My parents are paying for the daily living during my time in France. That’s a strange feeling.

That was the deal — I take care of most of the educations costs, they take care of food and entertainment. But surprisingly, they are the ones who have to tell me not to be worried to spend money.

The mixed blessing is that I equate getting to know a city with how good of a deal I can get out of it. I would like to take them up on the offer to spend more — “Go ahead, get that next 10-Euro beer,” “Don’t worry that the movie ticket translates to $13,” and “Go for it, you only get this chance once.”

However, I like finding good deals. And in order to do so, I’ve had to make some major overhauls on how I spend my time and money.

Markets

These price-breakers include daily outdoor markets — more than one massive tented market every day of the week, specializing in local fruit, fully-assorted meats, smelly cheese, vintage clothes and clunky jewelry.

There is no corporate middleman and little overhead costs for the stall owner, so the cost often comes exactly to the product’s quality.

Music

Coming from a college town with a boundless music program, I have been fattened up on outstandingly free classical and jazz concerts since before I even started college at NIU. That kind of thing does not happen in Paris.

Even with more than 10 venues devoted to jazz, on any given night only a couple will have a cover charge or drink minimum under 10 Euros, and absolutely never free entry unless you slip in and out unnoticed.

It’s the same for classical venues.

Movies

Also, with more than 200 theaters in Paris — named the “City of Cinema” — and some inordinate fondness for American cinema, there is never trouble finding a cheap theater playing any movie with Humphrey Bogart, Woody Allen or Marilyn Monroe.

While seeing an old American film does not sound very French, I am always surprised to find the theaters busy with interested French people, the entire French population not minding in the least that more than half of the films in the theater are subtitled.

For all the snubbing the French supposedly do to modern American culture, they cannot deny themselves our movies, new and old. I feel like I am the same way. Even though I’m in Paris for only a short time, I can’t deny how nice it is to see some old film noir and walk out into nighttime Paris, feeling glad to hear my language and see my cultural history from across the ocean.

Museums

While all the rest of the Paris activities are great, they still cost money. This is where being a student in Paris comes in handy — entrée libre. It’s the golden phrase for students enjoying cultural activities in Paris: reduced entry. Get a year’s unlimited pass to the Louvre for 15 Euros, get into any number of museums for free while music performance costs are cut in half.

I know Parisians who dreaded the day they graduated because they too had to revamp their whole social landscape.

Fast-food

No more burger joints unfortunately. The real deals are the massive gyros and fries at Greek take-out joints on every other street corner. Crepes — flat pancakes — with Nutella — hazelnut-chocolate spread — are the snack of choice. At least until the tourists let up. Then, who knows?

All of this sounds very scientific, I guess.

But when you can barely speak the language, have just been completely uprooted from your fine-tuned way of life, and everything you do seems to cost exorbitant amounts of money, getting a good deal now and then might be the only thing between being happy and being broke.

au revoir,

David

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