Top 10 Money Saving Promotions when living in London

Are you like me and need to save some money? When I moved to London for the summer I traded my two-bedroom, Barcelona apartment for a  tiny studio with triple the rent. Although I can’t say I’ve ever had money to spare…this transition took my bank account to an all new  low. But, HAVE NO FEAR!!!  No matter if you are traveling or creating a home elsewhere there are always ways to spread your money further. Check out 10 great money savors I have found for life in London!

1. Free Drinks

Unwind after a long day with a FREE DRINK!

This may be my FAVORITE discovery of all time!  The Drinki App gives you a free drink EVERY night at participated bars throughout London. All you need to do is check in via Facebook, on the app, and the bartender will give you the drink on offer, absolutely free, no strings attached. Pull up your app and see which bars are available, around you,  and get one free drink a night! Let your coworkers know about the app too and head off for a budget friendly happy hour!

2. Buy Local Products on the Cheap

Get local farm fresh products delivered right to your door

I love the idea of buying local and when money grows on trees, this will become my routine, however for now I am just scrounging up cheap and healthy eats wherever I can find them. But, with this offer you can get some great prices on local products! When you try out Farm Drop they are currently offering 20 pounds off your order of 35! For only 15 pounds I scored 13 items including fresh bread, cheese, yogurt, milk, honey, and lots of booze delivered right to my door! Use code SUMMER or FACEBOOK for this promotion.

3. Cook like a chef

Cook creatively at home for just 3.33 a meal (for 2!)

It’s a no brainer that cooking at home saves you some serious cash, especially if you’re shopping the bargain bins like I often do. Sometimes though, my inner Jamie Oliver is just not being channeled.  I’ve always wanted to try the at home cooking kits that seem to be all the range right now, but thought I could never afford them. When exploring a local cooking trade show, I was introduced to Gousto and given an offer I couldn’t refuse- 25 pounds off my first order. This allowed me to choose 3 recipes with all of the ingredients for two people, delivered to my door, for just 10 pounds.   The meals were cheaper then I could supply buying on my budget friendly grocery trip and delicious.  I even tried to get my frozen-pizza-burning-zero-cooking-skilled-husband in on the fun, which he refused…but maybe next time…

*Just make sure if you don’t want to continue the service you turn off the automatic renewal option after ordering.

Two similar services are Hello Fresh and Simply Cook.

Hello Fresh is also offering 25 pounds off your first box, which will make a box of 3 2 person meals total 15 pounds (5 pounds per 2 person meal)

Simply Cook does not provide the ingredients but gives fun recipes and the spices needed to create them. Four 2-3 person meals  are only 1 pound to try out!

4. Reduce your grocery bill by a 3rd

Get  20 pounds off home delivered groceries when you spend 60 at Sainsbury

When I arrived to London I had to stock my kitchen and there is no better way to do this then shopping online and getting my items delivered. Currently Sainsbury is offering 20 pounds off your grocery purchase of 60 pounds! This is a great deal!  If your grocery trip usually doesn’t add up to this price think about stocking up (your liquor cabinet) or using this offer when buying for a summer BBQ or party. There are several different offers available that can be used up to 6 times.

 5. 50% off your dinner bill

Get BOGO dinners or 50% off your bill with Tastecard

I love going out to dinner, however my pockets always get lighter as my love handles get bulkier. Although I can’t help with the added kilos, this offer will cut the dinner bill in half. Tastecard is currently offering a 3 month trial for just 1 pound. This great little card offers 50% dinning at thousands of restaurants throughout London!

*Just make sure to cancel the card after your trial or it is automatically renewed.

6. Fun at a Fraction!

Use Social Sites to plan your night out at a fraction of the price

If you aren’t  already using Groupon and other social sites then there is no time like the present. Groupon offers great activities, services and dinning at a fraction of the price. I spent my  Friday night dinning through 11 courses of Lebanese food with my hubby complete with a belly dancing show for a total of 12 pounds! If you are a new customer Groupon will give you 10 pounds off your first purchase on top of their already discounted deals.

Other similar sites to plan your night out are Living Social and the Fever app. Use my code: MEGANB226 on Fever for 4 pounds off your first purchase.

7. Get out of the city for a steal

Ride the South West Trains at a reduced summer fair

This summer South West Trains are just 16 pounds return (3 pounds per children) To take advantage of this great fare, you’ll need to buy it by 23:59 the day before travel. You’ll be able to travel on any of their off peak services during the promotional period.

8. Get a free Taxi Ride

Get your first Uber Ride free or try Uberpool for 40% off

Uber is still all the rage, and if you haven’t tried it out yet you can get your first ride for 10 pounds off with my promo code: meganb12342ue. Once you have the app you can also take advantage of their regular promotions as well as Uberpool which has you carpool on your taxi journey and can save you 40%!

9. Free Dry Cleaning

Refresh those funky smelling suites with delivered-to-your-door dry cleaning

Dry cleaning is just one of those things that I HATE spending money on. But with laundrapp you can get your dry cleaning delivered to your door for free the first time you try it. Enter code save 10 and get 10 pounds off your first service. That will get you a free suite, 5 shirts or dress dry cleaned for absolutely free!

10. Discounts on almost EVERYTHING

Search of a promo code on whatever you buy and save!

If you are buying online make sure to see if there is a promotion available! From free toilet paper to 20% off your new suite jacket, there may quite possibly be a promotion for that. Check out sites like Hot UK Deals for the most up to date promotions and start saving.