Everyone complains that life in London is expensive but I disagree! Here are some tips if you want to cut your costs
and enjoy yourself while you live at the capital.
Go out as frequently as possibleThere are hundreds of pubs and bars out there and most of them are desperate for clients. Find when they have discounts on drinks and take advantage of that. Do you like gigs? There are tens of free gigs in pubs around London every week; just search for them in Time Out London. Do you like cinema? Do Orange Wednesdays! If you have a mobile phone from Orange, you can get 2 for 1 cinema tickets on Wednesdays. These are valid for any film and any cinema, but remember that cinemas are more expensive in Central London, especially Leicester Square. Eat out with your friends. Avoid expensive restaurants in Central London. Visit the multi-ethnic neighborhoods in Greater London and enjoy the food there. Not only is it much cheaper (starting from 5 pounds for a full meal per person) but it is a lot more original. Be prepared for hot, exotic flavors!
Reduce your billsConsider renting a room in shared house, rather than renting your own flat. Maybe you could also move to a cheaper neighborhood. If you don’t want to live with strangers, why don’t you find a house to live with your friends? When you view a property, do not forget to negotiate the price with the landlord, as landlords are usually desperate to find tenants as soon as possible, although they will not say so! Try to reduce your utility bills. Replace your light bulbs with energy-saving ones and shop around to find the company that provides the cheapest broadband.
Go shopping as frequently as you wantGo for a walk in Oxford Street. Visit Primark for clothes and shoes in really low prices. There are several other shops with good offers, too, especially at the end of a season. You just need to shop around a bit to find them.
Do the shopping for your house wisely. Go to Wilkinson’s for everything that you need around the house; they are really cheap. Do not look down on Poundland or 99p shops either. When it comes to food, go to cheap supermarkets like Tesco and look out for special offers. It is also a great idea to shop locally. Try small foreign shops in your neighborhood, such as Indian shops, that sell food in bulk. Meat in halal shops is usually cheaper than at the butcher’s, although of equally good quality.
Reduce transportation costsIf you want to save money and keep fit, follow the trend and buy a bike. Second-hand bikes are really inexpensive and can save you lots of money. Get the bus instead of the tube and buy a travelcard if you use it a lot; if you are a student, you are entitled to a discount. Do you want to explore new places? See whether you are entitled to a train travelcard and use it to visit cities in the rest of England. Book tickets with Megabus, you can find bus tickets for as little as 1 pound.
The best things in life are for free!There are so many nice places around; just take your friends for a walk along the Thames or go to Hyde Park for a picnic. If you like the arts, you will be surprised with the number of free exhibitions in London. Start with the British Museum and the National Gallery and take it from there. Take every opportunity to socialize; you will meet people from all over the world!
Thanks for reading. If you have more ideas about how we can cut our cost of living in London please share them.
This article was originally published in my website and can be found in this url
http://www.move-to-england.com/hot-topics.html [nofollow] 
