A Week In Paris On A $67,000 Salary

Occupation: Freelance writer and editor
Industry: Communications
Age: 33
Location: Paris, France
Salary: $67,000
Household Income/Finances Setup: I am married but my husband and I keep separate bank accounts and finances. We use Splitwise to split shared expenses and we split our monthly rent and fixed expenses according to how much we earn.
Assets: $10,000 in US treasury bonds. I also have $34,140 in savings. I plan to put around $20,000 as part of the down payment towards an apartment, while my husband has $150,000 saved for a down payment.
Debt: $98,000 in student loans.
Paycheck Amount: $3,000 (but it varies by month).
Pronouns: She/her

Monthly Expenses

Housing Costs: $1,421 in rent. My husband P. and I split this (he pays a bit more).
Loan Payments: $0 in student loans — I am on pay as you earn.
All Other Monthly Expenses:
I pay P. $721 a month for rent, my phone bill ($20), water bill, Netflix ($6) and Amazon Prime ($7). He earns more than me and has a full-time job, so he pays more for our monthly expenses.

Annual Expenses

Co-Op Vegetables Subscription: $231

Was there an expectation for you to attend higher education? Did you participate in any form of higher education? If yes, how did you pay for it?
My parents expected me to go to college right after high school. I got a scholarship which covered my tuition but took out loans to cover my living expenses. I decided to get a master’s degree in London a year after I graduated, which I took out student loans for.

Growing up, what kind of conversations did you have about money? Did your parent(s)/guardian(s) educate you about finances?
My parents were always stressed about money and often fought about it. I remember my mom having to decide between paying the electricity bill or buying food. I took a personal finance course in high school but otherwise I avoided talking to my parents about money because it was always a source of stress. It felt like something I could never really talk to them about without them getting angry.

What was your first job and why did you get it?
I got a job in high school cleaning and organizing houses of friends of my parents and teachers at my school. I saved the money to help me pay for my textbooks during my first semester in college.

Did you worry about money growing up?
Very much so. I didn’t know how I would pay for college, so I worked really hard to get good grades so I could get a scholarship to cover as much of my higher education as possible.

Do you worry about money now?
Yes, but less so. I worry because I am a freelancer, so my income isn’t that stable. But I have found a system that works for me: I always have a few months’ buffer in case I have one month that doesn’t work out. When I was in my early 20s I got into a lot of credit card debt without meaning to and paying that off helped me figure out how to manage my money responsibly. 

At what age did you become financially responsible for yourself and do you have a financial safety net?
I was on my own once I graduated high school. I had to make do between odd jobs and loans. I have managed to save up a decent amount. Plus I have P. to fall back on, although he’s always been clear that he wants me to keep working and not be an expat wife.

Do you or have you ever received passive or inherited income? If yes, please explain.
I got about $6,600 when my grandfather died — I used it to buy Treasury bonds.

8:30 a.m. — I wake up an hour later than I intended, feeling a bit groggy. I get up and feed the cat and make my coffee, then climb back in bed to write in my journal and read the news while I drink my coffee before getting ready. Since I am a freelancer, I get to set my own schedule, which can be both a blessing and a curse. My husband P. has a hybrid work schedule so sometimes he works from home and sometimes he is in the office. Today, he is working from home.

10:30 a.m. — It’s sunny outside for the first time in a week so I text a nearby friend to see if she’s going out to walk her dog. She’s already finished her morning walk so I go for a walk in the park by myself. On the way back, I stop by the store to get some cat food and eggs to make banana bread. I also pick up some kiwis and toiletries for myself. I split the cost of the cat food and eggs with my husband on Splitwise. $19.94

12:30 p.m. — I make banana bread and eat lunch before starting my workday. Lunch is some leftover gratin and the rest of a salad we have in the fridge, plus a yogurt and kiwi with honey. I’ve got a few articles to finish writing and need to prepare for some interviews. I have a call with my editor about a few articles, then speak to a source for an article I am writing this week.

5 p.m. — I take a break from work to eat banana bread and drink tea. I look at art and stationery supplies I want on Amazon and add them to my basket. I won’t buy them yet as I don’t need them until the art workshop I’m going to in a few months. I also realize I need to set up an appointment with my therapist for this week. I go back to work for a few hours. I work on some articles and answer emails.

8:30 p.m. — P. and I finish working. We have dinner and watch a French show called D’argent et de sang (Of Money and Blood), as I am trying to practice my French. We have leftover raclette cheese from Sunday, so we eat that with boiled potatoes and cured meats with white wine, then for dessert, we have banana bread. We head to bed around 11 p.m. but I don’t fall asleep until after midnight.

8 a.m. — I wake up and am not feeling great. I linger in bed, reading the news, while P. gets ready to go to the office. When he leaves, I take a shower and take some ibuprofen to power through the day. I work on editing projects and answer emails from various sources. My cat wants to play, so I spend about 20 minutes playing with him. He’s rather anxious and needy (he’s a COVID-19 pet). He doesn’t like to be alone and often will crawl up in my lap when I am on client calls. 

2 p.m. — I realize the time — I haven’t had lunch yet. I go to the kitchen to see what we have. There aren’t a lot of options; I’ll need to go back to the grocery store tomorrow to get more things for lunch. I make myself some ramen with eggs and watch Stranger, a Korean show on Netflix, for an hour to destress. I continue working, this time working on a feature article that’s due in a few days. At 4 p.m. I have a client meeting, then I start to prep for an interview I have at 6 p.m.

8 p.m. — I log off my computer and do chores around the house while I wait for P. to get home. We eat around 9 p.m. We have a dish we made over the weekend — cabbage and bacon with bread. We usually make at least one big dish in our crockpot over the weekend that we can eat during the week. It saves us time and money. We watch an episode of Ted Lasso, then head for bed at 11 p.m. I read a bit but I fall asleep almost immediately.

7 a.m. — We are up early today because we are going to see an apartment for sale. We are in the process of looking for a place to buy in Paris or the surrounding suburbs. As I mentioned, P. has $150,000 saved for a down payment. He’s very good with money — much better than me — and has been saving for years towards this down payment. We aren’t sure yet if I will be on the deed or if he will be, as French banks don’t always like to lend money to freelancers. But even if I am not on the deed, there’s a legal way in France for me to still contribute to the mortgage and gain equity in the apartment. Buying a place in France is very different from buying in the US. This is our first time buying, so we are still learning a lot about the process. The apartment is about 40 minutes away from where we live. We get there early and walk around the neighborhood. We wait for the real estate agent but she doesn’t show up. We leave at 9:20 a.m. to go home, disappointed about having wasted our morning. While I know that patience is key in France when it comes to doing anything involving paperwork, I am already getting frustrated with the process. We get a call from the realtor that the property had already been pulled from the market, as it was rented out and can only be bought as an investment property, not to live in.

12 p.m. — Still disappointed from the morning, I decide to get my comfort food for lunch: sushi. A friend of ours texts us about a cabaret show a mutual friend is putting on tonight. We decide to go as they’ve been talking about it for a while. I buy tickets for us ($20) and buy lunch ($22.15) and put the difference on Splitwise. $42.15

1:30 p.m. — Back to work, but not feeling super motivated today. I work on the feature that is due tomorrow and prep for the interviews I have during the rest of the week. I get a notice from my bank that the monthly transport from my Paris Metro pass was taken out of my account. I was traveling a lot last month, and I didn't use the Metro as often as I normally do, so it’s a lot less than usual this month. $17.87

6 p.m. — I eat some leftover rice and miso soup (it came with my lunch but I didn’t eat at the time), then head to the venue for the show. We meet up with some friends and I have a glass of wine before the show and a glass of wine after. The show is all in French so I don’t understand a lot, but the singing is great. The venue is packed and we say hi to our friend after and talk about her upcoming book. We come home around midnight and I go to bed but have trouble falling asleep. $12.40

8 a.m. — P. gets up early to go to the office and I wake up to feed the cat and have coffee. I feel like I need to move my body so I do some dance exercises to wake myself up and get excited about the day. I am feeling hungry so I eat a yogurt for breakfast. 

11 a.m. — I start work. I have a busy afternoon and have to read through some reports to prepare for an interview with a source on a technical topic. I end up reading the report through lunch, which is leftover cabbage and bacon with a piece of bread.

2 p.m. — After my interview, I start writing and spend a few hours focused on deep work while listening to classical music.

6:30 p.m. — I am supposed to have a call with a client but they are a no-show. I go pick up our biweekly delivery of vegetables from the local co-op. We pay for the whole year ahead of time so they are already paid for.

8 p.m. — I do some chores around the house and have some canned ratatouille while watching Suits. P. has a networking event after work and comes home around 9:30 p.m. I am very tired so I get ready for bed a bit earlier than usual and am in bed by 11 p.m.

7:30 a.m. — I get up a bit earlier than usual to get ready for the day, including prepping for an interview with a source at 10 a.m. 

11 a.m. —  I have my online therapy appointment. Normally I pay for therapy ahead of time but there was an issue with the platform, so my therapist office sends me the bill right after, which I promptly pay. $92.98

12 p.m. — I want a falafel bowl for lunch but the restaurant is closed, so I go to a fried chicken shop next store and get a fried chicken wrap ($8.20). I decide to get some gummies ($1.61) at the nearby convenience store. I take a long lunch as I need time to process after therapy. After lunch, I work on admin tasks and file paperwork with the French government — being a freelancer in France means having to deal with a lot of paperwork! $9.81

6 p.m. — It’s P.’s birthday on Monday but we are celebrating this weekend. I stop work early and get ready for his birthday with a few friends. We head to a restaurant that has small pizzas and shared plates and order some wine. His friends and I split the bill, so I pay for my portion and P.’s portion as a birthday present. $48.29

10 p.m. — P. and his friends leave to go out dancing but I am not feeling well so I decide to go home early. The area we are in is a bit far from the Metro and it’s late at night and cold, so I take a taxi home and go to bed. $15.29

10 a.m. — P. came home late, so we sleep in (we’d already decided that Saturday would be a lazy day in). I decide to buy yarn and needles on Vinted, as I’ve been wanting to take up knitting. $8.11

12 p.m. — Since it’s P.’s birthday weekend, he gets to decide what we eat. We decide to order in instead of cooking — he gets Chinese food delivered. We spend the afternoon playing It Takes Two on the PlayStation.

7 p.m. — For dinner we order in again — hamburgers this time — and watch The Lost Daughter. P. paid for both lunch and dinner, so I transfer him enough to cover both. $30.99

9 a.m. — It’s Sunday and we are feeling refreshed after a day of video games and take out. We spend the morning looking at apartments for sale and talking about what we want. We reach out to a few places, even though we know they won’t respond since it’s Sunday.

12 p.m. — A friend texts and asks us if we want to get lunch. We go to a new Chinese restaurant that specializes in biangbiang noodles. We split the bill three ways. $32.90

2 p.m. — We decide to go to a museum in the afternoon and slowly walk over. I stop to buy a coffee ($2.61) and purchase the museum tickets ($13.92). I pay for my husband’s but he pays me back. $16.53

7 p.m. — A local brewery near us is closing down, so we stop by their goodbye party. I have a beer ($4.97) and buy one of their prints as a memory ($5.36). We get invited to a friend’s place nearby for dinner. They cook a lamb roast with chickpeas and okra with a mushroom and cream side. It’s delicious. We chat and then head home around 11 p.m. $10.33