Credit Crunch Survival Guide: Out and About on a Budget

By Alice Wyllie

EATING AND DRINKING

Eating out regularly can quickly dent your bank account, so look for pre-theatre menus or two-for-one and early-bird deals. One way of doing this is to sign up to a website such as 5pm.co.uk, where you can search UK-wide for restaurants offering special deals. Alternatively, visit www.thesilvercard.co.uk and sign up for a Silver Card for GBP 5. This gives you access to drinking and dining- out offers around Edinburgh.

Look online for promotional vouchers and deals. Italian restaurant chain Zizzi, which has branches in Edinburgh and Glasgow, is offering a two-for-one deal on main meals from Sundays to Thursdays until 10 September; print off a voucher from www.handbag.com. Loch Fyne, with restaurants in Edinburgh and Cairndow, offers a two-course meal plus one glass of wine for GBP 11 per person, daily before 7pm, until 30 September; get the promotional voucher from www.lochfyne.com.

Or why not eat in? Takeaways can be almost as pricey as eating out, but this weekend Marks & Spencer is offering a two-course dinner plus wine for two people for GBP 10. Treat yourselves to a main meal and side dish for two, a pudding for two and a bottle of red, white or rose wine.

CINEMA

Many cinemas do cheap weekday offers, or a special price for Sunday morning showings, where tickets cost far less than the usual price. Check local cinemas for details.

It may sound too good to be true, but you can get to see new films before they are released, via free preview screenings. Register with www.seefilmfirst.com to receive free tickets to films prior to general release. What’s the catch? There isn’t one – the cinemas just want you to spread the word and occasionally give some feedback.

If you’re a regular cinemagoer, find out if your local cinema offers an unlimited annual or monthly pass. Cineworld (www.cineworld.co.uk), which has cinemas in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Dundee and Falkirk, offers an Unlimited Card for GBP 11.99 a month – terrific value. For that price you can see films any time and also get information on advance screenings, film festivals and more.

If you have an Orange mobile phone, text FILM to 241 and they’ll send you a code which gets you two-for-one tickets on Wednesdays only.

Actress Tilda Swinton is currently hosting a family-friendly film festival in Nairn – the Ballerina Ballroom Cinema of Dreams – which ends tomorrow: admission is GBP 3 or a tray of home-baked cakes. Tonight you can see the spirit-lifting, weather-appropriate Singin’ in the Rain (7pm); tomorrow’s closing film is Fellini’s masterpiece, 81/2 (7pm). There will be tickets available on the door, says the host. Visit www.spanglefish.com/ballerinaballroom for details.

If you’re a stay-at-home type, sign up to a postal DVD rental service such as lovefilm.co.uk which, for a monthly subscription starting at GBP 3.99, will post you DVDs as often as you wish, free to return and with no late fees.

GALLERIES AND MUSEUMS

Free art galleries and museums in Edinburgh include the National Gallery of Scotland, the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, the Gallery of Modern Art, the Dean Gallery and the Museum of Scotland (though sometimes there are entry charges to temporary exhibits, such as the current Tracey Emin retrospective). In Glasgow, try the Burrell Collection, Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum, the Gallery of Modern Art and the People’s Palace. For a list of free galleries and museums near you, visit www.dofreestuff.com/scotland.

There are loads of free museums and art spaces in Scotland, but if you do go to one that charges, visit the local tourist information centre first: they often have discount offers on tickets or deals where you combine your visit with another attraction.

Visiting historic sites can be pricey, particularly if you’re taking the whole family, so look out for free days or weekends and special offers.

Throughout October, admission is free for children at Historic Scotland sites (www.historicscotland.gov.uk), while every year they run a completely free weekend in the spring.

Doors Open Days (www.doors opendays.org.uk), which take place throughout Scotland over weekends in September, give you the chance to see buildings that are otherwise closed to the public, and entry is free.

CLUBBING

Many nightclubs will let you in for free if you arrive before 11pm. If you’re a student, keep your matriculation card on you. Plenty of clubs – including the Buff Club in Glasgow – let students in for free with their matric card.

If you’re going out for a birthday party or a hen/stag do, phone your club of choice a few days in advance and say you’ll be bringing a group of friends. They’ll often put your names down on the free guest list.

Lots of clubs will let you in for free on certain nights if you work in a pub, bar, restaurant or club. On Monday nights, show your wageslip and ID at The Viper in Glasgow and you’ll get in for free.Socialanimal.co.uk has listings of the best club nights throughout Scotland, with websites for lots of clubs giving details of drink promos.

THEATRE

It’s the last weekend of the Edinburgh Festival, where you can still see plenty of shows for free. The quality may be unpredictable, but when it’s free you can always walk out and see another without a twinge of regret. Visit www.freefringe.org.uk for details of more than 120 free performances taking place across the city – and refer to The Scotsman’s daily Festival Guide for reviews (www.edinburgh-festivals.com).Lastminute.com isn’t just for cheap holidays: log on for half-price theatre deals and seats that sometimes cost as little as GBP 10. Theatre tickets are often cheaper if bought on the day. Some theatres keep a number of seats aside each day and release them at a discount. If you qualify for a concession rate, some theatres will give up to 70 per cent off if you buy your tickets with cash in the hour before the curtain goes up.

MUSIC

The Mill, which has venues in Glasgow and Edinburgh, hosts free gigs every week featuring emerging bands and DJs. Simply book your free tickets online at www.themill-live.com then head along. Upcoming highlights include How to Swim and The Moth & the Mirror on Wednesday in Glasgow, and Punch & the apostles and Injuns on 18 September in Edinburgh.

If you find a certain gig is sold out and tickets are popping up on eBay for double their face value, visit ethical ticket-exchange website www.scarletmist.com, which enables fair-minded users to buy and sell tickets at their face value.

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