Amsterdam, life on the edge of my wallet

Hamsterham

Right. Im heading off to amsterdam maybe in the next few weeks or so and I need a little info from people who have been there.

I am planning on staying for either a week, 3 weeks, or indefinately staying there then backpacking to other places. How much money would i need to survive in amsterdam? Per day even?

The things i would be doing would be; smoking alot, drinking a little but not too much, paying for a cheap ass hostel, drinking coffee and reading newspapers once every morning, walking around looking at scenery, eating good but cheap food on the fly but will cook myself if access to a cooker, the occasional tram ride.

So basically ill be spending most money on just food, weed and accom. These will be the main daily expenses. Apart from these i would rarely dish anything out. I am going to go ultra cheap ass to stretch it as along as possable.

I reckon i could go with 30 - 40 euro a day if i really tried. Need advice people, how could i manage? Any hints and tips welcome.

I dont think ill be shagging any hussies either, ill be trying to get that for free, the way its ment to be =D.

saywhatyousee

Hamsterham wrote: »

Right. Im heading off to amsterdam maybe in the next few weeks or so and I need a little info from people who have been there.

I am planning on staying for either a week, 3 weeks, or indefinately staying there then backpacking to other places. How much money would i need to survive in amsterdam? Per day even?

The things i would be doing would be; smoking alot, drinking a little but not too much, paying for a cheap ass hostel, drinking coffee and reading newspapers once every morning, walking around looking at scenery, eating good but cheap food on the fly but will cook myself if access to a cooker, the occasional tram ride.

So basically ill be spending most money on just food, weed and accom. These will be the main daily expenses. Apart from these i would rarely dish anything out. I am going to go ultra cheap ass to stretch it as along as possable.

I reckon i could go with 30 - 40 euro a day if i really tried. Need advice people, how could i manage? Any hints and tips welcome.

I dont think ill be shagging any hussies either, ill be trying to get that for free, the way its ment to be =D.

When i go over i usually budget 200 per day.If you really had to survive i would say 75-100.I dont think 30-40 is realistic food in Amsterdam is expensive enough its about the same here or even possibly a bit more expensive than Ireland.Then you have to pay for drinks in coffeshops(you will get thrown out otherwise)thats another 10 for the day at least.Add in at least another 30 for weed.Then money for beer accomidation and other items.
If you want to save money i suggest looking up Zeeburg camping you can rent wooden chalets for cheap it about a 15 minute tram ride from the center

Hamsterham

saywhatyousee wrote: »

When i go over i usually budget 200 per day.If you really had to survive i would say 75-100.I dont think 30-40 is realistic food in Amsterdam is expensive enough its about the same here or even possibly a bit more expensive than Ireland.Then you have to pay for drinks in coffeshops(you will get thrown out otherwise)thats another 10 for the day at least.Add in at least another 30 for weed.Then money for beer accomidation and other items.
If you want to save money i suggest looking up Zeeburg camping you can rent wooden chalets for cheap it about a 15 minute tram ride from the center

Cheers, sounds like my wallet is in for a ride. Foodwise, if its the same or similar to here, surely i could get by on the occasional centra roll or trip to a supermarket eh? Or even a good old maccy dee's? Dont really wanna eat that **** tho .

About drinks in coffee shops, i will of course be having the odd coffee or beer, but surely they wont kick you out if you are spending money on smoke alone? That sounds a bit crazy. I heard aswell that many hostels have lounges and places to hang out.

Ill check out that zeeburg thing, thx for reply.

thebuzz

Hamsterham wrote: »

About drinks in coffee shops, i will of course be having the odd coffee or beer, but surely they wont kick you out if you are spending money on smoke alone? That sounds a bit crazy. I heard aswell that many hostels have lounges and places to hang out.

I never seen anyone kicked out for not ordering drinks.

wicorthered

You can survive on 30-40 a day but you would be just surviving. The Dam is an amazing city, it would be a bit of a waste, spending time there and not doing anything. If you stay in a hostel with cooking facilities you'd save a bundle. That money could be used to enjoy the sights a bit more!?

boarddotie

I did a canal tour in Amsterdam that was free. Its like a community project where they reconstruct old boats and then take people out for tours and you just pay a tip at the end. I cant for the life of me find a link to it but I am sure people would know about it once you got there.

Also have you tried couchsurfing.org? There you can find a host who will let you stay on their couch for free. But you would be expected to cook for them or do something (stop it!) in return. Its legit and cheaper than a hostel!

undo

We never expect our CouchSurfers to do anything in return. But we make sure that they are interesting people and expect them to behave well. Other hosts have a similar approach. Someone who shows up in Amsterdam with the goal of being stoned out of their mind 24/7 will probably not be a very welcome guest.

Hamsterham

undo wrote: »

We never expect our CouchSurfers to do anything in return. But we make sure that they are interesting people and expect them to behave well. Other hosts have a similar approach. Someone who shows up in Amsterdam with the goal of being stoned out of their mind 24/7 will probably not be a very welcome guest.

Well..... i may be a lowly slice of hamsterham, but i do have feelings.

How dare you assume somone who smokes weed is uninteresting, unbehaved and unwelcome in amsterdam .

I happen to be a very pleasent gentlemen and id rather sleep rough than take a surf on your torture rack.

I do understand your point of view though , peace!

Badgermonkey

Spang Makandra is a great and popular Javanese/Surinamese restaurant on Albert Cuypstraat.

BIG portions of filling food and VERY cheap, take-out may be even cheaper.

undo

Hamsterham wrote: »

How dare you assume somone who smokes weed is uninteresting, unbehaved and unwelcome in amsterdam .

Sorry, I probably worded it too harshly. I have had the best experiences with a different breed of CouchSurfer. But CS is a huge project with over a million members - I am sure you can also find like-minded people if you look around. It may be trickier though than if you were coming to Amsterdam for the cheese and wooden shoes.

another native

I think the company which boarddotie referred to, could be the St. Nicolaas Boat Club. It's a not-for-profit organisation and very popular with tourists. The general advice is, when in Amsterdam, to book in advance at Boom Chicago, Leidseplein, as numbers are limited, and tickets may be gone if one waits until the day of sailing.

Hamsterham

Thx for replies people.

Does anyone have any experience with hostels over there? I have checked through a load of em online and have picked out a few that seem ok.

The flying pig seems a good people / party place, but the rooms and bathrooms are not too flattering.

Cocomama looks the best, but it very pricey so i might only go there for a few nights.

Its hard to judge by the online photos. I am looking for a place that has a good lounge and a bar maybe, ensuite bathrooms preferably, not too many people per room, somwhere central with decent staff. A private single room would be awesome of course, but may be hard to come by. Smoker friendly is a must :cool:.

Gimme your recomendations and experiences, cheers.