Money, Money, Money

I've been sort of keeping track of how much money I've been spending in France, (you know, trying to be a responsible young adult) and I've realized that money can disappear quite fast here in France if you're not being careful (duh, Karen). Just to be clear, it's not that I've spent a few thousand dollars in these past two-and-a-half months (not even close, thank goodness) nor have I wiped my bank account clean (I'm making sure that never, ever happens) but I'm still spending a little more than I had originally thought. Out of curiosity, I tried to calculate what my money is actually getting spent on. Here are the rough estimates:

* about 4% --spent on miscellaneous things (notebooks, pens, Band-Aids, postcards, shampoo, a book in French, envelopes, stuff like that). Basically all the little things that I forgot to pack but realize are slightly necessary...

* about 8% -- spent on clothes/shoes (I'm hoping to look very French when I return back to the U.S., but I'm going slowly and looking for sales: so far, I've only bought two sweaters and a pair of ballet flats that only cost 10 euro. Shoes here generally cost 60 to 150 euro [a simply staggering amount once you convert that to U.S. dollars], so finding cute flats for 10 euro was a fantastic deal).

* about 36% -- spent of travel (train tickets to Paris, booking rooms in hostels, organizing inexpensive weekend excursions and trips for October Break, etc). I expected to spend money on travel, though, so I'm not at all upset about this. I'm being as frugal as I can, of course, booking cheap flights and hostels and leaving at awkward times for better deals.

* about 52% -- spent on food (lunches Monday through Friday, random snacks, tea or hot chocolate at cafés, and "oh, that ice cream looks delicious" moments). Food is definitely going to be the biggest drain on my bank account... but that's because it's all so darn delicious! It's so difficult to walk into a patisserie and not buy a huge chocolate éclair or a fresh-out-of-the-oven chausson aux pommes (apple pie in puff-pastry)! Of course, I usually employ self-restraint, but there are some afternoons where I just have to walk out with a cute little treat to try! I mean, I'm in FRANCE, the land of renowned cuisine, so why not taste a bit of it?


This is only a fraction of all the sweets sold here in France. Do you see
what I'm up against? Self-restraint is difficult...

In reality, the estimate for how much I'm spending on food may be a tiny bit exaggerated. However, I swear that food is quite expensive here, and since I have to buy all my lunches (and snacks) it adds up quickly. Another trap is that I keep thinking the prices are in dollars... when they're not. A little chocolate cake that is labeled 2 euro actually costs close to $2.75. That doesn't seem like too much of a price difference on the small things, but when dinner costs 12 euro, it's actually over $16, and when a sweater costs 19 euro, it actually costs $27... I just have to be careful and keep the exchange rate in mind whenever I think about buying anything.

However, one really nice thing about prices in Europe is that the tax is already included! So the price labeled on the tag is exactly what you are going to pay. In my mind, that means no hidden fees. Also, the waiters in restaurants and cafés do not expect tips, which might explain why meals themselves are a little more expensive.

Happily, though, I should be starting my part-time teaching job soon (more details about that later), and it looks like I may have a babysitting job on the side! I'm so excited to start combatting the spending!