Living in Paris on a Budget

Paris is one of the most expensive cities in the world and with a low Candian dollar you feel it even more. However if you are determined, you can make it work.

Admittedly, in Canada I paid little to no attention to my budget. I spent as I pleased. However, I also had a source of income and parents that would give me money for food here and there.

Now that I am no longer employed and can only make do with what I saved and am determined to come back with a little bit of money while I find a job, it is absolutely vital that I watch how I spend.

I find that living on a cash diet of euros accompanied with the Good Budget App (available on ITunes) is a great start. The app creates "envelopes" of cash such as "Groceries" or "Transportation" so you can visualize how you spend your money.

The key to staying on budget is being very concious on how you spend money on food. In a city where the average price for a hot chocolate is 4 euros, things can add up very quickly. So myself and my roomate have resorted to making concious trips to the grocery store and eating at home most of the time. This means that when you do go out, you go to specific restaurants you really want to tryand it feels more like a treat.

This also means you have to be very strategic with shopping for clothes and shoes. A few versatile staple pieces can get you a long way.

However, there is only so much you can save. When you are in a city like Paris for a short period of time you have to "YOLO" every once in while.

Just remember, when in Paris one must "ball on a budget".