day 97: solen skinner
The sun was shining today for the first day in quite a while, so I took it as a sign from the baby Jesus that I didn't need to go to Nordic mythology. I haven't finished reading Njal's Saga anyway.
Tivoli is open again for Christmas. I've heard it's a lot of fun at night when it's all lit up but I haven't gone yet. I walk by there every day on the way to Central Station and I try my best not to knock over the small Danish children that queue out front.
Left: Swings in Tivoli. Right: Christmas tree and decorations in Central Station.
I came home early around 3:00 and my host parents were already home. In fact, my host mom Anette had a chocolate cake cooling on the counter and two ducks roasting in the oven for my host sister's birthday party tomorrow. I bought a little something for her and wrapped it in Danish flag paper. The Danish flag wrapping paper is everywhere. It seemed kind of strange to me at first -- can you imagine getting a birthday gift wrapped in American flag paper?
My recent post about my friend who can't afford to eat got me thinking about cheap eats. It's true that the food (and everything) is expensive here, but there are ways to save money. If you ever find yourself in Copenhagen (or studying abroad somewhere else), here are my tips.
1. Buy groceries. 7-11 is fast but it's not cheap. It's often the only thing open on Sundays, too, so a lot of students end up here when they just need milk or a quick snack and can't buy it somewhere else. One of my favorite snacks is Mini-Meal, a little yogurt cup with granola and a spoon. At 7-11, these cost about 12kr ($2.40). At Netto, the discount grocery store just a short walk away, they're only 6,50kr ($1.25). Buying a cup of coffee and a pastry costs about 25kr ($5) at 7-11 and it's a quick breakfast. Buying a box of granola and yogurt from a grocery store costs about the same and it would feed you for 3-5 days instead of just one.
2. Buy groceries, part II. The cheapest food I've found near school is still expensive. A bagel with cream cheese costs 18kr ($3.50) and a bagel sandwich costs 40kr ($8). (At my home university, I think you'd probably pay $1.25 for a bagel with cream cheese and $5-6 for a sandwich.) Hot dogs from street vendors are 15-25kr ($3-5). The "kebab menu" at my favorite shwarma shop includes a pita stuffed with meat and veggies, french fries and a Coke for 50kr ($10). A nearby Mediterranean/vegetarian buffet is about 60kr ($12) for lunch and 80kr ($14) for dinner. Eating out occasionally is fine and unavoidable, but I don't understand how people can afford to buy lunch every day. It adds up fast. A loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter/jelly costs less than a lunch you could buy at a shwarma place.
3. Like in America, Italian food is the cheapest. Stock up on pasta and sauce. Better yet, buy canned tomatoes and some spices.
4. Avoid brand names. Don't drink Coke when Danish beer is cheaper, duh. Also: don't buy beer when tap water is cheaper, and don't buy the tap water if you have a Nalgene.
5. Buy with cash. Keep track of how much you spend. I've made all of my purchases with cash this semester and it's an easy way to budget. "Can I afford this? Well, let's see. *turns wallet upside down, lint falls out, gentle wooshing noise* I guess that's a no."
Being me, I've also obsessively logged every crown I've spent since I arrived. The only time I gave up on this was when I was traveling and I just didn't have the time. In Denmark, my goal is to spend $100 a week. Usually it's a little more than that, sometimes less. This week I'll go overbudget because I spent $60 at the post office. Oops.
The only reason I've been able to be so thrifty is because I live with a host family. I paid exactly the same amount of money as students living in dorms and shared housing, but I get three meals a day. I'd highly recommend the host family option to anyone studying abroad for cultural exchange reasons, but it helps your wallet, too.
Maybe my friends living in the dorms (i.e., Sarah) will tell me I'm wrong about some of this. Anyone living in the city and cooking for themselves probably knows a lot more about cheap places to buy food, so feel free to disagree with what I've said here.
Labels: day 97: solen skinner
