Au Poor Lifestyle: living with €340 a month

One thing that's always very discussed especially by aspiring au pairs is the pocket money. The main question usually being: "Is it enough?"

The amount we receive as au pairs is not considered a salary since the au pair program has its own rules -  its focus is not the work itself, but rather that of a cultural exchange program. While the country’s minimum wage is currently between €706 and €1.551,60 depending on your age (The Netherlands adopts a progressive form of calculating the salaries. When you’re 23 and older, you’ve reached the highest “level” of salary - more info here), the au pair pocket money is between €300 and €340 a month.

Besides this amount, the au pair receives lodging and board, meaning that he/she has free accommodation at the Host Family's house, access to common areas and house facilities, plus all the meals are provided by the family. Since the au pair salary has been the same since at least 2009, whereas of course prices have risen, nowadays most families will pay the full €340 and sometimes extra benefits such as the train subscription or the cellphone plan.

Still, many get desperate once they hear about the pocket money: "it's too low", "how can you live and travel with this amount of money?". Especially for those who have been an au pair in the US, where they get paid $195,65 per week, adding up to almost $800 a month, it's hard to conceive how would it be possible to live with only €340 a month in Europe. 

In reality, the pocket money from the Netherlands is intermediate, it could be better like in Belgium (€450/month for 20h/week) or worse like in Germany (€260/month for 30h/week). Let's also not forget that each place has different costs of living and the pocket money is set accordingly. 

But why is it so low then? This is the tax threshold in the Netherlands. If it were to be increased, both au pairs and host families would have to pay tax on it. You can find more info the the Tax Department website (in Dutch).

Since there's no changing it, the big question remains: Is it possible to live with this money? Of course it is! You have no major costs like rent and bills, so this money is basically for you to enjoy! It is still not a lot, therefore you need to have control and know how to prioritize. 

The Netherlands (and Europe in general) is not a "shopping destination" - here you are not going to find things so cheap like in the US, for example, especially regarding brands and electronics. You should stick to essentials. Once in a while you can give yourself the luxury of eating in a nice restaurant, or buying something more expensive, but not always! Otherwise you won't be able to save for your trips. 

Besides the obvious (not spending with superfluous things), we need to resort to various "tricks" to make our money last. Here are tips of how to save money, or at least how to do things the cheapest way possible!


1. Weekend free season ticket: unless you live in a big city that has many many things to do such as Den Haag, Rotterdam or Amsterdam itself, on your free time you'll want to go to bigger cities to shop/party or just visit new places to explore. For that, you'll need to use the train. This type of transportation is far from being cheap. However, the NS (train company) has different season tickets (plans) and one of the best is the Weekend free. With it, you get unlimited travel with the train on weekends from Friday 18:30 until Monday 4:00 and on National Holidays. You also travel with 40% discount on off peak hours (09:00 to 16:00 and 18:30 to 06:30). All this for €32/month. 

Bonus tip 1: You need a personalized OV-Chipkaart (the yellow one with your photo) to order the Weekend Free or any other plan. Usually just the card costs €7,50 but if you order it with the plan, it’ll be for free!
Bonus tip 2: If someone else in your host family already has this plan, then you pay only €22 a month! Ask your host parents before ordering it.
To order the weekend free and for further information about it, click here.



2. Use your bike or walk instead of taking the bus/tram/metro: unfortunately the plan I just mentioned only covers the train, so if you need to take a bus/tram/metro to get from your home to the station or to arrive at your destination, you'll still need to pay for it. Therefore, the best is to go to the station by bike. Not only you'll save a couple euros each time, but also you'll enjoy more flexibility when it's time to come back home, since other types of transportation usually end earlier than the train.
That also applies when you're visiting a new city and the station is not so close to your destination there. Instead of taking other form of public transportation, how about you just walk and explore the place even more? Especially if you're with a group of friends, it goes by quickly and once again you get to save a bit. That being said: you should pay for transportation only on the last case! If the place is really far and there's no way to walk, if it's raining a lot or too cold, then go for it. Otherwise, put your bike and your legs to work!


3. Museumkaart: one of the things you'll find plenty in the Netherlands are museums - there are many throughout the entire country! The best way to enjoy and visit as many museums as you want for the lowest cost, is to get the Museumkaart. It costs €59,90 and is valid for one year. Seems expensive? It can be a bit, however it is a great investment! It will give you access to over 400 museums in the whole country (38 only in Amsterdam). If you were to buy each ticket separately, it would cost around €15 each. So, after visiting 4 museums, the museumkaart already pays itself! In the Netherlands, museums are not only the traditional buildings with paintings and sculptures, it can also be windmills, castles, palaces, churches and these are all included. In some museums, you'll still need to pay a small fee to visit, so always check the website to make sure if it's covered by the card. You can order it online here. 


4. Take snacks from home: try to always have your meals at home! In case that's not possible, prepare a snack and take it with you. Especially in the summer, when you spend longer times out enjoying the (hopefully) good weather, this is important. Don't spend your precious euros eating out frequently! Also always carry a bottle of water with you. Since tap water is drinkable in the Netherlands, you can just fill it instead of buying!
If you do need to buy something to eat, search for cheap stuff! At the Burger King for example they have medium meals for €3,90. If you want something healthier, stop by an Albert Heijn "to go" where they have a variety of sandwiches and salads for good prices as well.


5. Drinking before going out: This one is for the party girls out there! If you like drinking, this can become very expensive very fast. So in order to enjoy but also not waste so much money on it, you can buy -insert your preferred alcohol here- at the supermarket where it is waaay cheaper, and start drinking at home before going out. Let's take a beer for example: In Amsterdam, you'll pay around €3 for a glass of 250ml in a bar/pub, and at the supermarket you can find a half-liter for €1. So you get double the quantity 3x cheaper!
Get your friends together, and while you choose outfits, do make up, gossip, listen to some music, go ahead and have some drinks!


6. Free night clubs/parties: still on topic of parties, there is a wide range of places and events available in the Netherlands that you can choose from. Bars and pubs in general normally you don't have to pay to enter. Night clubs on the other hand normally you do, so avoid those! If you want to dance it out, there are many bars and cafés with a "night club vibe", with a DJ playing (or at least a good playlist) and packed with people. Since those are free, they'll probably be your usual spot. Spend your money on party tickets if it's a very special occasion or for a festival that you'd really like to go - The Netherlands has some great festivals if you're into electronic music!
Another option if you do want to go to "fancier" parties but don't want to waste money on it, is using the app "I'm in". They have an agenda with events coming up and for some of them, you can try to win free tickets through the app. 


7. Plan when going to the toilet: no, you didn't read it wrong. If you're on the street and have the need to go to the toilet, most you find you'll have to pay for it. Sometimes even on pubs and night clubs (!!!). Also many fast food places like Burger King and McDonald's normally you still have to pay even if you consumed there. In my opinion, this is absolutely ridiculous and turns into a waste of money. Even if it's a few cents (normally from €0,50 to €0,70) as an au pair I used to spend whole days out exploring cities. So at some point you do need to use the toilet! My tip: whenever there's a free one, go for it! You never know when the next one will come along haha 


8. Where to shop: The Netherlands is not a"shopping destination" like the USA. Here, electronics and brands (clothes, shoes, bags etc) are most likely around the same price as in your home country. For regular, daily-life shopping, some stores are essential in an au poor's life:

• Action: it has it all. Clothes, food, stationery, house stuff, party decoration, costumes, toys, beauty section... and for the cheapest prices I've ever seen! Of course quality is not the main word to describe all their products, but depending on what you're looking for, this really is the best option! Other stores with this same concept are Zeeman and Wibra.

• Primark: clothes, shoes, accessories, make up/beauty... this is the best store with "au pair prices". 90% of your things will be from there

• New Yorker, H&M: a bit more expensive than the Primark, but still two of the cheapest ones with a great selection. They also always have a "promo" section. 

Keep an eye for sales in general, you can usually find good deals in other "nicer" stores like Mango, Bershka, Pull&Bear etc.

Also, try to go shopping when you have a real need for an item. Focus on what you need instead of just looking around, that way you avoid buying unnecessary things out of impulse.


9. When travelling: Make a list of all the places you'd like to visit. When you know you'll have some time off, check the prices to the destinations and pick the cheapest! When reserving hostels, put the filter cheapest to more expensive, when you find the cheapest one with a decent location, that's what you want to get. When at the destination, look for the supermarket to buy some snacks instead of having all your meals at restaurants/snack places.
Useful websites regarding travelling:

To check tickets
https://www.goeuro.com/
https://www.google.com/flights/
https://www.skyscanner.net/

Trip deal packages
https://pm2amtrips.com
https://wanderlust-trips.com/

Hostels
https://www.hostelworld.com
https://www.booking.com


10. Hair, nails, waxing...: beauty salons? This word does not exist on your vocabulary anymore! You'll have to learn to do it yourself.

11. Financial planning: I never saved a specific amount of money each month, I just did everything as cheaply as possible and hoped I'd have enough for my trips. It worked for me, but if you can, would be much wiser to do some planning according to your own needs and try to save some fixed amount each month.    

Things to remember:
a) In the Netherlands, the au pair program working hours are maximum 30h/week and not more than 8h/day, with at least 2 days off. It is completely forbidden to work extra (to your own host family or "outside") and to earn more than €340. The law is very strict about it in order not to deviate the program's focus. You can get your residence permit cancelled for not following the rules and the host family risks paying a fine, among other administrative measures. 
b) Even though the pocket money is low, make sure to ALWAYS have some money set aside on your account in case of an emergency. I'd recommend at least €250.


Aaand that's it! Don't fight it, just embrace the au poor lifestyle. At the end of the year, you might not have many euros left in your account, but I assure you'll have your memories filled with stories and adventures for a lifetime.

Have any other tips to share? Don't hesitate to leave a comment ;)

Tot zo!