London

Running
On Mondays (women only) and Tuesdays (mixed) there are three runs from the Nike Town store to Regent’s Park at 6pm, covering three, four and seven miles.
236 Oxford St, W1 (020 7612 0800)Oxford Circus tube.

Save!!! £16 to enter the St Albans half-marathon.

Martial arts
Most martial arts clubs will welcome you for a week or two without charging. Try ju-jitsu with the Imperial Women’s Club (07810 445 889/ www.movingeast.co.uk), the Japanese art of hapikdo (07951 535 876/www.changshapkidoacademy.co.uk) or the Javanese self-defence technique silat perisai diri (020 8931 7727/www.silatpd.org.uk).

Save!!! Around £10 per lesson.
Feature continues

Meditation
If London life is getting too much, Inner Space in Covent Garden runs free lunchtime and evening meditation and positive thinking sessions.
36 Short’s Gardens, WC2 (020 7836 6688/ www.innerspace.org.uk) Covent Garden tube.

Save!!! £75 for a session with an expert.

Computer workshop
The Apple Store on Regent Street hosts free one-hour workshops on everything from operating an iPod to making digital movies.
235 Regent St, W1 (020 7153 9000/ www.apple.com/uk/retail/regentstreet) Oxford Circus tube.

Save!!! £7.36 ringing an IT expert.

Cycling
This community cycling club organises guided rides around the Mitcham and Croydon area.
(www.pollardshillcyclists.org.uk).

Save!!! £6.70 on a Travelcard.

Knitting
Working with wool can save you money. www.iknit.org.uk has details of various groups.

Save!!! £50 on a jumper.

Talks
The National Gallery (www.nationalgallery.org.uk), the National Portrait Gallery (www.npg.org.uk), and the Wallace Collection (www.wallacecollection.org) offer free talks. If you’re over 18 try the Science Museum’s Dana Centre. Many events are free, though it’s best to book (020 7942 4040/www.danacentre.org.uk). Gresham College puts on free talks on a range of subjects, from law to psychiatry (www.gresham.ac.uk). King’s College (www.kcl.ac.uk) also puts on free lectures at lunchtime and after work. And don’t forget Speakers’ Corner in Hyde Park.

Save!!! £8,000 on doing a postgrad degree.

Art
Raw Canvas is an education programme at Tate Modern. The talks, debates and parties are an accessible way of approaching contemporary art. Events are for 15- to 23-year-olds and are free.
Tate Modern, Bankside, SE1 (020 7401 5071/www.tate.org.uk/modern/eventseducation/rawcanvas).

Save!!! £15 on ‘Intro to Modern Art’ course.

Time trials
Every Saturday at 9am in Bushy Park and Wimbledon Common some 200 runners of all standards run 5k against the stopwatch. Measure your improvement as the weeks progress.
(www.parkrun.com).

Save!!! £25 on athletics club membership.

For more courses and workshops, see Around Town listings. For sports clubs, see Sport listings.