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Living in London isn't cheap, but if you know where to look, there are still some serious bargains to be found. Here are some great ways to live it up, for less than the price of a pint.
1. See a movie for £4.99
As London stubbornly gets more and more expensive, South London's quirkiest indie cinema Peckhamplex is committed to pocket money prices. See a new flick for the retro sum of £4.99 and you'll have plenty of leftover change to fill your boots with pick'n'mix and popcorn.
2. Eat a delectable pizza slice for £3.90
Make like a New Yorker and buy pizza by the slice at Voodoo Ray's, which offers a plethora of pies of all flavours to hungry Peckham and Dalston locals: something about this sloppy, cheese-heavy recipe makes it especially delicious after midnight, we've heard.
3. Go to the aquarium for £4.50
Tickets to the official London Aquarium will set you back a pretty penny, and fair play, they do have actual sharks. But if you want to go eyeball to eyeball with some top quality sea creatures for under a fiver, head to Horniman Museum's understated but gorgeous aquarium. Hidden away in the basement, it boasts everything from ethereal jellyfish to a murky mangrove swamp, all for just £4.50 a ticket.
4. Get unrivalled views of the city for £4
For the princely sum of £4, you can travel like an actual prince in a delicate glass-walled gondola high above the Thames, courtesy of the Emirates Air Line. People have called this quixotic transport route a white elephant, but even if it never attracted regular commuters as planned, it regularly delights site-seers with its arty audio tours and stunning views over the water.
5. Fly a fighter jet (kind of) for £4
Swap your adult worries for the childish glee of pretending you're in a really fast plane at the Science Museum's Typhoon Force simulator. It lets you soar high above the Lake District and plunge to earth in a dramatic descent that'll make you forget you're essentially watching telly in a big wobbly box.
6. Neck oysters for £1
Do you want a champagne lifestyle on a Lambrini budget? Well, head to Wright Brothers' Oyster Happy Hour (happy for the humans, not the oysters, that is) between 3 and 6pm on weekdays or 9-11.45am at weekends and you can slurp your fill of oysters, for just £1 each. How terribly, terribly posh.
7. Explore a castle for £3.50
Severndroog Castle is a miniature marvel: built in the 18th century, this folly is a homage to the romance of the medieval era. Scale its spiral staircases to enjoy views over Greenwich and central London, and scoff joyfully at the peasants below.
8. Giggle your way through a comedy show for £2
You can't put a price on fun. Except you can, and it's less than a pint of piss-weak Strongbow. Every Wednesday night at Camden Eye, there's a bargainous stand up session featuring 10 new acts and one headline comedian which is guaranteed to get you giggling, thanks to a quirky format that punishes comedians who mention forbidden topics with ridiculous forfeits.
9. Jump in a giant ball pit for £5
Paying someone to treat you like an adult baby is very, very expensive, we understand. But reverting to toddlerhood at Ballie Ballerson is just a fiver from Sunday to Thursday: dress in dungarees and delight in London's biggest ball pit, complete with pretty glimmering lights and mildly embarrassing selfie opportunities galore.
10. Go bowling for £4
Okay, Lewisham Lanes isn't the swankiest spot for bowling (take a bow, All Star Lanes) but it's looking pretty spiffy since its recent refurbishment, and the prices are excellent. Go Monday to Thursday, 11am - 5pm, for a daytime sesh at a price to bowl you over.
11. Take a romantic pedalo ride for £4
The closest a human being can get to the balletic grace of a swan is (short of joining the Royal Ballet) peddling a pedalo serenely through a lake in one of London's prettiest lakes. Crystal Palace, Greenwich and Dulwich Parks all offer pedalo rides for just £4: take a date and impress them with your effortless prowess (or get stuck on a submerged tree branch, it's all part of the fun).
12. Go to London Canal Museum for £5
Like Gretchen from 'Mean Girls's hair, London's canals are full of secrets. Discover a few of them at London Canal Museum, which is packed with fascinating artefacts from the waterways’ heyday, and lets you squeeze onto a tiny old-school narrowboat and goggle at photos from centuries of boating history.
13. Eat a delicious salt beef bagel for £4.50
One of London's most unapologetically delicious culinary experiences is also one of its cheapest. Swoon over salt beef at East London institution Beigel Bake, the iconic 24-hour bakery that serves up over 7000 bagels a night from its Brick Lane premises.
14. See Chelsea FC for £3
You could see Chelsea men's team for the price of a Greek island holiday. Or you could support the women's team for the ridiculously low price of £3, from their ground in Kingsmeadow in Kingston. Yup, it's not the fanciest place to watch a match but you've got change from a tenner to grab a £3.90 bacon and egg butty from nearby Fat Boys Coffee.
15. Go on a minibreak £3.50
A night in a hotel doesn't come cheap... unless you're at quirky gem of a museum Novelty Automation, that is. It offers a collection of witty interactive machines inspired by the vagaries of modern life, including 'Air Bed-n-Bug', which uses tiny puppets to tell the story of a disastrous holiday: pop your coins in the slot, and take a side-splitting minibreak without leaving London.
Need more budget day out ideas? Here are five surprisingly cheap things to do in London