So this week is all about saving money . Something which is
particularly hard in the big expensive world of London. The priciest thing in London is probably the rent and commute. We all have that friend
whose parents had bought their plush Fitzrovia pad in 1901 for £16 and
consequently don’t pay rent, but for the rest of us we are torn between living
in a room that would technically be classified as a cupboard in order to shorten
our commute or spend 11/3 of our working life on a train.
Whilst I can’t help you with rent prices, there are plenty
of other ways to save money in the big smoky urban jungle...
1. Vintage Markets and Boot Fairs – One of my
favourite things to do is spend the afternoon at a London market. I really
recommend following @lemonandgingervintage, they are one of my favourite
vintage stalls and their stuff is proper cheap. On Sunday I bought some second
hand Birkenstocks £1 and a pure silk top for a fiver.You never know what you
might find and hardly anyone is likely to have the same item. Brilliant!
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2. Find out your reduced day- I have them down to a
T. Especially the fancy shops as these do the best bargains. Waitrose food just
for the rich? Never! I know exactly when my M&S and Waitrose reduces,
and though they try to mix it up a few times I am usually bang on the
money and come away with some great bargains. Call me an Ian Beale but I have
done a weeks food shop for £15.
. 3. Reusable cups- I have said it before and I will
say it again reusable cups are the future. Or at least a way to secure the
future. You spend more than you think on coffees and bottles of water. Make a
coffee at home ( can really recommend an Aeropress) and be the smug cat in the
street with your coffee that cost 1/10 of other coffees.
4. Working Lunch- If you spend £5 a day on lunch
you are spending on average £100 a month! Make big batches of food on Sunday
night and put it into Tupperware ready for the week. I normally make a big
curry or chilli or even if you put a baked potato in the oven and heat it up at
work.
5. Get Cultured- Theatre and the arts shouldn’t
just be for the privileged. Most theatres do some sort of cheap scheme if you
are under 30. I go to the National Theatre a lot simply because of Entry Pass
tickets which are £5! I know the Old Vic does something similar and there is
always smaller productions dotted around the city for pretty cheap/ free.
6. Christmas is fast approaching and there are a
few shops with some Sporadic sales. I bought two fun and bright cushions in
Paperchase which were down from £60 to £9. I kid you not. It took all my will
power not to buy them all but put that with a nice homemade candle and that’s a
bloomin great present right there.
8 7. Do you really really want it? We all know that
if it came to needs we really just need food, water and shelter. I am not
asking you to cull your materialism back to quite that extent but think about
it, do you really want that silver dress with dinosaurs on it? If in doubt
sleep on it. If you can’t stop thinking about that dress and you can afford it
without living off mung beans for the next week then I say go for it.
9. Promotional freebies! Take advantage of restaurant openings
and offers Time Out and @SkintLondon are always in the know of offers and sweet
deals.
10. Another man’s treasure… A lot of people these
days put furniture outside their house that they can’t shift. I often see this
as a great opportunity to upcycle. There are lots of ideas on Pinterest if you
get stuck. Reused, upcycled and not ending up on landfill. Make sure you pay it forward
11. Follow me @floraesme I will update you on any fancy
bargains I seem to find on my wanderings.
