Travel: 5 Cheap Things to do in Paris

Orangina on the boat

1. Drink an Orangina on a boat ride down the Seine

Nothing sums up the taste of France more than a pithy cold Orangina to me. I prefer it in a glass bottle. It tastes better and you can buy it from a supermarché for a tenth of what this overpriced can was in the boat shop. If your feet get tired of flaneur, (the French noun to wonder), then chug slowly down the Seine, a brilliant viewpoint to see the famous landmarks. Book online with Vedettes du Pont-Neuf and save €5 per adult ticket. Departs from Pont-Neuf every hour, and lasts an hour.

Le petit chien

2. Pat a small dog outside a Boulangerie

These fluffy woofs are everywhere and provide a bit of light entertainment while queuing for a baguette/croissant/tart. For this trip, our bakery of choice was Eric Kayser on Rue Reaumur, mainly because it was around the corner from our Air B 'n' B apartment. Their sour dough mix, which makes for a slightly chewier stick, made our mornings.

Nuxe's Reve de Miel

3. Pop into a Pharmacie

Apparently, when the French come to England, they stock up on Herbal Essences. When the Brits go to Paris, anyone who wants moisturised lips, should pop into a Phamacie and buy Nuxe's Reve de Miel. The milky coloured stick is carved like a lipstick and tastes of honeyed orange. Not at all greasy, it goes on quite thinly, allowing for a slap of lippy to go on on top - how very chic.

My Hema purchases including neon washi tape and letter stickers

4. Stock up on Stationery at Hema

Hema hasn't graced England with one of it's shops yet, which makes a trip to this multi-coloured household goods shop essential when going to a city where there is one. A bit like the market place in Ikea, the stationery department is a cheap dream for anyone with a craft box.

Ham and Cheese Cassoulette

5. Try a Cassolettes

Dunk a hunk of bread into this cheesy, potatoey, hammy hot pot and an audible mmmm will almost definitey ooze out of your lips. Our favourite lunch spot for this is Cave la Bourgogne, in the Latin Quarter (134 Rue Mouffetard).

Me and Ollie outside the Musee D'Orsay

And one last tip, if you are planning on travelling by Eurostar (by far the easiest, cheapest and most relaxed way if you live in/near London), book early for £69 returns and keep your ticket because it will get you half price entry into some major cultural attractions including The Mussee D'Orsay which had a Van Gogh exhibition on when we went.

5 Ways to Make January Better

Oh January, you bloody bore. There's nothing that says the party's over more than being completely skint, vowing to lay off the booze for a whole month and not to mention those unachievable fitness/diet regimes to shave off all those chocolates. Refusing to let 1/14 get me down even more, I have put together a list of four fun things to ease the worst month of the year.

Via Pinterest

Sales

My particular favourites are of the holiday variety. No crowds and at this time of year, the dark, cold and rainy days have stopped being cosy and all I want is a bit of sun. Even looking forward to a mini break would help with going back to work after days of telly watching, Baileys in hand and a box of chocs resting on the belly. Eurostar have announced 120,000 £59 returns to their usual destinations including Paris, Brussels and Lille. I managed to book Paris for my Mum's b day weekend in March but they are selling fast so book asap.

View from an East Coast window

East Coast Train Tickets £5

Closer to home is the East coast annual sale where you can get as far away as Edinburgh for a fiver each way. The route has been dubbed the most beautiful in Britain with views of handsome York, the more glitzy Millenium Bridge in Newcastle and the rugged Scottish coastline complete with lighthouses. Book at eastcoast.co.uk

House of Ho via Twitter

Skint London

Follow for frugal tweets about eating, drinking and doing stuff in London for under a tenner. Recent alerts include news of a soft launch at new Vietnamese House of Ho in Soho, 10% discount at Oddbins for those not going dry and a Motel Rocks sample sale. @SkintLondon

Brooklyn Winter Ale lable

BYOB

Some of the best meals I have ever eaten have been at BYOB restaurants where a slap up meal can be had for under a tenner. Long standing Southern Indian food joint Jai Krishna on Stroud Green Road was my favourite 2013 find. If you're local order the Chana Chat and Masala Dosa and grab a bottle of Brooklyn's Winter Ale from the off licence opposite if you're not going dry. For a full list of London's BYOB restaurants look here.

Films 

Hide from the storm and spend an evening seeing a film. It is Oscar season which means the year's best films are usually released at the time of year most people want to cosy up in front of a film. Most cinemas have a cheap night from Odeon Monday's to Vue's Super Tuesdays and the independents have great offers including Rich Mix Six and Monday Madness at the Barbican. Check their websites for offers.