Cheap family accommodation in Paris

The family (2 adults, 2 boys) will be flying out of Paris mid Jan 08 and want to spend 2-3 nights there before we go. What would be the best (and cheapest) accommodation options. Are youth hostels generally the best way to go? Would we need to book in advance and if so how far at that time of year?

All advice greatly appreciated.

Cheers

I found that when travelling there two years ago with my daughter it was cheaper to get a hotel room than two hostel beds. The hotel we stayed at was clean and reasonable. I have included a link to its webpage Hotel Sainte Marie

try the novotels.The kids stay for free and the room rate is reasonable.

Try this Paris Travel Guide it has links for cheap/good accommodation