<p>Any students recently spent time studying in Paris? Trying to help with a realistic budget for D. Thanks for any insights and tips for saving $$$. Did you get a Eurail pass for weekend travel?</p>
<p>Just came back from a visit to Paris. It's definitely expensive, even buying groceries out. I visited Tripadvisor a lot to prepare for our vacation and I know there have been queries like yours in the past. Suggest you post there for some tips since there are a lot of natives who monitor the board.</p>
<p>Try the Thorn Tree forum on website Lonely Planet.</p>
<p>Rail travel is still a bargain. A Eurail pass for weekend travel would be too
costly.</p>
<p>Well, one way to save money is NOT to eat out. (Yes, sad, considering it's Paris...) The prices are pretty astronomical: $10 for a baguette with a slice of cheese; $12 for breakfast (coffee & croissant); $40 for a traditional steak/fries lunch with no wine -- this is all for one person. Your best bet is eating "out of markets". </p>
<p>Bring clothes with you, don't plan on buying there (yes, again, sad, considering it's Paris...) as their big, mega sale prices are often higher than our regular prices. I found that even French cosmetics are cheaper in the US than in Paris. </p>
<p>Ways to save: use every student discount possible -- and there are lots, for movies, museums, travel. Look into weekend travel by bus -- prices can be very low. Stay in youth hostels during weekend trips. See if you can use your student-id card to eat in government-subsidized student restaurants (in France they're informally called resto-u, I belive.) The food isn't great to say the least, but it IS cheap.</p>
<p>Paris is absurdly expensive right now. Even if you buy food from the grocery store instead of the neighborhood specialty stores, it costs a fortune. You could easily (would probably?) spend $15 on a simple dinner for one--salad, bread, cheese--from neighborhood specialty stores.</p>
<p>If your child needs more money than you expected, she is not trying to bilk you. The dollar is just very weak against the Euro.</p>
<p>One obvious money saving tip--buy the Carte Orange monthly subway/bus pass. The Louvre is free one day (afternoon?) a month. If she's there for several months, plan on going to the Louvre every month on that day. Make walking and people watching your chief entertainment. In Paris, that's pretty great entertainment.</p>
<p>The best way to save money is not to eat in restaurants. Instead, use supermarket or even small specialty shops, markets are often more expensive. You can usually buy things in small quantities (ie. 1 or 2 pieces of fruit, 1/2 baguette). Make sure you take travel tools with you (Swiss army knife, plastic silverware). Ziploc baggies are a must for keeping leftover food fresh. You can even keep items that normally need refrigeration overnight (cheese, butter) at least by putting them in a sinkful of cold water in a ziploc bag. Don't keep longer than that. </p>
<p>You can also buy 1 or 2 slices of ham at a charcuterie as well as prepared salads and other items. When the weather is nice, a ham & cheese sandwich on a baguette with a container or yoghurt and piece of fruit is a perfect lunch. Buy individual croissants and pastries for breakfast rather than using hotel or cafes. Use bottled water and refill in the hotel. Unless you are very sensitive to changes in water, tap water is just fine. If you have to have a soft drink, buy it at McDonalds or Burger King (much cheaper than a cafe or grocery store for the quantity). </p>
<p>If you want a hot meal, restau-u (mentioned by a previous poster) are fine but most are usually closed in the summer. Check out guidebooks for small restaurants/cafes that serve food. Quantities are often quite generous, and leftovers can be saved for later (no doggie bags, that's where the ziplocs come in handy). Pizzerias are usually a good deal as pizzas are individual and generally quite large. Some pizzerias also serve generous salads. Small brasseries also serve generous salads. When looking for a restaurant, look through the windows and see what people are eating and the size of the portions. </p>
<p>Watch for passes to a group of museums as well as multi-day metro passes. Do take your student ID, as there are often student discounts to museums, movies, and other attractions (particularly if they are public).</p>
<p>D booked some relatively inexpensive rail and plane tickets for travel to other countries. She almost turned herself into a travel agent, because of the constant planning and research that she had to do in order to find good deals.</p>
<p>I'd suggest against a Eurail pass. I studied in Italy, and almost every time I traveled, it was by train, but I still couldn't have gotten enough use out of a Rail Pass to make it worth it. If you do get one, don't get the entire 20-country (I think) one. Consider one of the ones where you only choose certain countries or something. There are regional passes and (probably better, actually) there are passes where you can choose 3, 4, or 5 bordering countries.</p>
<p>Incidentally, traveling was the most expensive part of my study abroad experience. I'm not suggesting you tell her not to travel, but I personally found day-trips and weekend trips within Italy less expensive and probably even more enriching than my trips to other countries. I also liked the idea of becoming really familiar with one country rather than vaguely familiar with lots of countries.</p>
<p>Oh, and tell her to always have her ISIC card. Lots of places don't accept a university ID; it needs to be the International Student Identity Card (which costs, if memory serves, about $20, but it made up for it at least 20-fold).</p>
<p>It's not just the Louvre that's free one day a month, EVERYTHING is (that is all cultural attractions. Mostly museums and historical sites). Always a Sunday, usually the first Sunday in the month I think. Also, admission is often reduced late in the afternoon when there is not enough time left to see the whole attraction. For example, I think the Louvre is cheaper after 4pm-ish. There is not enough time to see everything, but if you're not that into art but just want to say you've seen the Mona Lisa, it will save you a lot.</p>
<p>To get your money's worth out of Eurail you would need to use it every day, not just for weekend travel. For occassional use you need a student/under 25 rail card. This costs about 50EUR but gives a 50% discount on all rail travel off peak times (which is basically after 9.30am). You can buy this at any train station in France. You need 2 passport-sized photographs to get it (I have these cards for about 5 European countries though I live in England. they save money even in a 1 week visit. Really worth it. I reckon my UK card saves me £200 at year at least). There is probably info on this on the SNCF web-site, but it will be in French. Easier just to buy the card in person.</p>
<p>Definitely get an ISIC card too. This is the only student ID card which is recognised everywhere. Using ID from a US school you might be refused a discount if they have never heard of it (which is likely).</p>
<p>Use Ryanair and Easyjet plane tickets, they are ridiculously cheap!</p>
<p>D traveled on spring break with a small group of other students, and it was definitely well worth it. Since it was a very well-planned trip and they booked ahead, they were able to find cheap flights, accommodations, etc. - and this was in Italy and Greece. It was the chance of a lifetime to be able to do this at this time - it was certainly much cheaper than trying to do it later, because the hostels are geared for students - if they tried to do this via a cruise, honeymoon, or vacation, it would have cost a small forture in comparison. So it definitely pays to travel while over there!</p>
<p>Re: Euro traveller's checks. I found Wells Fargo foreign currency to have the best rates and cheapest delivery. You can order online.</p>
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The Louvre is free one day (afternoon?) a month.
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<p>For young people, it's free (and open late) once a week. Can't beat that!</p>
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Oh, and tell her to always have her ISIC card. Lots of places don't accept a university ID; it needs to be the International Student Identity Card (which costs, if memory serves, about $20, but it made up for it at least 20-fold).
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<p>Agreed. This will cover her both inside of Paris and outside. Some places want local or ISIC ID. It's $22...I bought mine via the STA</a> website.</p>
<p>There are lots of expensive cities where it's still pretty easy, if you're not too picky, to find cheap take-away food. In my limited experience, Paris isn't really one of those places. The cheap food I did find was pretty poor, and I'm easy to please. Eating out should definitely happen (it's Paris, and she's studying abroad!), but it will be more cost-effective and pleasurable to enjoy very occasional, decent quality meals out rather than lots of quick, mediocre lunches.</p>
<p>I'm not a chef, which really helped me live cheaply throughout Europe. Cereal + canned soup is cheap anywhere! At that, I probably spent about 30 euros on a "big" grocery run every few weeks, and under/around 10 euros per trip otherwise, maybe twice per week. I don't cook enough to know what a more reasonable estimate would be, particularly if roommates are part of the equation, but if your daughter is a relatively simple eater, and decently budget-conscious in her shopping, I'd guess that 30-50 euros/week for groceries would be more than sufficient.</p>
<p>When picking travel guides, be aware that some cater to higher budgets. I've had good luck with both the Lonely Planet brand (they make a nice purse-sized Paris guide) and Rick Steves (Europe Through the Back Door is especially good if your daughter hasn't traveled on her own and plans to get out of Paris once in awhile). Rick Steves, in particular, will also help you get an idea of budget.</p>
<p>It's hard to say "Don't eat out! Don't shop!" because to some extent, particularly in Paris, that's just part of the experience. It will be expensive, but hopefully it will also be wonderful for her. Just make sure that your daughter is aware of the exchange rates, because IMO, it's easier (and more enjoyable) to work your way up from being too cheap than to work your way down from an expensive start. Odds are good that her friends will also be looking to cut some corners and they'll all discover their own tricks. </p>
<p>Lastly, don't let this thread seem too intimidating. Without a terrible amount of effort, I lived in central London more cheaply than I've lived in various places in the US and even some places where the dollar is strong. It took some awareness and adjustment, but it wasn't impossible, and I definitely didn't miss out. This is why I say to make sure that your daughter is aware of cost...b/c I never would've discovered cheap (but easy) options if I had gone in assuming that there was no way around ridiculous expense. </p>
<p>Best of luck to your daughter. Paris is an absolutely wonderful city (and I say this as someone who had no interest in visiting it, but was totally won over!)...I'm sure she'll have a fantastic time :)</p>
<p>As for money, do not use travelers checks in Europe. It costs to purchase them and to change them into local currency and the exchange rate you get (unless you have local bank account) is not usually the most favorable. Have a credit card (Visa is best because Amex & MC are not accepted as widely) not only for necessary purchases but for emergencies. An ATM card from your local bank will work in an ATM to get local currency. This often provides a better exchange rate despite the transaction fees. (Make sure you notify bank and credit card cos. that you will be making purchases and in what countries so they don't flag these as fraudulent transactions.) I've never had a problem using an ATM with my US card (all over France from Paris to tiny villages with one bank as well as in Italy, Spain, Belgium, Holland, UK & Switzerland), although occasionally I had to try a second machine. It is best to use cash for most transactions because you have a better idea of what you're spending when using a foreign currency.</p>
<p>Never had a problem with a US university ID anywhere in France (sometimes a little insistence in French was required), although international student ID might be useful for multiple countries. </p>
<p>I think a student would be hard pressed now to get by on 50 euros of groceries a week unless they were eating only bread, water & pasta. If the student would like to eat meat and few fresh veggies and drink something other than water or wine, that might be pushing it. If one has fellow students or roommates, communal meals are a great way to save money. A lot depends on the students habits and tastes.</p>
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I think a student would be hard pressed now to get by on 50 euros of groceries a week unless they were eating only bread, water & pasta.
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<p>Very possible. My estimate was current (this year), based on a simple, but not-totally-out-of-the-ordinary-for-a-22-year-old-who-can't-cook diet (chicken, fresh veggies, soup, frozen food, soup, pasta, fruit, sandwiches, burgers, curry dishes, etc.). But I was pretty conscious in my shopping, I'm a fairly light eater, and I never bought alcohol. It could easily be an underestimate for most, but I can't imagine it's too drastic of one.</p>
<p>To be fair, I could very easily have spent more. I just didn't have (or usually choose) to, and I still managed to eat fine, given my own tastes. That said, it's better to over-budget than under-budget.</p>
<p>Anyway, I can only speak for myself, but another helpful place to ask this might be the study abroad board :)</p>
<p>Sorry for my confusion, Student615, I referred to wine because we are talking about France where wine is often cheaper than water and certainly cheaper than soft drinks, milk, etc.</p>
<p>We just spent a vacation in Paris in March and found that laundry was REALLY expensive. It cost us the equivalent of $9 to do just one load! If your child is going to be living in an apt., try to find one with a combination washer/dryer.</p>
<p>Food at the grocery store was not overly expensive, in my opinion, and the farmers markets are even more reasonable--as are the shops that specialize (like the produce stand, butcher, etc.).</p>
<p>Disclaimer: I live in NYC where everything costs an arm and a leg. So to me, the prices--even with the Euro conversion--weren't too bad. </p>
<p>We bought crepes at a street stand for 2.50-4 Euros each. Baguettes were usually 1 Euro. This was just 2 months ago. We also found that food and drinks at "chains"--such as the little restaurants and stands in the Metro stations--was tasty and less expensive.</p>
<p>I would guess that groceries for one person, living frugally, would cost around 100 Euros/week.</p>
<p>Ah laundry! I had forgotten about that since nowadays we stay with family, but laundry can be a real challenge. Laundromats are still few and far between and the vast majority of rentals will not have laundry facilities. Some residence-type facilities have washing machines but many don't, they don't work or they are expensive. </p>
<p>Take clothes that will mix and match and that can mostly be washed easily by hand and air dryed overnight. In my student days, my apt. didn't have a washing machine and the nearest laundromat was a 40-mn. bus ride (including a transfer) away. I quickly learned that I could wash a lot of things by hand, could wear many items more than once (something I had never done before), could re-use my towels, and I saved the heavy-duty laundry for a major expedition when I ran out of clean clothes or just wanted the hand-washed stuff really clean. I loaded up my two suitcases and made the trek to the laundromat for the afternoon. I met some very nice people that way.</p>