When you told friends and family you were moving to Paris, there will have been gasps of astonishment. People’s minds quickly get carried away, concocting a movie-like mental imagine of you sat over-looking the river in some rooftop restaurant, crystal champagne glass clinking in hand, black quilted Chanel bag sat by your side. However, what they – and often we ourselves – fail to realise is that the salary of an au-pair does sadly not give us much access to the glamour and the luxury that people associate with Paris. While host Mums will frequently be seen sauntering out the house swinging a new designer bag over their shoulders each day, they will probably be paying their au-pairs around eighty euros a week to look after their precious little darlings (the minimum pay in France.) Take out any travel, food or phone bill costs and it doesn’t exactly go great lengths in funding that champagne, let alone the designer bag to go with it. You can either dwell on this fact and start longing for home where living with your parents suddenly seems like the best deal ever or you can experience be the more down-to-earth version of Paris (which by the way is great) and utilise your money accordingly. I’ve gathered together some of my top tips which should help you to do and see a lot, never feel like you’re missing out, stay nourished as well as boozed up and perhaps even a little surprised at how much change you’ve got left at the end of the weekend…maybe you will be able to afford that champagne after all!
1.Stick to What Paris Does Best
I have found this to be a vital rule to abide by to not just ensure you don’t end up spending your weekly wages on keeping your tummy happy, but also to ensure your taste buds are happy too. The best thing to do is stay simple and traditional; bread, cheese, meats, pastries and coffee. These are things that Parisians actually eat and drink, therefore the prices are local-friendly and also of good quality. A perfect example of this is ordering sandwiches over things like salads or hamburgers when going out for lunch. Usually they cost about 4-5 euros in the right café and you literally get loads: I’m talking a demi baguettes worth of crunchy, amazing, glorious fresh bread stuffed with cheese, chicken, ham, salad…chances are if it’s in French bread it will be holy-tasting, amiright? No it’s nothing special or complicated and will be unlikely to go down as one of your best meals in history, but it’s a tasty lunch that won’t break the bank, unlike the soggy salads and processed burgers they often serve up for around double to three-times the price. The same goes for drinks, if the establishment you’re in does do a latte or a cappuccino, chances are it will be extortionate (around 4/5 euros) as the Parisians DO NOT DRINK THEM. It’s therefore more-than-likely aimed at tourists, i.e, a rip off. A café allongé is basically a filter coffee, and they’re usually under two euros in most cafés. Two coffee dates for the price of one, win win.
2. Lidl
Yes, Monoprix is very pretty. It is like the Waitrose of Paris and the counters of fresh food are delightful and extremely tempting, however, also tempting is the prospect of having enough money to buy a dress AND eat this week. In that case, take a step back, get yourself on Google and find your nearest Lidl store. I’m not going to pretend Lidl offers a relaxing experience, nor that it is set out like Harrods Food Hall, however it will literally split your weekly food bill in half as not only are most of the items incredibly cheap, everything looks pretty shit and uninspiring, meaning you buy what you NEED instead of stuff with pretty packaging that costs about ten euros. If not Lidl then Dia is similar.
3. Vide-Greniers
Personally, I love the excitement of any kind of market; like treasure hunts without maps, clues, or sometimes even treasure, you never know what you might discover in other people’s piles of rubbish. ‘Vide-Grenier’ translates to Loft-Emptying, so they are basically Paris’ version of our Car Boots. So far this year I’ve been to two, the first walking about empty handed and the second coming away with a Jaeger coat and Levis corduroy jacket for eight euros. I repeat, EIGHT EUROS. While yes, you can’t go with a shopping list or searching for something specific, there are great and unique bargains to find from often unknowing sellers. Don’t be afraid to barter and converse in French in order to get the best deal, you are on an au-pair budget after all! Not only are Vide-Greniers great lazy Sunday morning fillers, they will cure your hangover like nothing else, apart from pastry that is.
4. Hair Colleges
When you finally get sick of having scraggly ends and a wishy-washy colour in a city where the average person’s head of hair looks like it belongs on a L’Oreal poster, you might start finally looking at somewhere to get your hair cut. Then you will stop looking, upon discovering that even the mumsy-looking places are extortionately priced. You will then decide that your split scraggly ends are, actually, rather boho. No longer, I have the answer: Hair Colleges, academies and schools. The Tony and Guy Academy in Paris offers hair cutting/colouring for free, you just have to book a RDV. If you want something slightly less avant-garde, there is Dessange and L’Oreal among others too. Or, if you want to choose exactly what you’re having done to your precious locks, go to a hair school. You’ll find these all over Paris, and yes, while the girls are young, it is often the teachers who do most of the cutting, and besides, at around 50 euros for colour, cut and blowdry, it’s worth giving a try, surely? Hair grows back, after all.
5. Super Market Cards
Whether you want to cook something a little special, or just can’t be bothered to make the trip to Lidl, there is likely to be several supermarkets at close proximity for you to choose from – unless it’s Sunday that is. The supermarkets can be great for special ingredients or slightly better quality pieces of meat, however, you can often end up paying a large amount of money for a very small, sad sack of stuff. This is where loyalty cards come in. Most of the supermarkets offer days throughout the year where things are on offer…if you have the card. GET ONE, get two, hey, get a collection! You can ask at the till and upon filling out a form you will receive one then and there. You collect points every time you shop, but even without that, they give you instant access to reductions on offer days. Time it right, and you might still be able to keep buying your beloved Aussie hair products and plushy toilet roll after all. We may be au-pairs, but we’re still entitled to some luxuries!
6. Velib
For those au-pairs who are not lucky enough to have transport costs covered, they can drastically deplete your pocket money in a matter of days. Whether you buy a carnet, individual tickets or use a Navigo, travelling around Paris is not a cheap feat, that is, unless, you can persuade yourself to get on a public bike. ARE YOU MAD?! BIKE? IN PARIS? Perhaps, however, I have now been doing it for over a year unscathed. It is incredibly fun, and much less frightening than it may seem: zooming around the streets of Paris, past queuing, beeping cars and buses, seeing much more than you would underground in a stinky, sweaty train and also getting to know your way around your new habitat. A student pass which gives you access to 45 minutes of biking time for free on each use costs just 29 euros FOR THE YEAR. It is incredibly cheap, even if you only use it in the warmer months. If not for the fun, at least think of the money.
7. Be Cultured – it’s free!
Unlike most other places around the world, the French seem to be aware that young people are much more likely to spend their money on a good time than seeing the new Modern Art exhibition. However, being French and all, they still want their youths to be cultured, and therefore often provide it for free, giving us literally no excuse not to go. Museums are free for most under 25’s, cinema tickets are around 4-6 euros for students and there also exists a ‘Kiosk Jeune’- kiosks around Paris where young people can obtain FREE, yes, FREE theatre tickets. Find more on Google. While most of the time you’d probably rather be shopping, Paris is often host to amazing exhibitions that are showcased all round the world, and you get to access them for FREE. Even if it’s only when your wifi is down and you can’t access Netflix, go see stuff, you don’t have the money excuse anymore – sorry.
by Steph Cvetkovic, writer and blogger.
