London Life: How To Survive On A Budget

Living in London tips and hacks for a tight budget 1. Choosing an affordable location Location is a key component to working out your cost of living in London. If you choose to live in the Centre, there's every chance that you'll be able to walk to work and save money on transport costs. On the other hand, living in Central London is obviously going to be more expensive due to it's convenience, so you may want to consider living much further out of London. Be sure to weigh up these two options carefully and work out which would be more affordable for your budget. Shared accomodation Property Guardian Schemes Choosing affordable living arrangements is a vital consideration when trying to stretch your money out. If you feel that being a property guardian isn't for you, then you'll need to take a more conventional approach to affordable living and move into shared accommodation. Depending on your situation, you might want to think about becoming a property guardian where huge buildings are put under the watchful eye of a property guardian (you) for a minimal amount of rent. You'll often find that smaller house-shares, maybe with 2 or 3 people are more expensive than larger house-shares with 6 or 7 people. Even though queues for the bathroom may become an issue, the more people there are to share bills with, the better. 2. Eating Well Food Shop Online Weekly Meal Plan Freeze Leftovers It's wise to get your food shopping delivered once a week - get everything you need so you aren't tempted to buy extras each day. Making a meal plan ensures that you use only the food you need to, this decreases the chances of wasting food. Store ingrediants or leftovers and use them the following day or when appropriate. Either that or throw them away! Eat out for a treat Buy in Bulk Avoid Supermarkets It's fine to eat out once in a while, but don't make a habit of it. Also, keep an eye out for deals! If you drive, then you should think about buying larger sizes of products that will last for a while, saving you money in the long run Try to only do your weekly shop, if you décide not to shop online, this way you're less likely to buy things you don't need. 3 Dont waste money on travel oyster Transport in London can be expensive, but there are ways to save money. First and foremost, it's really important that you get yourself an Oyster card as you'll save money on individual journeys rather than buying Single or return tickets. Transport for London 16 - 25 Railcard 16-25 Railcard It may seem unthinkable when you first arrive in London and you're having the experience of a life-time, but eventually you'll probably want to visit other areas of the UK - either to visit friends and family back home. If you're aged between 16 and 25 , then you'll need to purchase a 16-25 railcard and save 1/3 off train travel. Avoid taking cabs If this isn't an appropriate way for you to get home and you really require a cab, always make sure you text CAB' to 60835 which will send you the numbers of 1 taxi and 2 licensed minicab firms in the local area that you're texting from. Never be tempted to use a mini cab that offers you the "best price" as their have been many cases whereby the vehicle isn't legally a taxi at all. 16 - 25 Railcard It may seem unthinkable when you first arrive in London and you're having the experience of a life-time, but eventually you'll probably want to visit other areas of the UK - either to visit friends and family back home. If you're aged between 16 and 25 , then you'll need to purchase a 16-25 railcard and save 1/3 off train travel. 4. Cheap things to do The entertainment that London has offer is phenomenal. Whilst some activities can be quite pricey, it's unlikely that you'll run out of cheap or completely FREE things to do in London. Free Museums Discount Theatre Tickets Free Audience Tickets - British Library - British Museum, - National Gallery - Natural History Museum - National Portrait Gallery - Science Museum - Tate Modern - The Tate Britain - The Victoria and Albert Museum - Bank of London Museum - Imperial War Museum - Museum of London - National Maritime Museum - Sir John Soane's Museum. If you're an avid theatre-goer then London is the place to be. Whether it's musicals, fringe theatre or Shakespeare that you're into, the best productions in the world are put on in the West- End. If you'd like the chance to watch some of your favourite TV shows being filmed, then the good news is that free tickets are often available for audience members. Free tickets to shows like Jonathan Ross, Live at the Apollo and many quiz shows are often available through sites such as the BBC and also TVrecordings.com. For amazing theatre discounts and theatre/dining packages, visit LondonTheatreDirect. Unlimited Sightseeing If you're not only new to London, but have never really done the sightseeing attractions on previous visits to the capital, then you've picked a pretty exciting time to be arriving in town. Always remember that walking around and taking in the beautiful surroundings doesn't cost a penny! Visual by- GLOBAL GUARDIANS Property Guardians in London Source: http://www.moove2london.co.uk/affordable-london