“Come risparmiare SOLDI a Londra” 

We all know by now that London is rather expencive, and especially at the beginning it is not easy to save money bacause you don’t know if altenatives exist, don’t know how to find your way around supermarkets, tube etc – SO you tend to just buy stuff and end up spending a lot of money.

Let’s see how you can save some money in this part of the world.

TRAVEL. Take your time and search on the www.tfl.gov.uk web site all the options you can find, try and see all the cheaper ways to use transportation in London. For example: try and check the bus pass to go to work if it is not that far, no need to get a travel card for the tube if you can get a bus. It is a lot cheaper! Also check all the various zone-combinations. Get the right card for what you need.

FOOD SHOPPING: what I love about british supermarkets is that you can find the same products at different prices depending on the brand. You have options. You can choose! Also if you can try to avoid all the small local brunches like Tesco Express or Sainsburys Local, because they sell less products and choice is limited, that means you end up spending more! Visit Aldo or LIDL for good quality and cheaper option.

DONT RENT IN CENTRAL LONDON. Ok so we all love living in central London, but it is really worth it? Personally i dont think so. Prices are crazy high and the quality is still very very poor. Try and find a place in zone 3, which is not too far but you can find better value for money. Thing is of course you need to travel to work then, so be carefull and try to balance out the two things: if you live in zone 4 you pay less for your rent, but you are probably going to spend your savings for you to travel to zone 4 to zone 1. (if you work in zone 1, of course!)

SNACKS. If you are starving and need to have something to eat, try to get a sandwich at a local supermarket instead of going into places like EAT or PRET A MANGER, they are obviously more expensive. And yes, i do have a post on my favorite on the go eat places, but we all are on a budget sometimes, and if I myself need to save some money I will definitely try to avoid those places and find a cheper option.

SAVINGS. Get a savings account. I know you are already struggleing to get to the end of the month and dont need extra money to be taken off you, but you can choose how much will be taken off your current account each month and be deposited straight away into your savings account. You will not be able di withdraw that amount of money with your card, so you will not be tempted to use it, and in no time you might end up with a considerate amount of money that you can use when you need it the most.

GOING OUT. I will never ever write a blog post saying that you should stop going out for dinner or drinks in order to save money. I mean, of course I myself try to live save money but we all need to enjoy ourselves, have a good time and going out, doing the opposite will make us all veru depressed , for sure.

Try to choose carefully the places where you want to go out for dinner. Is it really necessary to go to central London for dinner? There are thousands of very nice and good restaurant even in zone 2, 3 and 4! Prices are not “cheap” of course you are still in London, but in many cases you might see the difference when you ask for the bill.

PRIORITAZE. I know this is a no-brainer but sometimes although we are trying to live on a budget, we kind of forget that some things can wait or that they are not even that essential. Think carefully before buying something.

Any tips on how to save money in London?!