Last night I lay on the sofa across from my Turkish mother.

My Turkish mother, for those of you who don’t know, is the mother of Yeliz and the family who owns a restaurant in Montmartre and have housed me, fed me and loved me during my stay in Paris.

We lie on sofas across from each other and she tells me to put my legs up “Good for your health,” she says.

She asks me when I’ll be back and I tell her I don’t know.  I don’t want to promise anything since my life is an open question mark right now.

I tell her I’d like to make enough money to travel and give back a little.  She smiles and says “Just come back here, you can have a bed, we can eat avocados, two for a dollar, we’ll be happy.  We don’t need money to be happy.”

She’s right.  I bought avocados from the market that day, two for a dollar, and my Turkish mother, who is always happy to find a deal, was glad I didn’t spend too much money.  She is always trying to buy everything and I often try to add groceries to the kitchen when she’s not home so she doesn’t yell at me for trying to pay for something.

I am lucky to have a warm bed, to eat food from their family’s restaurant and to come home to people that love me every night.  It comes without a cost and it’s all I need.

I hate that every day I have anxiety attacks over money.  I’d like to be more extravagant, more generous, to buy nice things for people, bring beautiful gifts home and go to the hairdresser’s when I need to.

At the same time, I have everything I need, my heart is full, my body is strong, and in a week I get to fly home to a man that loves me.  Even without money, I think I may be the luckiest girl alive.

And every day I get to explore Paris.  Yesterday I met up with a new friend, Courtney, at a market and then spent the day showing her around Paris.

Courtney shined a light on my day, reminding me how exciting this city can be when you first arrive.  I took her to the Bon Marche, Poilane, Pierre Herme and down some of my favorite streets.  She smiled, swooned, and we rejoiced in a shared passion for food and beautiful things.

I was happy to show her the best brand of yoghurt, chocolate and butter to buy.  She is here until May and I am so excited for her to begin her own love affair with Paris as mine comes to an end.

At then end of the day my brother took me out for dinner at our favorite comfort food spot, H.A.N.D, and I headed up to my Turkish family’s apartment.

When I spoke to my boyfriend over the phone about money worries he said “You won’t look back and remember your Visa bill, how much money was in your wallet or the things you couldn’t afford, you’ll look back on all the great times you had and the people you met.”

He’s right.  I may not have money, but damn I’ve got a lot.

Chartier, a famous French restaurant that was a former soup kitchen and has been open for over two centuries




Douieb, a Jewish pastry shop open since 1956

Karamell, a Swedish candy shop in Montmartre


(No) Smoking, custom made clothes for women

Mamie Vintage



Hotel Banke, a Spanish luxury hotel in a restored bank

Cojean, healthy fast food at its finest

Courtney, The Hungry Yogini, takes Paris!

The two weeks I spent in Italy with my boyfriend were magical.

While I may not be writing a guide book for Italy (yet), I enjoyed my trip so much that I wanted to put together a mini guide for anyone visiting.

During our two weeks in Italy we travelled across a huge portion of the country by car, visited three cities, two towns, learnt basic Italian and stayed within our budget.

We learnt how to order a double espresso, that the bread basket often costed two euros and that saying “Grazie” and “Prego” with a smile could get us anything we wanted.

How to Budget:

• Flights: Check flights through expedia and easy jet if you are in Europe.  If you are flying from France, Air France offers discounts if you’re under 25.
• Hotels: Most of the hotels we booked were double the price in the summer.  Visit during an off season and you can save a lot of money.  We booked a couple of hotels through Hotwire, but we lost faith in Rome when they gave us a three star hotel when we had booked a four.  Wanting something special for our first few nights, we were less than impressed.  We ended up finding some great deals scouring reviews on Tripadvisor and other travel sites.
• Food: Italian portions are big.  We found most of the time we were happy sharing a starter and a main dish along with a cheap, simple house wine.  Unfortunately the house wine in Italy isn’t great, so we also resorted to buying our own wine and requesting glasses in our hotel rooms at night.  We had many picnic dinners (bread, cheese, nuts, salads ect.)  and found that buying big cases of water at the grocery store saved a ton of money.
• Shopping: Keep your priorities straight and splurge on some nice oils and vinegar to take home with you.  I kept my eye out for the perfect leather jacket, but was happy just taking home some nice food gifts.

Getting Around:

• Subway: We used the subway a few times in Rome and found it incredibly cheap and easy to maneuver.
• Hotel shuttle: Always check if your hotel has a shuttle from the airport as the taxis will often charge you triple.
• Rent a car: You can rent cars quite reasonably through Expedia, the only drawback is paying for gas and insurance.
• Taxi: Always ask how much a taxi is going to cost before you get in.  Sometimes it’s not worth it or you’ll get ripped off for being a tourist.

What to Bring Back:

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Modena Balsamic Vinegar
• Truffle Oil
• Truffle spread
• Biscotti
• Panforte (A delicious cake made of dried fruits and nuts)

Where to Visit:

ROME

• The Vatican- Worth visiting to see the expansive grounds and artwork inside.
• Trastevere- Charming neighborhood of small streets and quaint restaurants.
• Tiber Island- This small island in the Tiber River is the perfect place to stop for gelato.
• Freni e Frizioni- A trendy bar with a happy hour from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. that includes a wonderful buffet of salads, pasta, vegetables and homemade dips and sauces. (Located between Piazza Trilussa andLungotevere Rafaello in Trastevere, Rome, right next to Ponte Sisto).
• Campo dei Fiori Market- Colorful food market every morning with fruit, nuts, pasta, oils and souvenirs.
• Cafe Grecco- Steps away from the Spanish Steps as well as all the luxury brand stores like Chanel and Prada.  Cafe Grecco is elegant and the espressos are perfect.
• Hotel Pulitzer- A very modern, stylish hotel outside of the city centre.  This hotel was very posh for the price tag and only a short subway ride into the city.

SIENNA

• Nannini- Gorgeous bar/bakery where you can choose from a vast selection of pastries before sipping a great espresso at the bar. (Piazza Del Paglio)
• Chianti- If you have a car you can venture off into the wine region and stop in small wineries are walk through the vineyards.
• La Taverna di San Giuseppe- This restaurant is warm and has a a magnificent wine cave.  The food is delicious and the truffles are unforgettable. (Via G.Duprè, 132)
• Osteria Castelvecchio- An intimate restaurant where the owner is happy to serve you a bottle of house wine and serve you up some dishes that taste like mama’s cooking.  We loved the bruschetta and roasted chicken, and the pine nut cookies with sweet liqueur finished the meal perfectly.  (Via Castelvecchio, 65)
• Villa Elda- One of the best rated hotels in Siena, this boutique hotel has few rooms and is very elegant.  We loved our room and the fact that we were allowed to admire the view from the rooftop upstairs.

VENICE

• Concerts- Try to catch some live music in Venice.  The violin concert we heard in the church was one of the most moving concerts I’ve ever been to.
• Piazza San Marco- A central landmark in Venice that is stunning to see.  It also leads to Chanel and all the high end boutique stores.
• Rialto Market- A daily market with the most beautiful artichokes and radicchio I have ever seen.
• Vino Vino- Elegant wine bar specializing in Venetian cuisine.  Enjoyed some great Chianti, fish and roasted chicken.
• Hotel Molino Stucky- It may be a Hilton but it is worth stopping by this hotel that used to be an old flour factory.  The large brick building is stunning, and I’m sure the rooftop pool and bar are buzzing in the summer.  The prices are steep, so maybe stop for a glance and move on.

IMPRUNETA (just outside of Florence)

• Castello di Caffagio- This magnificent building overlooking a lush landscape of olive trees, vineyards and a forest sells some of the best olive oil I’ve ever tasted.
• Hotel Bellavista- The cheapest and most charming place we stayed in Italy.  The owners are incredible and very accomodating.  We loved the large outside terrace on the top floor and the restaurant downstairs was delicious.

FIUMICINO

• Hotel Seccy- If you have an early flight to catch don’t miss the harbor town of Fiumicino.  It is a great place to spend the night and the Hotel Seccy is a perfect hotel to rest your head.

Is it possible to live in one of the most expensive cities in the world on a budget?

Of course.  I love a challenge.  No matter where I am I believe in being careful with money and then splurging where it counts.

Paris is a hard city to be money conscious in but there are a few ways to be a savvy traveller in the land of Louis Vuitton purses and Hermes scarves.

Because I am now living in Paris with no income, I’ve got to be smart about.  Here are a few helpful ways I have found to save my euros so far.

Drink an espresso.

Every time I am thirsty in Paris I wonder how the hell I can quench that thirst without paying for a 5 euro Perrier.  Sometimes it’s worth it, but a Perrier once a day would cost me 35 euros a week.  That’s a three-course meal at a Michelin star restaurant.  So I drink my espresso at the bar, ask for a glass of water, or two, or three, and satisfy my thirst while getting a caffeine rush for 1euro.  Pas mal.

Drink the water.

Yes, the water.  Every time I eat out I ask for “Une carafe d’eau.”  This is a pitcher of tap water.  The water is fine to drink in Paris, so save your money for dessert.

A glass of wine?  Take the jug.

Wine is one of the cheapest things to drink in Paris.  At 3-4 euros a glass it’s cheaper than a Coca-Cola in France. If you’re thinking of having more than one glass ask for “Un pichet.”  A pitcher of the house wine is usually dirt cheap and delicious.  When my mother went for dinner the other night the couple beside her bought a bottle, and she bought a pichet. When she asked them to taste some of hers, they claimed it was much better than their bottle.  For a quarter of the price you can’t go wrong.

Eat a baguette in the park.

The breads and pastries in Paris are some of the best you’ll ever eat and they cost next to nothing.  When lunch time arrives, buy a baguette and some cheese, or a sandwich for around 4-5 euros and enjoy it in one of the many beautiful parks.  Some places offer the option of sitting indoors but this can double the price of your meal.  So grab your delicious sandwich, pick up a cheap bottle of wine from the grocery store, and go play in the park.

It’s all Greek to me.

I can’t eat sandwiches every day so I like to try out the different traiteurs in my neighborhood.  One of my favorite dinners involves getting some hummus, tapenade and bean salad from a small Greek shop and decorating my salad with it at home.  There are also tons of great Lebanese and Turkish fast food shops that offer cheap, delicious, fresh meal options.  L’As du Falafel is the most popular spots in the Marais, where you can get a filling falafel for under 5 euros.

The only date I know.

As I’m being faithful to the love of my life at home, the only dates I’m experiencing in Paris are medjool dates.  And they are the most delicious thing to grace my lips.  When I need a snack on the go I buy a small bag of dates and almonds from a fruit stand or specialty store.  Cheap, healthy, and melt in your mouth delicious.

Eat three courses.

Every time someone tells me about an expensive restaurant in Paris, they also tell me that they have a three-course meal menu going for around 30 euros.  Even the best Michelin star restaurants in Paris can be affordable if you follow the menu.  So hey, why not indulge?

Buy some groceries.

If you’re lucky enough to have an apartment in Paris, cook a few meals at home.  I love shopping at markets, and do so most of the time for pleasure, but if you’re on a tight budget the grocery stores are cheap.  G20 and ED are both inexpensive and offer a decent selection of fresh fruit and everything else you need for your pantry.  I love picking up a carton of eggs and hard boiling them for a quick, cheap protein.

Walk around town.

My favorite thing about Paris is that it’s a great city for walking.  I can spend a day walking, window shopping and exploring for no cost at all.  I find that when I ignore the main shopping streets and explore finer boutiques and funky areas, all I want to do is look with my eyes.

Shop like a local.

When I take myself out of the mind of a tourist and into the mind of a local, I get careful with my spending and find ways to get what I want for less.  When I need some new toiletries I hit up some of the great discount pharmacies and buy in bulk.  When I need some warmer clothes I dig through the designer duds at Sympa, a discount store in Montmartre.  When I browse through the Bon Marche, I take it as inspiration, then see what Zara and H&M have for less.

Splurge on timeless pieces.

If you need a pair of ballet shoes, buy Repettos.  If you need the perfect purse, break for the Longchamp.  Splurge where it counts.  I find that with certain items I need to buy the best or I’ll end up buying more because I’m never happy.

Love yourself.

It sounds silly but Paris can make you very insecure.  The immaculately coiffed women and well dressed couples make my nicest outfits seem shabby. While it’s nice to splurge on something special once and a while and I sometimes need to get my hair done, I’ve learnt to love myself the way I am and spend most of my pennies on food, espressos and wine.