Each month we send out a newsletter by e-mail to everyone who has subscribed. It is a light-hearted way of passing on useful information.
Features include Sneaky Beaky’s fun trivia that Google cannot help you with plus lifestyle tricks of the trade. We also pass on special offers and useful links. To get your copy every month simply sign up here Costa Difference weekly newsletter.
La vida BONITA means the beautiful life. Read every month what the residents are enjoying.
The newsletter is read by residents as well as website visitors every month
Happy New Year? ٩◔̯◔۶
People wish each other a “Happy New Year” every year, but how likely is that to happen?
Let us look back at 2024 and see how that went for people who made Spain their home.
First, the UK-based Spanish consulates handed over visa processing to BLS International in January to streamline visa applications. Getting a non-lucrative visa was supposed to become easier. Has it?
In April, UK pensions rose by 8.5%, so UK pensioners who managed to retire to Spain were better off. The main reason is that the Euro to GBP exchange rate at the time was £1 = 1.16€. Now it is around 1.20€. That’s good news.
At the end of June, Spain experienced a heat wave that broke all records. In Madrid, they experienced a temperature of 43.4C. Fortunately, nearly all ex-pats prefer to be nearer the coast, which, although hot, was not that extreme. That was a good move on their part.
In October, biblical amounts of rain fell in just a few hours, and Valencia suffered the most. After so many months without a drop of rain, this was the last thing people had expected. That was a shock!
We end on a positive note. In 2024, quite a few people retired to Spain, and they enjoyed their first Christmas. With a lower cost of living and a good exchange rate, we can confidently say, “Happy New Year”—well, to start with, at least :-).
This week’s Find in Spain article: (⌐■_■)
One tip: a recent change in the portal now means you can set your Amazon.es experience to English using the change language settings at the top.
The global e-commerce giant Amazon has significantly expanded its presence in Spain. Overall, the Spanish population is now catching up with the rest of Europe’s e-shopping habits.
Amazon launched its Spanish website, Amazon.es, in September 2011 as part of its European expansion strategy. Spain was one of the last major European economies to get its localized Amazon site.
Amazon invested in infrastructure and logistics to support its customer base in Spain by setting up numerous fulfilment centres nationwide, including major hubs in Barcelona, Madrid, and Seville.
In addition to fulfilment centres, the company has rolled out Amazon Lockers. The self-service system means customers can collect their orders from the locker at a time that suits them. You are likely to see an Amazon locker at every bus station in Spain.
Amazon’s business model is good for Spain’s economy because the company has created thousands of jobs.
However, The company has faced criticism over its labour practices, with particular concerns about some of the working conditions in its fulfilment centres.
As Amazon continues to expand year on year, the company is showing us the future of e-commerce retail in the country. Love them or hate them; they are here to stay.
For more articles, visit findinspain.com
Posada community news: (▀̿Ĺ̯▀̿ ̿)
Following a review of safety requirements, homes going on sale over 25 years old need to have a qualified electrical and structural engineer’s inspection in the future. This is because, unlike gas installations, electrical installations are not subject to an inspection every five years.
The new twenty-five-year inspection that will be required (should anyone wish to sell) is at least five years away for most homes as the park opened in 2004.
For now, the situation is this: if a home goes on sale over 15 years old, it has to pass a standard quality inspection. When homes reach 25, they need to pass a technical safety inspection. Homes over 30 cannot be safety tested.
The inspection report submitted after an inspection will become an ideal selling tool because the owner can show that the home they are selling is fit for purpose no matter how old.
Food for thought: (◕‿◕)
- “You are probably in prison if you think that life is all about one door opening as another is closing.” – MT
Are you retired, single, or looking for something different? How does joining a community of like-minded people in Spain with community fees of only 217€ a month sound?
It will take some effort to find out, but right now, the cost of flights is low due to being out of season. First, plan a visit to the Posada community to see how easy it would be to live here. Next, if you like what you saw and heard, plan a visit to the factory in Alicante.
Two holidays with a purpose, and who knows, 2025 could be the best year yet. Only three people can do it, as only three plots are left.
Weekly Online Poll: （◔౪◔）
The weekly online poll on findinspain.com is very popular, and the results can sometimes be unexpected.
Last week’s poll was this: If you were in a Spanish restaurant and they offered you a complimentary bottle of Rioja wine to celebrate their 10th year in business, which would you choose, Red (Tinto) or White (Blanco)?
The result was 61.7% for Red and 38.3% for White, which suggests that red is by far the more popular wine. A BIG thank you to all who participated; it shows what people are thinking right now.
Now to this week’s poll: If you were on holiday and saw a coach trip to Gibraltar advertised the next day for 25€, would you go? Yes or no? The result should be interesting 🙂
To participate, click on this link: This week’s poll. Better still, why not share the link with your friends on Facebook to see what they think?
Newsletter Lottery: 
‿
For the benefit of new subscribers, the news is that we buy a Euromillions lottery ticket each week (using a two-way number selection system) for Friday night’s draw. If it wins, we will share 50% of the jackpot with newsletter subscribers.
As with everything in life, there are terms and conditions that you should read at least once. Click here to read them. The newsletter lottery is not an automatic payout; subscribers must submit a claim before midnight the following Thursday.
Our T&Cs mean subscribers who read the newsletter and check the numbers will benefit from any win. The numbers for tonight’s Euromillions are 31-32-40-42-47-48 / 01. Remember to check the result and claim if you see it has won the jackpot.
Time for some humour. (-‿◦)
A man has a heart attack at work and wakes up in hospital. After all the tests, a doctor tells him that he will not survive long unless he has a heart transplant.
He then goes on to say, “You’re in luck; two suitable hearts available; one is from a person who was a traffic warden and the other a nurse; which one do you want?”. The man quickly responds, “The traffic wardens”.
The doctor says, “Don’t you want to know a little about them before deciding, for example, how old they are?”.
“No,” the man says, “I already know enough. Nurses look after patients from the bottom of their hearts, which generates stress, whereas traffic wardens, on the other hand, are heartless, which means no stress on their heart at all; it will be pristine!”
Smiling now? (¬‿¬)
Sneaky’s brain teaser 
Sneaky Beaky, our co-editor, puts together a brain teaser that gives you a second chance to win some money.
Every Friday, he buys a La Primitiva lottery ticket for the following night. Subscribers who send in the correct answer to his question BEFORE THE DRAW are sent the ticket numbers and will automatically get an equal share of 50% of the jackpot if it wins.
Let us take a look at last week’s “Sneaky Beaky’s” question, which was this:
Q: One day this week, 34 years ago, this actress married an actor called Tom. We understand that they did not go on a cruise for their honeymoon. Who is she?
Here is an anagram containing all the letters to help you name her.
cleandominik
Answer: Nichole Kidman who married Tom Cruise on December 24th 1990
Quite a few subscribers sent in the correct answer using the link provided in the newsletter before Saturday night’s draw. If Sneaky’s ticket for the Primitiva on Saturday night had won, we would have contacted them by now to arrange payment of their winnings.
Now, onto this week’s Sneaky teaser. Good luck! What a great newsletter story it would be next week if his ticket did win the lottery! More chance of catching leprosy? Not according to previous winners.
Q: One day this week, 56 years ago, a man recorded a song that would become the number-one song chosen in every karaoke bar in the world. In truth, no one else could sing the song in the way he did. Who was he?
Here is an anagram containing all the letters to help you name him.
Katrinasnarf
IMPORTANT: >>>Please click on this link to send us your answer.<<<
Your email program will then open a new pre-loaded email template for you to send us your answer. Once received, it will activate a server-automated response with the lottery numbers.
After clicking send, check your inbox for the numbers. If they’re not there, check your junk/spam folder.
If you send your answer to us any other way, you will not receive the lottery numbers in advance, and we might not be notified of your answer, which means you could miss out if the ticket wins.
