WHAT DOES AN ORDINARY DAY COST YOU?

A monthly budget is useful, but it remains abstract until you see what a real day looks like.

This matters especially when you begin your studies: your schedule, journeys and eating habits are not stable yet. Your first month is therefore mainly for observing what your real life costs.

A QUICK LESSON IN FRENCH-SPEAKING SWISS MEALTIMES

In French-speaking Switzerland, you may hear:

• dejeuner = breakfast;
• diner = lunch;
• souper = dinner or evening meal.

If someone suggests 'dining together' at midday, they have not confused the time zone. And if you are invited to 'souper', soup is not compulsory.

In an international environment, the usual words for breakfast, lunch and dinner are also common.

START WITH TWO COLUMNS

To avoid mixing unlike things, observe them separately:

A. FOOD

• breakfast;
• lunch;
• dinner;
• coffee, a drink or a snack.

B. OTHER VARIABLE DAILY EXPENSES

• occasional transport;
• a small non-food purchase;
• an activity;
• going out;
• a personal purchase.

This separation matters. EPFL's reference figure of CHF 600 per month — about CHF 20 per day — is for food. Do not compare it with a total that also includes the cinema, train travel and personal purchases.

THE EPFL REFERENCE: ABOUT CHF 20 PER DAY FOR FOOD

EPFL currently uses CHF 600 per month for food in its indicative budget.

This is a starting point, not a daily target. Some days you will cook cheaply. On others, you will eat on campus or out. Campus meal prices also vary: some student options are affordable, while others cost well over CHF 10.

The right question is:

'Over several weeks, how much does my food actually cost?'

THREE TYPES OF DAY

1. LOW-COST DAY

You cook or bring your meal and spend little away from home.

2. USUAL DAY

You may have one meal on campus, a coffee and a few groceries, then eat the rest at home.

3. DAY WITH A TREAT OR AN OUTING

A restaurant, a drink, the cinema, a meal with friends or another chosen pleasure.

None of these days is 'bad'. A problem appears only if your budget assumes five low-cost days while your real week contains only one or two.

FROM THE DAY TO THE WEEK, THEN TO THE MONTH

For one week, record food and other variable expenses separately.

Food example:

• Monday: CHF 14;
• Tuesday: CHF 19;
• Wednesday: CHF 17;
• Thursday: CHF 21;
• Friday: CHF 25;
• Saturday: CHF 24;
• Sunday: CHF 15.

Total food for the week: CHF 135.

For a monthly estimate, CHF 135 x 4.3 is about CHF 580.

But remember: ONE WEEK IS A SAMPLE, NOT THE TRUTH.

An orientation week, exam week, holiday or unusually social week may not be typical. Ideally, observe two to four weeks before treating an amount as your reference pattern.

EXERCISE — SEVEN DAYS OF OBSERVATION

For seven days, use two columns:

FOOD | OTHER VARIABLE EXPENSES

At the end of the week:

• add each column separately;
• notice what repeats;
• identify unusual days;
• ask whether this week already resembles your future routine.

You are not building your final budget yet. You are collecting data about yourself.