Pence-Pinching

Being an American, everything in the UK costs double for me. This has led me to employ some of my best penny-pinching, or pence-pinching tactics. So far, I haven't spent money on anything but beer, coffee, and transportation. Here are some of my methods:

-Attend EVERY school event.
As boring and pointless as they may be, they're almost guaranteed to have free food. Otherwise, kids wouldn't come.

-Oyster Card
I got an oyster card yesterday, and it's pretty much amazing. It costs £3 (which is refundable if you give the card back!) and gives you discounts on tube/bus fares. Usually, a ride on the tube costs £4, but with an Oyster Card, it's £1.50. Score!

-Ditch Starbucks
Unfortunately, my love for Starbucks is not worth the price. There's a deli that has £1 coffee. It's gross, but whatever, it gets the job done.

-Mooch off of other people
My London buddy is asking his friends if they have an old cell phone I can use/if they can hook me up with a job.

-Be Sneaky
I discovered that the Coke machine in the lobby doesn't charge because they haven't put in the pay system yet, so I got an accidental free Coke. I got two more and then I started feeling really bad. But hey, three free Cokes!


In other news, my foray into other parts of London went really well. I went to Piccadilly Circus, Camden and some area that I can't remember the name of but was like the Hipsterville of London. The only pictures I have are from Piccadilly Circus, though. It's kind of like Times Square except a lot smaller and less annoying.

My lesson of the day is that if someone asks you if you want marmalade on your toast, you should probably ask them to clarify or say no. I said yes, and as it turns out, in a British accent, "marmalade" and "marmite" sound almost exactly the same. I didn't want to be rude and reject toast with black marmalade on it, so I took a few bites, and it turns out that marmite isn't made out of oranges, it's made out of yeast. Be wary.