On the cheap

The view from our apartment window

We've been in Paris for almost a week. It's incredible, of course. More incredible that I imagined it would be. It is also very expensive. Surprisingly, we've make it work, even though we are on a very limited budget.
Here are some things we do to keep costs down:

1. We stay in apartments instead of hotels. This means we can pay as little as 30 euros a night, and cook our own meals, which keeps things more manageable. It also cuts down on little expenses like wifi and laundry, which are usually included.

2. We don't eat in restaurants. Well, we might split an entree at lunch every once in a while, but we very rarely sit down for a real meal at a restaurant. Instead, we'll go out for coffee or desert, grab something from a bakery, or just cook at home.

3. We do free things. We went to see the Eiffel tower, but we didn't go up. We spend lots of time at free parks. We walk around and window shop. Today we walked around Montmartre, saw the I Love You wall, and let Mr Toddler go on the carousel (they're everywhere here). Total cost -- 5 euros! And I still have two carousel tickets for tomorrow!

4. We know what's important to us. We want to travel. We want to see friends and family. We need space to chill. That means we accept that our main expenses will be for plane tickets and accommodation but we are willing to pinch pennies when it comes to food, entertainment, gifts, shopping etc.

5. We travel with a 3 year old. I want to buy Naf-Naf dresses, drink bottles of wine in luxurious cafes, go to the theater, stay out all night dancing, and go to the spa in the morning. But 3 year olds hate shopping, and don't understand wine. They aren't allowed in theaters, and babysitters charge by the hour. It's a great way to save money!