Money saving tips volume #1
The UK and Europe are very expensive. Especially when you have earned Australian dollars, but are spending pounds (curse the exchange rate!). So sporadically I will be posting my tips to save money while journeying in the UK and Europe.
At the moment I am in London, so these tips are probably very London specific.
1. Shop at the supermarket and try not to eat out. Even eating fast food takeaway crap is expensive in London... a large meal at McDonalds costs about $11 Australian dollars, and would McDonalds ever taste good enough to warrant that kind of expense? The supermarkets in the UK are great. The main ones are ASDA, Tesco and Sainsbury's. A couple that are excellent but are a bit pricier are Marks and Spencer and Waitrose. The cool thing about the supermarkets is that they sell lots of food that is ready to eat or easy to prepare for prices much lower than eating out. For example, at a Tesco you can get sandwiches for as little as 99p ($2.40 AU)- they also have salads and wraps. Also often in the UK they charge a service fee or VAT if you dine in, so it is often cheaper to take away food. The supermarkets are great, the food is tasty and much cheaper than dining out. Also, even if you are out sightseeing around the city you can grab lunch from a Tesco express, Sainsbury's local or Marks and Spencer- they are located everywhere, even near the tourist areas. There is a Marks and Spencer at Covent Garden for example, and a Tesco express at Westminster.
2. This one is more for those that are staying in London for a while and need to set up some sort of home while they are here. The tip is to shop in pairs (or more!). Many shops offer 2 for 1 discounts, or if you only need one pillow or one knife and fork it's often cheaper to buy a double pack and split it with someone. Examples of things that can be split up to save money include dining and cutlery sets, pillow packs, stationary packs, packs of coat hangers, saucepan/cookware sets etc. It really can save you a lot of money if you can find a shopping buddy who is looking for similar things to you. This particularly works well for students on exchange or studying abroad, or those coming over for a working holiday.
3. Keep an eye out... internet cafes are also expensive in London, but even though I dissed McDonalds earlier, a Big Mac might be cheap if it means you can also use the free internet kiosks they have at Maccas in many London stores. Some other stores offer free internet too, keep an eye out for signs. Another cheap way to access the internet is a weekly pass, which some internet cafes offer. So if you are staying in a particular area for a while, maybe get an unlimited pass for the local internet cafe for a week, it could save you a lot of money.
4. Travel after 9.30am. Tickets on the tube and some national rail services become significantly cheaper after the morning rush ends at 9.30am. For example, when I went to Windsor on the train, a return ticket purchased before 9.30am would have cost ₤13 but after 9.30am it was only about ₤7.
So there are a few tips... I will post more as I discover them, and if anyone out there has their own suggestions, post them up please!
At the moment I am in London, so these tips are probably very London specific.
1. Shop at the supermarket and try not to eat out. Even eating fast food takeaway crap is expensive in London... a large meal at McDonalds costs about $11 Australian dollars, and would McDonalds ever taste good enough to warrant that kind of expense? The supermarkets in the UK are great. The main ones are ASDA, Tesco and Sainsbury's. A couple that are excellent but are a bit pricier are Marks and Spencer and Waitrose. The cool thing about the supermarkets is that they sell lots of food that is ready to eat or easy to prepare for prices much lower than eating out. For example, at a Tesco you can get sandwiches for as little as 99p ($2.40 AU)- they also have salads and wraps. Also often in the UK they charge a service fee or VAT if you dine in, so it is often cheaper to take away food. The supermarkets are great, the food is tasty and much cheaper than dining out. Also, even if you are out sightseeing around the city you can grab lunch from a Tesco express, Sainsbury's local or Marks and Spencer- they are located everywhere, even near the tourist areas. There is a Marks and Spencer at Covent Garden for example, and a Tesco express at Westminster.
2. This one is more for those that are staying in London for a while and need to set up some sort of home while they are here. The tip is to shop in pairs (or more!). Many shops offer 2 for 1 discounts, or if you only need one pillow or one knife and fork it's often cheaper to buy a double pack and split it with someone. Examples of things that can be split up to save money include dining and cutlery sets, pillow packs, stationary packs, packs of coat hangers, saucepan/cookware sets etc. It really can save you a lot of money if you can find a shopping buddy who is looking for similar things to you. This particularly works well for students on exchange or studying abroad, or those coming over for a working holiday.
3. Keep an eye out... internet cafes are also expensive in London, but even though I dissed McDonalds earlier, a Big Mac might be cheap if it means you can also use the free internet kiosks they have at Maccas in many London stores. Some other stores offer free internet too, keep an eye out for signs. Another cheap way to access the internet is a weekly pass, which some internet cafes offer. So if you are staying in a particular area for a while, maybe get an unlimited pass for the local internet cafe for a week, it could save you a lot of money.
4. Travel after 9.30am. Tickets on the tube and some national rail services become significantly cheaper after the morning rush ends at 9.30am. For example, when I went to Windsor on the train, a return ticket purchased before 9.30am would have cost ₤13 but after 9.30am it was only about ₤7.
So there are a few tips... I will post more as I discover them, and if anyone out there has their own suggestions, post them up please!
posted by Ashlee at 4:41 pm
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