Phone Calls

• TeleDiscount: international calls charged at local rate: telediscount.co.uk. Everything you need to know is there. You select the country you want to call and the rate for that county is displayed – even telling you the rates for either a call to a landline or a mobile phone. Basically you just dial an access number and you will be prompted when to dial your destination number. Check it out and save!!
• Cheap international calling cards are best used from a landline, if available
• Expensive to ring UK mobiles from the US, much cheaper to call landlines
• Get same network as your friends, calling ‘network-to-network’ is cheaper
• Top-up cards in higher denominations offer better value with most networks
• Learn to TEXT! Much cheaper than placing calls!

Vouchers & Coupons

• www.moneysavingexpert.com is a website that publishes current 2-4-1 offers and discount coupons. You just print them out and use 'em.
  

• Normal rate is £1 per hour. If you are paying more, know there is a better bargain out there. Although, it is difficult to find that rate in central London and around Faraday House.
• EasyEverything is always a reliable place.

Money Matters

• American Express or a Post Office is best for changing money – avoid the little tourist shops and change booths that will most likely rip you off
• The best exchange rate is usually on ATM and credit cards transactions
• Check with your bank to see if you are charged for international ATM transactions, if you are, take out more money less frequently

Eating out

• Scream – pub chain frequented by students, with great prices and cheap nights. Even better value if you purchase a £1 yellow discount card. Two locations in central London: 108A Tottenham Court W1T 5AA & 120 Euston Road NW1 2AL
• ULU – the University of London Union subsidized their cafe so decent prices and a good opportunity to mingle with British students
• Wetherspoons – another popular pub chain with cheap 2-4-1 meal deals
  

General Top Tips

• Free Stuff: Check out the SULP website for links to loads of websites offering money-off vouchers for everything from shampoo to groceries (even if you just check out one, freestuffjunction.com, you’ll be doing yourself a favour!)
• Time Out: Get the weekly listings magazine, Time Out. Not only will this give you listings of events happening in London, including free events such as clubs, gigs and comedy nights, but it often has vouchers for 2 for 1 travel deals, exhibition entrances, restaurant meals and so on.
• Time Out will also give you the low-down on cheap days out, but it is certainly worth pointing out that you are now in a capital city that affords you FREE access to all major museums.
• SULP Field Trips: On the subject of cheap days out, DO take advantage of our Field Trips! The feedback on these has been excellent – as part of your program you get to go to a wide variety of places and all you have to fork out is a deposit that you get back when you show up!
• Use your ISIC card! Whenever you eat out or go to any event anywhere, make sure you ask them if they do ISIC discounts. Most places do not advertise them because, of course, they don’t make so much money on discounts! (one example: 10% discount on total purchase with your Student ISIC card)
• Also DO use your Student Travelcard for London Underground. Not only do you get a whopping one-third discount off London Travelcards, you can also use your travelcard to get discounts in London Riverboats.
• Clothing: Try and get yourself away from the American-style clothing stores in the West End. The best place for American style stores is America. You are in England. Get out to Zone 2 and go to a Primark. You will get good gear, and you will get it for a fraction of the price. Ditto MARKETS!!! And I don’t mean the trendy street markets in the west end that sell second-hand clothes and call them vintage. I mean the ones a bit further out Zone 2 like Brixton and East Street in South London, or Roman Road, Dalston Junction and Walthamstow in East London. (Queen’s Crescent and Inverness Street in Camden Town). Clothes. One word: PRIMARK
• Markets, markets, markets!!! Street markets that sell clothes generally sell food and household goods as well. There are some that really specialise in fresh produce though, such as Borough market which we are going to do a walking tour of, and near here there is BERWICK STREET market just off Oxford Street. MY TOP TIP to you with both MARKETS and SUPERMARKETS is to do your shopping as late in the day as possible. That way you get to take advantage of all the discounts on offer. In markets you can get whole bowls of fruit or veg. for a pound and in supermarkets you can really get some great deals: packets of pastries and cakes at knock-down prices and slightly damaged detergents.

Housewares

• Argos: catalog shopping. Go to an Argos store and pick up their catalog (High St. Kensington location, Oxford Street location – two examples of locations you might find convenient)
  • Make some tea, sit down with your flatmates and go through the catalog
  • Go back to Argos and place your order (it’s an electronic process in the store)
  • Lots of stuff? Bulky items? Won’t be that pricey if you share a cab ride home with your flatmates to get things easily to your new place
  • You can now order on-line and have items delivered!Asda = Walmart: Look for your local store using your postcode

• Tesco: You’ll need a big Tesco. Not a “Tesco Metro” or a Tesco Express” to get houseware/clothing selection
• Don’t forget about the Markets! There’s Portobello Road, Spitalfields Market, Borough Market...

Saving Money on Food Shopping

• Large supermarkets give much better value than convenience stores
• Perishable foodstuffs such as bakery and veg. items are reduced in the evening so try shopping after 8 p.m. Look out for bags of rolls and pastries, speciality bread reduced, ready meals nearing sell-by date, rotisserie chicken, hot cooked food...
• Investigate loyalty cards: Tesco cards, Boots cards etc.
• Make friends with a stallholder if you shop in the market. You may get extra produce thrown in!
• When eating out, look for ‘BYO’ – bring your own deals. Even if you eat out cheaply, it’s the drinks that push up the price.
• Try eating Thai, Chinese or Indian. Generally cheaper. Some great hot food stalls in the markets, Camden, Borough, Spitalfields etc.
• Try Belgo or Bierodrome, cool Belgian restaurant with a Beat the Clock deal running Monday–Friday with different eligible times at the different locations. You order at 6:10 – you pay £6:10. Eat early! Check thier website for details
• Try the Hare Krishna restaurant in Soho Square – hot midday meal for around £3
• Look out for all you can eat buffets
• Look out for 2 for 1 deals in Wagamama
• Check out www.toptable.co.uk for great special offers in some very fine restaurants. Both set price deals and 50% offers, depending on what’s on offer.
• Join ULU and use the student café and pubs

Cheap Tickets – Theatre Tips

• There is no need to ever pay full price (in excess of £50) for a ticket!
• In London, almost every theatre has discounts for students, called their “student concession”. Every box office has its own policy with slightly different rules, so you have to inquire at the box office for each show. Plan on spending £7.50 to £20.00 for a West-End ticket, some box offices offer their student concession “day seats” on the day of the performance at 10 a.m., some two hours before, others one hour or 45 minutes prior to the curtain
• Standing Room is a great way to see theatre cheaply. The Globe Theatre has a fantastic season of shows (mainly Shakespeare) and ‘groundlings’ stand for £5. The Royal National Theatre & the Donmar Warehouse have standing for £6 but only when the show is sold out. The best bargain in London is the Royal Court’s standing Room at 10p – day of the show only
• If you don’t feel like standing, the Royal Court does all tickets £7.50 on Mondays, and you’ll generally find better bargains if you can go to the Theatre Monday – Thursday as opposed to the weekend
• The National Theatre in addition to having a £10 season (book early, they go fast), each performance also has a number of day seats held for sale at 10 a.m. on the day of the show. Watch out though, if the show is really popular, sometimes people will line up for hours
• The Donmar Warehouse also releases seats at 10 a.m. day of the show
• The half-price ticket booth in Leicester Square is okay, but make sure you go to the official one in middle of the square, not one of the sketchy ones on the outskirts of the square. Generally you can get cheaper tickets and better seats by a student concession at the box office.
• Don’t book through ticket agencies (i.e. Ticketmaster) and pay their ridiculous transaction fees – better to go directly through the box office.
• Surprisingly, the box office person has a lot of power, it always helps to be incredibly nice to them, and let them know that you’re dying to see their play, but don’t have a lot of money – and occasionally they’ll pull some strings
• Read Time Out for special theatre deals. Check out what the fringe theatres and drama schools are doing around town – they’re often really cheap or free and often put on fantastic shows.