Tips and tricks for making London more affordable...

Isabel Sachs is a D&AD and Lovie Award-winning entrepreneur, public speaker and strategist, named one of Startups Magazine's 21 most influential women in business. She's the founder of I LIKE NETWORKING, the award-winning platform which has mentored 1,000+ people to date. Isabel is Brazilian, has lived in just about every corner of London and is completely obsessed with the city.

East Ham-based Ellen C Scott is a freelance writer, editor and work expert. Through her book and newsletter, Working On Purpose, she specialises in helping people work in a happier, healthier way.

Katie O’Malley is a freelance journalist, broadcaster and content strategist, and the former Digital Director of ELLE UK. She is also the founder of A Long Way To Go, a community dedicated to empowering pregnant and postpartum women.

Free screenings, mystery films and tickets from £3: this is the ultimate guide to watching great films in London without breaking the bank.

Ahead of International Women’s Day 2026, our readers share the women-led small businesses they genuinely love, from neighbourhood cafés to community gyms.

Looking to explore the capital’s brilliant galleries and museums without battling weekend crowds or paying extortionate ticket prices? Here’s our guide.

Clementine Scott is a journalist from London. As well as being one of the writers behind Cheapskate, she also reviews theatre and opera on a regular basis. She’s thrilled to share her passion for the arts with Cheapskate readers.

Holly is the founder and editor of Capsule, a newsletter-first media brand documenting fashion, pop culture, and the internet. She's also a creative strategist at The News Movement. She previously co-founded The Know, a media company focused on helping young women have a healthier relationship with the news.

Alex has worked in the fashion industry for 20 years and set up the popular blog The Frugality in 2012. She now works solely on her social channels and her newsletter, THE R.U.E.

East London-based Belle is an Australian content creator who traded life in a regional town not far from Melbourne for a London adventure two years ago. With her camera in hand, Belle captures the everyday moments, often romanticising her London life along the way.

Walthamstow-based Bhakti is the founder of Money Brunch, a community for women to learn what they don’t know about money - and take action to become more financially secure. She works in tech, is passionate about connecting people and loves being in bed by 10pm

Earlsfield-based Rebecca James is the co-founder and managing director of London Feminist Book Club, an inclusive book club which currently operates in North and South London.

Hackney-based Elizabeth Okoh is a British-Nigerian author and photographer with a degree in psychology and sociology from the University of Sussex.

Tyler Williams Green is a brand consultant and the CEO and founder of The Outrunners, which evolved from being a Hackney-based community running group to a registered charity working across East London.

Jess Alavi-Ellis is a broadcast journalist, designer and creative with a passion for vintage and eclectic playful design.

Hornsey-based Amos Schonfield is the founder and CEO of Our Second Home, the UK’s youth movement for refugees and migrants, and a Jewish social justice activist.

Stockwell-based Marie Le Conte is a French-Moroccan journalist and author. She has been living in London for 13 years.

Francesca Specter is the writer of The Shoulds newsletter, author of Alonement and host of an award-nominated podcast of the same name.

Sydney-born Saff Williams, a Maida Vale resident and art enthusiast, is the curatorial director at Brookfield Properties.

Personal development expert Alice ter Haar is the founder of Badass Unicorn, a personal development consultancy that helps individuals to thrive through greater self-awareness.

Maddy Duxbury is a freelance PR consultant and runs a community marketing platform to promote her local neighbourhood, East Croydon.

Content creator Olivia Jackson, AKA Clothes My Boyfriend Hates, is an Islington-based marketing professional and accidental influencer. Here, she shares her favourite things to do for free in the capital.

Dalston-based Helena, co-host of the investigative journalism Media Storm podcast, shares her favourite cheap eats, hatred of the Circle line and communities to support which are working to make London a better, safer place for all.

The River Lea flows through the heart of East London and is home to the Olympic Stadium, al fresco dining and kayaks for hire. But when planning a river walk, it can be hard to know where to begin. Freelance writer Tink Blauth-Muszkowski is here to help

Rose Wardle is an actress, currently based in Hackney Wick. Here, she explores her favourite free places to visit in the city, her go-to spots for cheap, delicious food and what she's most looking forward to checking out this autumn and winter.

Islington-based Olly Hiscocks is the 29-year-old founder of the popular snacks brand Olly's. Olly's snacks include olives, pretzels and nuts and the brand is stocked all across London, including in Sainsbury's and Tesco. Here, Olly shares his favourite things about the city he calls home.

Courtney Bembridge is a TV journalist covering world news for the BBC. She hails from the sun-baked state of Western Australia – and moved to London in 2017. De Beauvoir-based Courtney has spent the pandemic rediscovering the things she loves about her adopted city, from lidos to markets.

Balham-based Katie Strick is a feature writer and commissioning editor at the Evening Standard newspaper. Here, she shares her go-to places for cheap food in London, her most memorable journalistic assignments and her biggest misconception about living in the city.

Swiss Cottage might not be the sexist area of London - but there's still a lot going on. Here, journalist, comedy writer and Swiss Cottage local Suchandrika Chakrabarti shares her tips for maximising NW3.

Camberwell-based Jonathan Nunn is a food writer contributing mainly to Eater London and The Guardian. He is also the editor of Vittles, the weekly food newsletter “for people who normally hate food writing”, which seeks to diversify both food writing and the industry itself.

Holloway-based Tiffany Philippou is a writer, soon-to-be author and the co-host of the popular 'Is This Working?' podcast, where she explores money, careers and success. Tiffany is also a coach and consultant who works with creators, solopreneurs and entrepreneurs who want to change the world.

Pop Brixton-based start-up reboxed is on a mission to rehome 100 million electronic devices by 2030. Phil Kemish, co-founder of reboxed, explains how we can use tech to avoid the vicious cycle of buy-upgrade-bin, which generates a shocking 50 million tonnes of e-waste every year.

North Londoner Saasha Celestial-One is the co-founder and COO of OLIO, the free app which harnesses the power of mobile technology and the sharing economy to provide a revolutionary solution to the problem of food waste. Here she shares her top tips for getting the most out of London for free.

Jess is a relatively new Londoner, living south of the river in Brixton. She writes for local south London publications and is the founder of In Pursuit, a newsletter which focuses on creative career success stories. Here, Jess shares her insight into south London's best free offerings.

Zoe Paskett is an arts and LGBTQ+ journalist who co-runs LMAOnaise, a weekly newsletter recommending comedy shows, from stand-up to sketch to the wonderfully alternative. Here, Zoe shares her top places to see comedy for free in London and the acts we should be watching out for.

Bromley-based Suyin Haynes is a reporter for TIME magazine and co-runs a small business with her mum, Linda. The pair hand-make natural bath and body products which they sell through Etsy and at markets. Read on for Suyin's guide to south London, her top small businesses and more.

Harriet Marsden is a native Londoner, author and freelance journalist writing for publications including The Times, The Independent and Foreign Policy. Here, she shares her top London 'hacks', from avoiding the crowd at King's Cross to getting Shard-esque views... without paying a penny.

The economic impact of the pandemic has meant that many people are now learning to live on a tight budget for the first time. Here, Jess and Alice (of savvy-saving Instagram account the Fru-gals) share their top tips for making the most of every pound, from virtual car boot sales to budgeting basics.

Sonia and Vishnu are the couple behind the mouthwatering Instagram page Transatlantic Foodies, where they share delicious looking meals from around the world, recipe tips and trustworthy restaurant reviews. Read on for their top London cheap eats, favourite small businesses and more.

Wing Hoang is an accountant by day and a successful food influencer by night, sharing delicious restaurant and home-cooked meals on her popular Instagram page, Feed.Wing. Here, she shares her favourite place to eat for cheap in the city, tips for 'hacking' the London underground and more.

Melissa Murdock is the co-host of 'The Imposters Club' podcast and a senior programme manager at the Roundhouse, the iconic Chalk Farm venue. She shares her favourite cheap eats, her disastrous Mile End rental experience and her tips for sweet talking your way to a free Pret coffee.

Rohini Bajekal is a nutritionist who's passionate about making plant-based foods more accessible to people. Here, she shares her favourite affordable vegan London restaurants and tips for the perfect no-spend day in the city, as well as her ultimate London rip off.

James Barr is a comedian, Hits Radio breakfast presenter and the co-host of the award-winning LGBTQ+ podcast 'A Gay and A NonGay' . Here, he shares his top London 'hacks', including his favourite local pizza place, the best spots to take a nap and his tips for getting a free Pret coffee.

Amelia Tait is a London-based freelance features journalist writing about technology and digital culture for publications including the New Statesman, The Guardian, New York Times, Wired and Vice. Here, she shares some of her top London 'hacks', from cheap eats to no-spend days in the city.

For Loneliness Awareness Week 2020, we partnered with Thrive LDN, the Mayor of London-based mental health movement. Below is a repost of a guest post we contributed to Thrive LDN's website, listing the week's best free events for people to take part in from home.