London

PRE-CRUNCH Two-bed flat in Notting Hill, £299,950
POST-MELTDOWN Posh squatting
Though usually associated with tax-evading crusty punk rockers and hippy travellers, squatting is still legal here as long as you don’t damage doors and windows to gain entry. Gumtree’s a useful place to begin your hunt, but it’s safer to search for accommodation through an organised group. Try the Advisory Service for Squatters (020 7359 8814; www.squatter.org.uk), which produces The Squatters’ Handbook fanzine. Another useful source of information is Walworth’s DIY library and radical social centre, 56a Infoshop (56a Crampton St, SE17; www.56a.org.uk). Feature continues

PRE-CRUNCH Wine bar night out, £50ish
POST-MELTDOWN £5 wine tasting at Guanabara
A 45-minute sampling with Brazilian Master of Wine Dirceu Junior Vianna at this buzzing Brazilian bar. Taste six wines for £5: extra glasses £2. DJs spin samba to nu-Brasil beats until late.
Guanabara, Parker St, WC2 (020 7242 8600/www.guanabara.co.uk). Nov 25, 6-7pm.

PRE-CRUNCH Politics postgraduate degree, £9,675
POST-MELTDOWN Free public lectures on international relations at London School of Economics.
http://tiny.cc/lectures232

PRE-CRUNCH Superclub weekender at Fabric Live on Friday (£13 on the door) and Ministry of Sound on Saturday (£20)
POST-MELTDOWN Credit-conscious clubbing
There’s a plethora of places to dance for free till you’re dizzy, but often they’re rubbish. Camp out in these brilliant hotspots all night instead: Cargo launches a free new Friday-nighter that carries on and on until 4.30am, with indie-electro bands, belting DJs (they’ve got hotly tipped Mujava for their launch on Nov 28; on Dec 5 it’s the turn of XXXChange and Boy 8 Bit) and drinks promos. Tropicana at the Horse & Groom on Sundays is a free spangly voyage into cosmic and Afro disco. In Brixton, The Dogstar (free before 10pm) is offering 2-for-1 entry (£5) to Time Out readers every night till the end of 2008.

PRE-CRUNCH Spooky trip to the London Dungeon, £16.95
POST-MELTDOWN Ghost walk
Discover the city’s necropolis with freaky Victorian gentleman Richard Jones, your storyteller, who takes you from pub to historic hospitals on his Hidden Horrors of Haunted London tour. Booking essential. Fridays, 8pm, £7.50 (www.london-ghost-tour.com). See more London walks.

PRE-CRUNCH London Zoo, £15.50
POST-MELTDOWN City farm
Feed ducks and pat donkeys at one of London’s 14 city farms – many offer free entry. Hackney City Farm (free) is one of the best, and boasts an organic café. Afterwards, head to Stoke Newington, where you will find arthritic goats and sprightly deer in the animal enclosure.
Hackney City Farm, 1a Goldsmith’s Row, E2 (020 7729 6381/www.hackneycityfarm.co.uk). Tue-Sun 10am-4.30pm. Clissold Park, Church St, N16 (www.clissoldpark.com).

Hyde Park's Winter Wonderland

PRE-CRUNCH London Eye, £15.50 (under-15s £7.75, under-fives free)
POST-MELTDOWN Observation wheel at Hyde Park’s ‘Winter Wonderland’
Get a bird’s-eye view of the West End for a fraction of the price of the South Bank wheel.
Hyde Park Winter Wonderland, Hyde Park Corner, W2 (www.hydeparkwinterwonderland.com). Nov 22-Jan 4, open daily 10am-10pm, £7, children £4.50, family ticket £20.

PRE-CRUNCH Blowing a month’s rent on a Mulberry ‘Magpie’ It bag, £695
POST-MELTDOWN Rent-a-bag
Designer arm candy – Mulberry’s Bayswater tote/Chanel’s classic quilted handbag – from £60 per month (www.fashionhire.co.uk).

PRE-CRUNCH Christmas on the Swiss slopes, £699 (for seven nights at the Bella Tola hotel, Saint-Luc)
POST-MELTDOWN Christmas on the artificial slopes in the O2 Arena
Okay, so you won’t be able to breathe the fresh Swiss mountain air or admire the views, but think of the cash you’ll save. The O2 has erected two 45-metre artificial ski slopes.
The Slopes, O2 Arena, Peninsula Square, SE10 (www.theo2.co.uk). Nov 30-Jan 25. £15 per hour; snow tubes £8 per 30 minutes.

PRE-CRUNCH Oxford Street last-minute present dash
POST-MELTDOWN Oxford Street’s Fair Christmas Fayre
In addition to the Fayre’s ethical and eco-friendly fashion and craft stalls, there’ll be a swap shop, knitting workshops and a cake sale.
Fair Christmas Fayre, The Salvation Army Regent Hall, 275 Oxford St, W1 (www.fairchristmasfayre.wordpress.com) Dec 3, 12noon-9pm. Adm free.

Doing good while keeping fit at Green Gym

PRE-CRUNCH Annual gym membership, £480
POST-MELTDOWN Green Gym
The Green Gym, run by conservation charity BTCV, lets you volunteer for three-hour practical sessions. You might be clearing out pondweed one week and planting trees the next. 14 groups across London.
www.btcv.org.uk

PRE-CRUNCH Vera Wang bridal couture, £2,600-£15,000
POST-MELTDOWN Oxfam bridal shop
Among the greying lace, puffy sleeves and mid-’80s meringues there are plenty of discount designer gems – you’ll just need patience and a creative eye to search for them.
Oxfam Bridal Shop, 42 High St, Leatherhead KT22 8AJ (01372 378 819). Mon-Sat 10am-5pm; telephone for appointment.

PRE-CRUNCH Saturday spending splurge at Portobello Road market
POST-MELTDOWN Dig out bargain gems at a rock ’n’ roll jumble sale
Try the ever-popular Wills Moody Jumble Sale at the St Aloysius Social Club on third Sundays (except December, when it’s on December 2). For more sales visit www.carbootcalendar.com.
Will Moody’s Jumble Sale, St Aloysius Social Club, Phoenix Rd, NW1 (willsmoodyjumblesale@googlemail.com). 1-5pm. Adm free.

PRE-CRUNCH Personal trainer, £20+ per hour
POST-MELTDOWN Running, yoga and pilates for free
Sportswear chain Sweaty Betty runs free drop-in running clubs, yoga and pilates classes at branches across London. Go to five classes in a row and you’ll get a free T-shirt. Ten classes will earn you a 50 per cent discount on trainers.
www.sweatybetty.com

Fitzrovia Radio Hour enunciate

PRE-CRUNCH Tickets to a West End musical, £40
POST-MELTDOWN Fitzrovia Radio Hour
A cast dressed in vintage clothing presents classic mystery, science-fiction and drama radio plays from the ’40s and ’50s to a live studio audience. The broadcasts are later streamed on the internet.
Fitzrovia Radio Hour (www.fitzroviaradio.com). Venues: The Haggerston, 438 Kingsland Rd, E8 (Nov 20 & Dec 18, £3.50). The Swan Bar, Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, 21 New Globe Walk, SE1 (Nov 22 & Dec 20, adm free).

PRE-CRUNCH Candlelit date at the Gaucho Grill, £200 (two courses and wine)
POST-MELTDOWN Candlelit openings at Sir John Soane’s Museum
Explore nineteenth-century architect Sir John Soane’s home, filled with paintings, sculptures, statues, books, clocks and other artefacts. Walk hand-in-hand by the flicker of a flame, which, if you sidestep the Egyptian mummy case, makes for an unusual first date.
Sir John Soane’s Museum, 13 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, WC2 (020 7440 4263/www.soane.org). First Tuesday of every month, 6-9pm. Adm free.

Strum along with your ukulele

PRE-CRUNCH The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain CD, £7.79 from Amazon
POST-MELTDOWN Ukulele Wednesdays
The Ukulele Cabaret crew hosts free strum-along sessions for players of all levels. Or watch the professionals of the Dulwich Ukulele Club at Offline Club at the Prince Albert pub in Brixton.
The Royal George, Goslett Yard, WC2 (www.myspace.com/ukegottobekidding).
Offline Club, Prince Albert, 418 Coldharbour Lane, SW9 (020 7274 3771). Nov 21, 8.30pm-2am. Adm free.

PRE-CRUNCH Watch the Kings of Leon play the O2 Arena, £27.50
POST-MELTDOWN Braving the free moshpit upstairs at Old Blue Last
Shabby Shoreditch boozer the Old Blue Last is famed for free gigs from rising talents and secret performances from big name acts (Amy Winehouse, Arctic Monkeys…). There’s live music here almost every night.
Old Blue Last, 38 Great Eastern St, EC2 (020 7739 7033/www.theoldbluelast.com).

PRE-CRUNCH Metropolitan Hotel, £375-£3,200 per night
POST-MELTDOWN Warehouse conversion apartments from £89 per night
Self-catering residences are an economical alternative to costly hotel rooms, yet sometimes resemble sterile, unsophisticated student halls. But a company called Think has a range of spacious, contemporary executive, one- two- and three-bedroom flats in Tower Bridge, with a campus opening in Earl’s Court in February 2009 for business travellers and leisure tourists. Think’s offering a three-for-two night deal in December and January (www.think-apartments.com).

PRE-CRUNCH Repave your driveway, £850-£1,500
POST-MELTDOWN Rent out your drive or garage
If you need to make a quick buck, rent out your parking space. A spot on Stoke Newington High Street could fetch up to £170 per month; somewhere on City Road, N1, from £250; and in Kensington more than £300. Visit www.parklet.co.uk to advertise and get an idea of rates.