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France Made Simple: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Catharine Higginson
Thinking about moving to France, retiring in France, or already living here? France Made Simple is the practical podcast for English speakers navigating life in France.Host Catharine Higginson has spent more than 20 years living and working in France. Each week she shares honest advice, real experiences and practical guidance on buying property, renovating French homes, visas, healthcare, taxation, bureaucracy, learning the language, culture, and the everyday realities of French life.Whether you’re planning your move, buying your dream home, starting a business, or simply trying to understand how life really works in France, France Made Simple helps you avoid costly mistakes and make confident decisions.
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- 5 days ago27 min
Cheap Wine & Expensive Winters - Can You Afford Life In France?!
Is France still affordable in 2026 and what should you budget if you’re planning to move in 2027?Well, affordable for whom? Living where? And doing what?In this episode of France Made Simple, I’m looking beyond bargain properties and inexpensive wine to explore what everyday life in France actually costs. From heating a large house to running a second car, paying for healthcare and visiting family back home, it’s often the less glamorous expenses that decide whether the sums work.Drawing on my own experiences (including buying rather more house than was sensible!), discussing:• Renting versus owning, and why neither tells the whole story.• How a cheaper rural property can mean higher everyday costs.• Food shopping, eating out and budgeting for your actual habits.• Healthcare, insurance, property taxes and the bills people forget.• Earning in pounds or dollars while spending in euros.• Illustrative monthly budgets for a couple renting or owning outright.• Why your first year needs a separate budget.France can still offer good value. The trick is working out whether you can afford the life you actually want here—with enough left over for when the washing machine packs up.The household budgets discussed are invented examples, not official averages or estimates for your circumstances.With thanks to our sponsors, Fab French Insurance
- 1 weeks ago21 min
Why I Still Love Living in France: The Simple Things That Make It Worthwhile
Moving to France isn’t all paperwork, language struggles and worrying about money. Sometimes it’s homemade ratatouille, freshly caught sea bass and a dog running around the bay lit up like a Christmas tree.In this episode of France Made Simple, I’m celebrating some of the everyday pleasures that make life here so rewarding. From growing our own vegetables and preserving the harvest to fishing in the Bay of Mont-Saint-Michel, I share how we’ve been enjoying the outdoors and cutting our supermarket spending along the way.There’s also the story of the remarkably persistent gendarmes who finally persuaded me to exchange my British driving licence (including the one who arrived at my door with a single sheet of printer paper!)and a chat about finding the confidence to speak French, mistakes and all.An honest, occasionally muddy look at the good life in France, with plenty of laughter along the way.Enjoyed the episode? Please follow, leave a rating or review, and share it with someone dreaming of a life in France.
- 1 weeks ago28 min
Your Dream French Home: What the Listing Doesn’t Tell You
That gorgeous French farmhouse looks perfect online. But what can you actually do with it? And what’s happening in the field next door?This week, I’m joined by Philip, the software engineer behind French House Check, a tool designed to bring scattered property information together into a plain-English report.We talk planning restrictions, agricultural land, flood risks, septic tanks, energy efficiency and why a beautiful listing only tells you part of the story. Philip explains how his own search for a renovation project led him down a rabbit hole of French government websites, and inspired him to make the process easier for other house hunters.Having bought a few properties I probably shouldn’t have, I know how useful it is to ask the right questions early. If you’re buying in France, planning a viewing trip or selling a property, this episode will give you plenty to think about.Find Philip at https://frenchhousecheck.com.Or email him - reports@frenchhouse-check.comWith thanks to our sponsors, Fab French Insurance.
- 2 weeks ago33 min
You Can’t Live Off a View: Choosing Your Life in France
That beautiful stone house might come with stunning views. But how far is the school, how much will it cost to heat, and are you about to become a full-time taxi service for your children?This week, I’m joined by my friend Natasha, who moved from Croydon to Normandy with three children aged thirteen, eleven and seven. We talk honestly about moving with older children, finding supportive schools, making friends and building a working life in France.There’s also rural isolation, freezing houses, teenage soirées involving raclette machines, and the peculiar expat competition over who’s lived here longest.If you’re planning a move, this is a reminder to look beyond the lovely property and think about the everyday life you actually want. As Natasha puts it: you can’t live off a view.With thanks to our sponsors, Fab French Insurance.And you can get in touch with Natasha here:https://ournormandylife.com/category/our-business-life/www.ournormandylife.comOr on Facebook :https://www.facebook.com/share/19nrgAbYYU/Or follow her on Instagram :https://www.instagram.com/ournormandylife?psln=NGFua2tydzR2dDZ3
- 3 weeks ago21 min
French Bank Accounts: What You Need to Know
Need a French bank account but already stuck on the proof-of-address problem? Welcome to France.In this episode of France Made Simple, I explain what new arrivals need to know about French banking, from opening an account and gathering the paperwork to understanding your RIB, direct debits and the difference between immediate and deferred debit cards.We’ll look at traditional banks versus online options, fees to watch out for, moving money from overseas and why opening a French account doesn’t sort out your tax residence. And yes, we’ll talk about cheques. They’re still a thing here.A practical, jargon-free guide to getting your banking organised, without assuming that what worked for somebody on Facebook will necessarily work for you.
- Oct 9, 202632 min
Moving To France? Rent Before You Regret!
That gorgeous French house might tick every box. But will you actually enjoy living there?In this episode of France Made Simple, I’m joined by Ben, who helps people moving to France find long-term rentals. We discuss why renting before buying can give you valuable breathing space, why securing a rental can be surprisingly difficult for newcomers, and how to look beyond the holiday dream to find somewhere that suits your everyday life.From choosing between rural tranquillity and town convenience to understanding your lease and making a personal connection with potential landlords, we explore what helps a move work. I also share some of my own less-than-brilliant property decisions. Yes, there have been a few!If you’re planning a move to France, this is a practical, honest conversation about finding your feet before putting down roots.Ben’s contact details are here :+44 203 376 5117 (UK)+33 7 56 28 09 20 (France)bensmall@ibanista.comWith thanks to our sponsors, Fab French Insurance.
- Sep 30, 202638 min
French Home Insurance: The Myths That Could Cost You Thousands
French home insurance is not quite as straightforward as you might expect, especially if you’re coming from the UK or another country with a different insurance system.In this episode of France Made Simple, Cat is joined by Fabien from Fab French Insurance to debunk some of the biggest myths surrounding French home and contents insurance.We look at what is legally required depending on whether you’re a tenant, homeowner, second-home owner or landlord, and why French insurance doesn’t work in quite the same way as UK buildings and contents insurance.We also cover some of the areas that regularly catch people out, including:• Why buildings-only and contents-only policies aren’t generally how French home insurance works• What happens if you have a swimming pool, garage, shed or other outbuilding• Why your valuable possessions in a shed may not be covered simply because you’ve declared the shed• How the “new for old” principle actually works; and why it doesn’t necessarily mean getting back what you originally paid• Why photographing your possessions and keeping receipts, valuations and certificates of authenticity can make a huge difference when making a claim• Chimney sweeping, maintenance and what insurers may expect• How “catastrophe naturelle” claims work in France• Why natural-disaster cover is different from ordinary claims• The surprising issue of underground water pipes and where responsibility for leaks begins and ends• And perhaps the biggest culture shock of all: accidental damage to your own possessions is generally NOT included in a standard French home insurance policy.As always, the aim isn’t to scare you into buying more insurance, it’s to understand what you actually have, what you don’t have, and where the potential gaps might be.Because when it comes to French insurance, as Fabien puts it: you don’t know what you don’t know until you find out you don’t know it!
- Sep 25, 202627 min
Moving to France? 5 Mistakes I Made So You Don’t Have To!
Moving to France can be an exciting new chapter but there are a few mistakes that can make the transition considerably harder than it needs to be.In this episode of France Made Simple, I run through five of the most common mistakes people make when they move to France and, as usual, I’ve made plenty of them myself so you don’t have to!We look at why you really do need to learn French (and why “I’ll pick it up when I get there” probably isn’t going to work), why you should start thinking about your garden much earlier than you might expect, and why it’s surprisingly easy for a move, renovation and French admin to take over your entire life and even your relationship.I also talk about the culture shock of moving to France, including the little social rules that can catch newcomers out, from saying bonjour and doing la bise to understanding why French people interrupt, wag their fingers and don’t necessarily mean to be rude.And finally, we get to one of the biggest lessons of all: patience. French opening hours, August holidays, bank-holiday weekends, builders, paperwork and the general French approach to work-life balance can test even the most laid-back newcomer.The good news? Most of these things can be anticipated, planned for and, eventually, laughed about.If you’re planning a move to France or you’ve already made the move and are wondering why nobody warned you about some of this, this episode is for you.And thank you, as always, to our long-term sponsors Fab French Insurance for supporting France Made Simple.And as promised - here’s the link to my fabulous hairdresser! https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61580217764838
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About France Made Simple
Thinking about moving to France, retiring in France, or already living here? France Made Simple is the practical podcast for English speakers navigating life in France.Host Catharine Higginson has spent more than 20 years living and working in France. Each week she shares honest advice, real experiences and practical guidance on buying property, renovating French homes, visas, healthcare, taxation, bureaucracy, learning the language, culture, and the everyday realities of French life.Whether you’re planning your move, buying your dream home, starting a business, or simply trying to understand how life really works in France, France Made Simple helps you avoid costly mistakes and make confident decisions.
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