There are a few tips I have learned over the last couple of years that could save you a few pounds if you’re not too proud to go out there and do them. The trick in finding all these tips is to talk to a variety of people whether it be visiting their personal blogs or starting a random conversation in a pub. That is why we always say that you can survive in London despite London being one of the most expensive cities to live in.

When we first arrived in London we had never heard of some of the brands available in the supermarkets, so we had to explore everything to find something that we can relate to or at least enjoy. We are still experimenting as there are tonnes of products out there. One of those cracker deals are the store’s own basics brand chocolate slabs / 100g bars. Cadbury’s normally sell their 100g chocolate bars for around a pound to a pound fifty. Now imagine the same size chocolate bar for around 25p! That is a damn bargain if it tastes exactly the same.

Let me officially introduce you to the basics / smart price brands from the major supermarkets in London. The only reasons why I can see that people do not buy these more often is because these stores do not advertise them at all and that they have shabby looking wrapping. Explore a bit more; you’ll be pleasantly surprised at what you can find in London.

London is known to many as an expensive city but with a bit of inside information, you can really enjoy London for far less than expected. The tourism industry is thriving in London with thousands of tourists flocking to London to see Buckingham Palace or to go onto the London Eye or even to see the famous Westminster Abbey. All these attractions charge a lot of money because they are in demand.

Madam Tussauds is another one of those famous attractions people are willing to queue for two hours just to see a silicon celebrity. London does not have to be that expensive if you don’t want it to be. A lot of stores are always running promotions where you spend £5 or £10, they’ll give you a two for one entry voucher which can be redeemed at many attractions in London. A typical tourist attraction normally cost anything between £7.50 and £15.

You can now stop wasting your money by visiting a few websites that will give you vouchers and promotional codes to enjoy more of London. Days out Guides are one of those websites that works out a daily guide for you which will save you a few pounds. Have you recently spend more than you should have in London?

There is nothing that compares to a trip to IKEA. There are currently three stores across London. They are located in Wembly, Edmonton and Croydon. You will notice that a lot of furniture in house shares are bought from IKEA once you visit IKEA. Why are they bought there? Well the furniture and accessories are cheap and modern and you will be suckered into buying at least something when you browse around.

We have only been to the one in Croydon as we live close by but I am pretty sure that they are all alike and it is like no other experience. There are about three of their own café’s scattered around the store. You start off with a design display of living rooms, lounges, studies, bedrooms, bathrooms and even patio furniture. These are complete sets you can touch and sit on. Loved walking around it but be warned that there is a lot of walking involved. You can skip this whole step and take a shortcut to the Market Hall where you can buy all the accessories you need, anything from backpacks, duvets, pots, candles and plants. Everything you will possibly need is under one roof.

You can always take a break half way and store your trolley and have some wonderful Scandinavian lunch in their food court. Quite cheap as well and their breakfast is quite famous. You can buy their breakfast which includes a sausage, bacon, scrambled eggs, hash browns and a tomato for £0.99, not too bad hey!  

Finally you will reach a massive warehouse where you will need to get the stuff you need yourself from the shelves. That is why you needed to walk through the design display to get the codes and product availability from staff members on the floor. It is all quite easy and they have lots of staff members to help you out if you get stuck along the way. I must warn you that you will spend a lot of cash on things you probably do not need because it is so damn cheap!