How To Travel London On A Budget – London’s accommodation and leisure facilities rank very high on the global price charts, no one disputes that. So how can we live a short life (or a very long holiday, as they call it, slow travel) in a beautiful and desirable area outside London, by tube, on a very modest salary? A look at cheap slow travel in London and the real costs in one of the most expensive cities for nomads
I often say that we don’t travel as locals, but this time as very smart locals.
How To Travel London On A Budget
When we applied to rent our apartment for 6 months, the owner did not believe we could afford it, our income seemed too low to him. He had to meet James to confirm we were different from regular renters. In his world, our income only covers daily expenses, we need extra money to pay the rent.
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Anyway, he was wrong, we were right, we live well and have fun with what seems like an impossible ratio of rent to income.
So how do we do it, how do we do what seems impossible for many families, live on one paycheck, enjoy life, see the sights and still save?
We left London in 2007 because we thought it was unsustainable and wanted to be a full-time mother. We fled to the other side of the world to make it easier. But we have changed, we are not so needy, we can do it now and spend a long time in our favorite city on one paycheck and save for the next trip.
You can read the original posts I wrote about how we lived frugally for over a year to save for the trip and get this ball rolling (I was pretty normal back then). Simple frugal living, if you will, is not so important now, it has become our normal standard, and we love it.
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We needed a base that we enjoyed spending time in and within walking distance of shops, amenities and outdoor space.
We were willing to pay a little more to tick all our boxes, we ended up with £1,350 per month. Plus bills. That’s much, much more than paying the mortgage. It’s also more than you’d pay to stay in a cheap hotel in London (including bills). We think it’s a better deal than a vacation with bills and internet included for the price. little, but we fell in love with this apartment when we saw it.
By comparison, the cheapest Airbnb we had in London was more expensive on a nearby street, but there are some AirBnb deals in London.
For this price we have a 1 bedroom furnished apartment, everything new and fresh, a nice kitchen and bathroom and windows that open every morning with a song in my heart as I look out over the park behind the trees. Staying in this apartment makes me happy.
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If you are interested, we have full posts on accommodation in Twickenham and Richmond, London. They are our favorite holiday destinations.
It has 1 bedroom. We have a double bed and purchased a double futon for the living/dining room. It’s more than enough room for us and the location is great.
You don’t have to buy stuff, we can’t pack it up and take it with us, but we need a few basic things to set up a base here.
Bedding: We have purchased bedding that we can take with us and use on our trip. We had a down bag, added a fleece blanket, so far we are warm, but we will need more as winter approaches. A futon cost £100, sheets, pillows and pillow cases set us back £30.
How To Visit London On The Cheap
Kitchen: We bought 4 bowls, 2 cups, 3 pans, 4 glasses and cutlery for 48 pounds, that’s all we needed. We had a sharp chef’s knife and a bottle/can opener in our Swiss Army knives. I had plastic lunch boxes and the lid of one was my cutting board.
Other: I bought a small TV for £100, a present for us, I’m tired of sitting at the laptop to watch something. We bought children’s books and toys, second-hand, but we mainly use the library. Some clothes needed to be replaced and refurbished, our belongings are worn out and the children are growing. Rain boots for the boys were needed for the Forest School and I found some nice boots for £3 each. Forest school is expensive, but the children get so much out of it, so I’m happy to pay. We also stock a number of school style workbooks which are well priced here, usually under £5 and have a huge selection. Cheaper than Australia, less variety than Sri Lanka, they had great books in English.
We are walking! We don’t need a car here at all. Public transport in London is fantastic and most of what we need is within walking distance. My crazy Iron Man husband runs home from work 9 miles most days to save a few bucks on train tickets. He discovers that taking the bus halfway through work is cheaper than the subway, so he does. It monitors the payments on our Oyster cards like a hawk, and if it finds an error requiring a refund, it always hunts it down. He considers saving a pound here, he puts on his new running shoes.
Kids get on the metro and buses for free after 9:30pm, so here we go. I limit our big days in London to one or two a week to get the most bang for our buck.
Budget Travel London The Budget Friendly Way Whereizmyboardingpass
Large supermarkets are impossible without a car, so we shop every day. I can have a major shop deliver to my house if needed for just £1. I did it once to collect detergent, bleach, toilet roll, all the big heavy stuff. Since then I have not felt the need.
A full day of riding in London for the kids and me costs just over £7 which is limited.
We have a TV but no TV license. This is a very legal option if you don’t watch TV while streaming. We don’t, we use BBC i viewing, Netflix (free with 1 month trial), You Tube and anything else we can find. Subscribing to satellite TV is something we never wanted or needed.
We rarely eat or drink in London. I hate cooking with a passion, but eating out in this city is a fast track to financial ruin. I’m saving it for Asia!
How To Enjoy London On A Budget
We don’t go to the cinema, we don’t go to the cinema. Our entertainment is mostly with the kids, but we did pop into a local pub to enjoy a few pints in the beer garden. It’s a British summer treat now worth paying for.
We have press passes at all the major attractions we go to, which is a huge benefit if you’re a serious blogger. We wouldn’t be able to afford them otherwise.
We usually cut our own hair but in London we feel quite messy so we all had a professional haircut recently (£30 for me which is really cheap, £8 for the kids)
We walk without non-functioning shoes. I’m wearing my hiking boots, they’re on their last legs, but they’ll have to see me through next year.
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Pleasure. It’s easy to have fun without money. We cross the road to the park, walk, play, kick a ball, it’s easy to have fun with kids everywhere.
To dawn. We go to London 1 or 2 days a week. It shouldn’t cost more than £7.50 for endless tube and bus transfers (from 5 zones) but we always buy coffee and food and I wouldn’t have enjoyed the day as much if we hadn’t.
Wine, yes I still like my wine, it’s really cheap, cheaper than in Australia, I’ve found good ones in supermarkets for around £5. Compare that to over £10 for a cider and 2 juices in the pub and you’ll understand why we don’t go out much.
Whether it’s clothing, homeware or food, there are always bargains to be had in and around London. We found a lightweight fleece for my son in a very fancy shop for 99p. I found a good quality new pair of jeans at a thrift store for £10. I always look at thrift stores, the more affluent the area the better the quality.
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It’s good to buy in bulk online for 2-for-3 grocery shopping, or end of the day shopping in the endless supermarkets, small and large, that can be found everywhere.