How to save money in Brussels?

I%26#39;m going to move to Brussels for a traineeship at the European Commission (october 2008 - february 2009) and money is my #1 concern. How can I save some Euros? What are the best places to go shopping? Are there any affordable restaurants in the area of Evere and Schaerbeek?

Berlin is also said to be an expensive city, but I used to eat at the Turkish stands, which were pretty cheap - is there a similar option in Brussels?

Thanks in advance for your help! :)

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See: ivillage.co.uk/travel/…00.html

The mentioned %26quot;rue du Marché aux Fromages%26quot; is also known as %26quot;pitta street%26quot;, and part of Schaerbeek is a Turkish area, there are plenty of Turkish restaurants etc. in Chaussée de Haecht (my favourite is Kargin) but probably every area has a pitta place and/or friterie: the most famous of these is Maison Antoine in Place Jourdan, about 10 minutes%26#39; walk from Schuman, and there%26#39;s one in Place Flagey (which is also a Portuguese area, if you are interested; although there is another in St. Gilles).

For shopping, you may be interested in the Dod fashion shops that sell ends of lines, unlabelled stock: there%26#39;s a cluster in the part of ch. de Louvain that does downhill from Madou metro station, and another in the rather more upmarket rue du Bailli off Avenue Louise in Ixelles (different ones specialise in men, women, children). Off rue du Bailli there is also a great bargain shoe shop, %26quot;Chez Degriff%26quot; in rue Simonis.

For household items, there%26#39;s a chain called Stockline, you will find one in the Galerie du Cinquantenaire at Mérode.

For hairdressing, try one of the academies run by the chains, again there is one near Mérode although I forget which one it is (I think, Dachkin): in Avenue des Celtes, just downhill from the metro station.

I%26#39;m sure other stagiaires will point you in the right direction: they have a website you can only access from inside the Institutions, and one you can also access from outside: www.voy.com/53105/

Look also on www.xpats.com, especially the Q%26amp;A as this is explicitly aimed at foreigners living in Brussels and not just coming as tourists.

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Gaminari, you deserve an Oscar, the Pulitzer and the Nobel Prize. This is wonderful, thank you so much!

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