EXTRA READING 2

Oggetto: EXTRA READING 2

Mittente: nerea furegato <nereaeffe@gmail.com>
Data: 07/06/2023, 11:49
A: Cristina Bianco <biancocristina14@yahoo.it>, loretta bosco2 <loretta.b.1012@gmail.com>, emanuela
mason <emanumason@gmail.com>, antonio moro <ant_moro@alice.it>, Giovanni Roder
<giovanni.roder@me.com>, alberto schiavon <alberto.schiavon@alice.it>, patrizia zappieri
<patrizia.zappieri@gmail.com>

EXTRA READING 2

h�ps://www.theguardian.com/money/blog/2016/apr/12/be-a-bit-crea�ve-and-london-has-plenty-to-offer-
without-spending

Be a bit crea�ve and London has plenty to offer

without spending
I’ve worn a brain monitor to see a play and done bar work for
beer, but I worry about the toll on my friendships
Michelle McGagh

6016.webp

The V&A: Most of London’s major museums and galleries have late night openings, and the are countless other free events too. Photograph: Alamy

A trip to the theatre didn’t use to involve wearing a brain monitor, but when you are spending a
year without spending money it’s the kind of thing you find yourself doing.

When I gave up spending my biggest worry was that I would be stuck indoors, unable to see my
friends or enjoy much in the way of entertainment. Four months in, however and I’ve managed
to find some surprising ways to fill my evenings.

I recently headed to the Barbican to watch The Encounter, a play about the photographer Loren
McIntyre, who got lost in the Brazilian rainforest. Tickets for the event cost between £32 and

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£42, considerably higher than my budget of zero, but I managed to bag a �cket for free by
volunteering to take part in an experiment.

With around 25 others I watched the play wearing a headband which monitored my every
thought. The data will be crunched to determine whether a group of people can have a
collec�ve reac�on to an event.

It was a great play with or without the headband, although it would have been even be�er if I
had had a friend to go with. Socialising is an area that I used to spend a lot of money on, and I
wondered how I’d manage without being able to pay for �ckets, drinks or meals. I’m ashamed to
say that previously I didn’t make enough of the free events that were at my disposal living
in London. Instead I would o�en end up in a restaurant, easily spending £30 on a weeknight,
when I could have been doing more for less.

Now pubs and restaurants aren’t really an op�on, unless I want to sit with a glass of tap water
all night. I have to put more effort into finding events to a�end that aren’t just free, but things
that my friends actually want to go to.

Most of the major museums and galleries in London are free, and many have late night
openings on Wednesdays, Thursdays or Fridays, so I’m able to meet friends there for an
evening. I’ve also discovered the First Thursdays event held in East London, where galleries open
a�er hours and some even offer free workshops and talks. As long as I take my flask of tea or
coffee, I’m set for the evening.

The London School of Economics lectures have also become a favourite, and you can pop in on
almost any evening and find someone interes�ng to listen to. The only problem is that lectures
are not par�cularly sociable events, so I’ve typically ended up in the pub - with my water - a�er.
evocando
I did get a drink by summoning my bar skills from my early 20s. I worked at the Beavertown
Brewery’s fourth birthday party a few weeks ago. My reward for a shi� behind the bar? Ten free
drink tokens for use at the brewery and beers to take home as part of a goody bag.

I heard about the Beavertown event through a friend, but cha�ng to the other volunteers I
found that there were a number of similar events held throughout the year, such as the London
Cra� Beer Fes�val, where you receive a reward for your �me. I’ll definitely sign up again,
because despite the long day it was a great event and I met some lovely people.

Thankfully, giving up spending hasn’t made me a social pariah and I’ve s�ll received plenty of
dinner invita�ons from friends, which I can return if I’m careful with my weekly food budget.

My friends, and husband, have all been very accommoda�ng and I’m very grateful, but I’m also
annoiare / infastidire
worried the experiment could start to grate on them. I’m not sure that people want to go a

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museum a�er a long day at work, knowing they’re not even promised a pint at the end of it. It’s
a big ask of the people I care about to fit around my no-spend lifestyle and I don’t think I’d fully
appreciated how much it would affect others when I started it.

I’m hoping the arrival of spring and more daylight will open up many more op�ons. I’ve been
making my way through the list of 101 free things to do in London on Visit London and am also
looking forward to making some weekend trips to other ci�es to see what they have to offer.

The Time Out guides have been brilliant for tracking events in the capital and they’re equally
comprehensive for other UK ci�es, although I’m doub�ul I’ll make it to Edinburgh on my bike.

If you’re outside London and looking for free events, make sure you check family-focused
websites like Day Out With The Kids. Even if you don’t have children they have great resources
for local parks, places of interest and museums, and the site includes price lists.

A�er four months of not spending, I feel like I’m s�ll only scratching the surface when it comes
to making the most of what London has to offer. It would be great to hear your �ps and hidden
gems for where to visit - especially on a nice, sunny day.

Allegati:
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