week for 1 week away, surely you would not deny them this?, when ours were young we even started a store of food that we would take with us to help us through the week, we always managed 1 or if lucky some times 2 weeks in a static at Black Rock sands, loved it, even if it meant eating jam sandwiches for the week.
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If you read my posts I am not denying anything. It is up to them to spend their money how they wish.
I do think it irresponsible if one, in your own words, scrimp (live on very little money in order to pay for something?) for the rest of the year to afford one week away. Far better to live better all year in my view and what I would do personally, but it's their choice to live how they wish and I pass no judgement on whatever one wishes to do.
But perhaps just don't expect CLs and the club to subsidise that choice?
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Her birthday pressie cost me £500 but I new that it was something that she wanted and would use. In general, at Christmas, we buy each other the odd useful thing but mainly nothing that we have to clean, store, care for etc. I have finally over the last two years managed to convince her sister and B in Law that all I want for Christmas is a box of Maltesers. In previous years the stuff bought went to charity.
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I am surprise to be reading that others switch off the space heating if leaving the van, I don't even off EHU and using gas. I certainly would not be popular if caravanning meant a return to a coldish van, and wait to be comfortable enough to take off outdoor gear. Not either of us idea of caravanning.
I don't do this neither with the van or our house, unless we are away for a night or more.
In both cases if it is to be a sustained all day affair we are leaving for I might set the temperature down a degree or two, but I don't want to be returning to either and be cold.
I know that unless it is bitterly cold then though much of the day the heating demands will be modest, but come sundown they will be called on. I also know what I do cost money, but the cost in the scale of things is trivial, at least to us viewed in the total cost we plough into caravanning, so not worth taking the edge of things for the sum involved.
Clearly we see enjoying what this hobby can offer differently to others.2 -
Ruffs has and I was replying to him. Installation of meters will cost many hundreds of thousands and where will that money come from? Reserves or higher site fees? Our money spent to enable what exactly?
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the cost in the scale of things is trivial, at least to us viewed in the total cost we plough into caravanning, so not worth taking the edge of things for the sum involved.
+1 my thoughts exactly.
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It’s warmed up here!😁 It’s now a balmy 1c outside, up from -3c last night, so frost has gone. We are on 500watts. Got to keep the dog warm, he’s getting on now......
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great...i am thinking of switching the house heating off and moving into the caravan and snuggling under the duvet to keep warm, my way of scrimping and saving for my next foray, to maybe a nice little site near Costa Benidorm,
fancied a trip out to Rooksbury Park just 30 mins away, but alas it is closed for the winter, i wonder if anybody has calculated how much a closed site for the winter costs the club, there must be some underlying costs and of course no revenue for many months, maybe they could turn them into a sort of CL e.g. keep all the facilities closed, EHU switched off and maybe provide just 1 on site warden
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yup we always go for "useful" now, quite often buying jointly something useful for both of us, family normally buy us resturant vouchers which we find useful, trip to OAP cinema afternoon followed by a nice Italian in Zizzis is just the ticket, club pitch vouchers are ok as i dont feel so bad when paying a lot of money for a pitch if i use vouchers.
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alas not as easy as that, local authority regulations enforce some closures
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I'm afraid your point which you spelled out clearly in the second paragraph has been missed by some, Corners.
As you intimated, it's about being sensible and cutting the cloth etc, not about the haves vs the have nots in this life. It's affordability and budgeting wisely at whatever level rather than going in gung-ho and then discovering costs are out of reach. In short, planning and foresight.
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