Surviving in London without watching your bank balance plummet can feel like an impossible task and it gets even trickier when you’re trying to meet up with friends or build new connections.
At The Great Friendship Project, we make a conscious effort to host as many affordable or free activities as possible, ensuring everyone can take part. Still, the hidden costs of travel, eating out, or even grabbing a drink can quickly add up.
That’s why we’ve put together a set of practical tips to help you save money while socialising in London so you can enjoy the city to its fullest without breaking the bank.
Travel smarter, spend less
One of the most expensive parts of going to an event in London is usually getting there and our oyster cards seem to be draining our banks of every penny. But what if we told you you could slash a third off your travel costs?
By linking a Railcard to your Oyster you get 33% off off-peak fares and at weekends, making it far cheaper to get across the city and when meeting friends. If you’re under 30, a 16-25 or 26-30 Railcard pays for itself in just a few journeys.
You can also purchase a Two Together Railcard for two people which gives you a third off rail fares when you travel together.
Uber also offers a valuable alternative to train travel compared to Trainline, with no booking fees and the chance to get 10% back in credits to be used on future train bookings, Uber Rides or Uber Eats orders.
And if trains aren’t your style then cycling around London can be incredibly cheap, with Santander bikes offering a day pass for just £3 with unlimited 30-minute rides for 24 hours. Hopping on a Forest bike also offers a great deal costing just £1 to unlock and the first 10 minutes for free each day.
Stretch your Dining Budget
It’s a shame that eat-out-to-help-out never became a permanent fixture but saving money on food and drink is still possible. Plenty of restaurants and bars across London run offers to get new customers through the door.
For your culinary needs you could download First Table for discounted early dining, Tastecard for 2-for-1 meals or Soft Launch London to get 50% off food at new restaurant openings.
If you’d rather have a quiet drink then you could subscribe to the Coffee Club where you pay a small monthly fee for 25% discounted coffee, or download Dusk for a free drink every night.
For more of a fun way to earn free drinks you could download El Tab. It is a digital bar tab app where each night it puts a tab of £750-1,500 behind the bar of multiple venues in central London which are revealed at 6pm, and if you arrive while the tab is still open you get four free drinks. Although it costs £24.99 a month, users have said they’ve saved hundreds of pounds on the app and you can try it for a week for just £1 with the code THIRSTY.
If you can’t find what you want on those apps then bear in mind that many pubs and venues offer free drinks or small plates for downloading their apps such as Greene King, Mixr or Nicholsons, or by signing up to newsletters so it’s worth checking before you go out.
But remember, not every social gathering needs to be in a pub or restaurant. Hosting at home can save a huge amount, and delivery deals make it even cheaper. Services like Amazon Prime often give regular restaurant discounts through Deliveroo or Uber Eats, making a night in with friends both affordable and fun.
Look out for free events and discount apps
It can always be difficult to come up with plans that don’t involve paying for food, drinks or events, but platforms like Eventbrite and TimeOut are filled with listings of free events across the city. You can filter for “free” events and you’ll find countless opportunities to socialise without spending a penny, from gallery openings to outdoor film screenings.
TimeOut also has an “offers” section on its website which regularly posts exclusive deals on everything from activities to meals. Using this section or websites like Groupon, Cheapskate London can be especially handy if you’re planning a group outing and want to try something different without overspending.
You can also download reward apps such as Paace, Sweatcoin and BetterPoints which give you different daily step goals or active commuting goals for you to earn rewards such as discounted food and drinks or vouchers to use on sites like Amazon or Argos.
How can The Great Friendship Project help?
London doesn’t have to drain your wallet every time you want to connect with people. With the right apps, discounts, and a little planning, you can enjoy everything from meals out to unique events at a fraction of the usual price.
At The Great Friendship Project we try and provide as much for the community as possible, and often hosts free or low cost events such as social walks, board game nights or even pub quizzes where you can utilise your new discounted pub apps.
At the end of the day, building friendships isn’t about how much you spend, it’s about the time, laughter, and shared experiences.
