London for CheapSpend less. Do more.

Editor

Denis

I am the editor and creator of London for Cheap. I have lived in London for around 15 years, and I built the site around a fairly simple idea: London is expensive enough already, so finding the useful, affordable parts of it should not be difficult.

London and me

I am French, and I came to London the way a lot of people do: from somewhere else, quickly learning how fast money disappears here. Around 15 years later, it is home, and I have spent those years exploring it as somewhere to live rather than a list of sights.

That means I have seen the city from both sides: as someone arriving and working it all out, and as someone who lives here and wants something good to do on a Saturday without spending half the week’s budget. That is why London for Cheap is written for visitors and for people who live here.

Editorial and technology

Why I build the tools

I work as a creative web developer. My development work has included digital editorial and storytelling projects for international news organisations for more than eight years, which is where I learned how much the format of information changes how useful it is.

Sometimes the best answer is not another 1,500-word article. If you need to find a free museum near where you are, build a cheap day, check when Tower Bridge lifts or work out when the Changing of the Guard actually happens, a well-made tool gets you there faster than any amount of reading.

So London for Cheap mixes the two. I research and write the guides, and where the information is better used than read, I design and build a free tool for it.

Write the guide when words help. Build the tool when it helps more.

What I check

I research practical London information, test tools and offers where possible, and check dates, prices, eligibility and catches against primary sources before publication. Official organisers, operators and providers come before anyone else’s summary of them.

Event details and limited-time promotions can change, so every relevant guide also points readers to the provider or organiser for a final check. Where practical, tools and guides are updated as the information behind them changes. I will not always catch a change the moment it happens, which is why corrections from readers are genuinely welcome.

What I look for

I am not hunting for the cheapest possible thing. A free event that is not worth the journey is still a wasted afternoon. What interests me is:

  • Things that are useful. Information that helps someone make a decision, not just fills a page.
  • Good value. Affordable compared with what London normally charges for the same thing.
  • Free when free is worth it. The museums, views and events you would happily recommend to a friend.
  • Things worth your time. Unusual, interesting or simply well done, even if they cost a few pounds.

The aim is to help people spend less without making London any less enjoyable.

Why London for Cheap exists

I want the site to be useful to the person deciding what to do this weekend, and to the one trying to eat out without spending £50. To someone planning a first trip to London, someone looking for a free exhibition, and someone trying to make sense of a confusing London cost.

And to anyone who would rather use one practical tool than read ten articles. That is the version of London for Cheap I am building: honest about costs, clear about catches and actually useful.