Cheapskate London - Bringing you London's Best Free Events

As a Londoner I have always prided myself in knowing how to have a good time in my home town without always having to break the bank. London is so faceted, with each side of it offering up something different depending on your mood. There is more to London than Buckingham palace, Madame Tussauds and the Dungeons and Kate and Georgia are proving this time and time again with their Newsletter Cheapskate London. 

MR: I love what you guys do and I feel like a lot of people are unaware of all the activities you can do that are free or really affordable, so Cheapskate London will definitely help a lot of people.

MR: And on that point, what inspired you to create cheapskate London?

K: Well, it's kind of like what you're saying. I think that the idea first came to me when I was working as a reporter at my first job in London - I wasn't earning much money, but I still wanted to go out and do as much as I could on the weekend. But obviously London is incredibly expensive, so I was looking for information about free things to do - I was finding it really hard to find out where these free events were. I sort of had that in the back of my mind for a few years and then when I got a different job, I had the opportunity to reduce the number of hours I was working, which gave me a bit more time and there was still a real gap in the market in terms of providing information about free events. 

I spoke to Georgia about it because we've been friends since we were 11 and our skills complemented each other really well - I was using my background in journalism and Georgia was using her design skills. We spoke about this idea and decided that we would kind of make a go of it and doing a newsletter felt like the perfect medium because it's so personal and you have full control of your audience. 

G: When Kate told me about that idea, I was on board right away! We always worked so well together at school and since then, we've always wanted to come up with ideas that support people in any way. We've built such a nice community of people. And I think, like you were saying with the newsletter, some people actually aren't on social media, so it is more accessible by having it via email.

And also we were saying that in our friendship group, we’ve always been the people that our friends would come to when they needed tips about where to go. 

MR: I really like what you guys have done with the newsletter, as well as the interviews that you have on your site - the Living the Cheapskate life pieces you do with different influencers and people within the events industry. I think it’s a really cool idea because then you get more insight into different things that you can do in London that you may not have known about.

MR: What pushed you to promote free events in London? 

G: Yeah, we were really keen to support people. For instance when Kate and I were interning, we wanted to provide more information on how people could make sure they get paid when interning and I guess we've always discussed trying to do something that's kind of connected to where we are in our lives. So, I guess like now we're in our late twenties - we still want to be able to enjoy London and not spend too much money. 

K: I also think because we've kind of experienced this problem first hand - the frustration. We've lived here all our lives, so we kind of know the places to go. I mean, I like the cheap and free offerings, but being able to share that information and try and make London more accessible to everyone is really important to us.

MR: During the course of Cheapskate London, what have been some of the ups and downs that you have encountered? 

K: This is such a good question, I would say a big up is that we've had quite a lot of media coverage - we've been featured in The Guardian and The Evening Standard and I wrote a 10 week column for the Metro last year, which showcased the best free virtual events, which was really exciting. We've both also done quite a few appearances on BBC Radio London as well, so having those opportunities has been really great.

G: Also, some of the events that we've had - we did a partnership with Brixton Life Drawing, and that was really amazing because we managed to connect with 200 people.

K: I think it was more than 200 because we did two different events with them - I think we had about 300 people attending virtually -  that was really exciting.

G: And then last night, we did Instagram live with Naomi in blue and that was such a nice way to connect with people and made me so excited to go see events live again soon.

K: Another massive highlight was definitely being part of the accelerated program with The Roundhouse. It was their first accelerated program and they selected Cheapskates to have a spot - there were eight companies that were part of it. It was a 10 week course where they taught everything from marketing to building a business plan and it culminated in this big pitching event. It was just a really exciting thing to be involved in during a year where not much was happening. And in terms of downs, I would say when the pandemic first struck, we really weren't sure whether we should keep going with Cheapskate, so I'm really glad that we decided to transition to focusing on virtual events. 

G: We’re also both working full time jobs, so we're balancing working on Cheapskate around that. So that means working some nights and on the weekends and the fact that between us we do everything from PR, marketing and design so we're lucky we work really well together. We have to wear so many hats which is so empowering to do and even though we are spending a lot of time doing it, it is like a labor of love. 

MR: You could definitely tell, because a lot of work has gone into it. I can tell by looking at your Instagram you guys post quite regularly - you're always on top of that and you do a newsletter every week. I can tell that a lot of energy and passion has gone into this project.

K: Yeah, that's great to hear. Thank you.

MR: What advice would you give to anyone aspiring to start their own company?

K: I definitely think what George just said. I would definitely echo that because it's so much work, especially if you're doing it around a job or other commitments. My advice would be to make sure that you are really passionate about it and really driven by your idea, because I think you have to give 100% - otherwise, it's just not going to work. You have to really have that passion and drive to be able to take it to the next level. You also have to be really consistent and that is something we've made sure we've done by continually sending the newsletter, even when we're really busy or when we've got other stuff happening at work or in our personal lives - we just found consistency is really important.

G: Also, if you are going to set up a company with a friend, make sure you guys are really open and that your skills really complement each other.

MR: How have things changed for Cheapskate London during the pandemic? 

K: Well, I think, interestingly focusing on virtual events has actually made Cheapskate a lot more inclusive because our readers no longer have to be based in London. They don't have to physically get to any of these events now, so, literally anyone in the world can attend. I'm really excited that we've now got a following that extends beyond London and that's really exciting. I definitely think we need to hold onto these readers, even when things hopefully start going back to normal, by continuing to have content that's applicable to them. 

G: The lockdown has been really interesting for us to pivot and really focus on virtual. And I think that's something we're going to continue to do in the future, even when things are back open.

MR: That kind of goes into my next question, during the pandemic you have promoted a lot of virtual events - what have been some of your favourite events? 

K: I think the one that instantly stands out to me is a Halloween event that was a live stream DJ set straight from Dracula's castle - that was pretty cool. I remember the PR person working on it got in touch with me and asked if this would be something we would be interested in including on Cheapskate - I obviously said yes because it sounded amazing! 

There have also been loads of other cool events like we recently featured a few different Drag Queen workouts, which were great. We’ve also had some really incredible talks with really well-known people, like last week we featured a talk with Margaret Atwood that was free. We’ve also organised some amazing masterclasses as well for people wanting to get into journalism, which was organised by the editor of Empire magazine, Terri White. 

G: Yeah, also the ones that we've also hosted, like the Naomi Blue live I mentioned before, which was a really beautiful performance by Naomi, who's a Chilean musician. It was so really relaxing and I think I really needed it during this time of transition. Also, the Brixton life drawing was also about switching off, doing something a little different. I really appreciate how diverse and broad our range of events are on every newsletter - so there's really something for everyone. 

MR: I think a lot of people have had to sort of think of different ways to keep busy and entertain themselves now, because the standard isn't something we can do. We sort of have to think outside the box and I think a lot more people are trying things they probably wouldn't have tried before because now they have the time, so think events like that will sort of continue in the future.

MR: Do you think events will continue to explore this virtual path even after the pandemic? 

K: I think so. I think there's nothing more accessible than a virtual event for so many different reasons, and I think there have been some incredible pivots by different companies to offer really high class virtual events that don't feel like a poor second choice. And I think that's really exciting. I hope that even when things do hopefully get back to normal, I hope that some of these organizations, event spaces and companies do continue to offer virtual alternatives because I do think it’s really important and they've proven that they can do it really well.

I think it's important for a lot of people and it's something that we will definitely continue to promote - I can see us sharing a mixture of in-person and virtual events going forward from June.

G: Yeah, definitely. The whole pandemic has definitely made everyone rethink how they balance working and living and the fact that they'll still be virtual events, I think will definitely be something that will be wanted as well in the future. 

MR: Yeah, I agree. I think it's made people realise how much more you can do with technology - VR concerts, non gamers using Twitch to stream, Virtual cooking classes and WatchParties and I love it! I'm looking forward to seeing what people do next.

MR: What companies would you love to work with in the future? 

K: Yeah, we were thinking about it earlier and definity ones like Olio, Too Good To Go and Good On You. Those kinds of sustainable companies really fit in with the Cheapskate ethos I think. Another one would definitely be Depop, I think would be a great brand for us to work with. Also, General Assembly offer loads of great virtual events so I think they would be a very natural partner, Escape The City we thought as well because I think our audience is very similar. Culture Whisper and some of the big London venues like Southbank Centre would be incredible. 

G: And I think also once London reopens, we'll kind of have the chance to figure out some more partners that we'd like to work with.

MR: That's really exciting, I really admire a lot of the companies you just mentioned and I hope you manage to work with them. 

MR: If you could pick any three cities to launch Cheapskate in what would they be and why? 

K: So, I think definitely Bristol as I went to university there. So I know it quite well and it’s got so much going on. It's an incredible cultural scene.

G: I would probably add in Amsterdam, but that's just because I used to live there and there are so many amazing things to do - the nightlife, the cultural scene which is incredible! And I think there are so many great free events that we could share which are close to my heart.

K: For the third party, it would be another UK city like maybe Manchester or Edinburgh. We’d like to be world wide at some point, that would be the dream.

MR: Do you think you’ll ever make a Cheapskate app like Fever?

K: That would be incredible. We’d love to! That's definitely one of our longer term goals, but we would need investment to make that happen. So I think it really depends on our future. I think Cheapskate would work really well as an app but we don't have any immediate plans to do that right now.

MR: So, in a previous interview, you stated you had big plans for the year that followed - are you able to divulge any of the bigger plans for the year ahead, or are they still under wraps?

G: We have lots of really exciting things in the pipeline. One of our plans include applying to the Arts Council for funding to host a Cheapskate Festival, which would be really incredible and something to really look forward to post June when we can meet outside.

K: The application process is really long, so we're working our way through it. But our aim would be to help hold the festival in September and it's contingent on whether we secure the funding or not. We haven't got the application off yet, but that's something that we're still working on.

MR: Would it be similar to Stylist's Live with various vendors, activities and talks?

K: Exactly. Yes, It’d be a mixture, but there would still be some virtual events. I think it would be mainly in-person and everything would obviously be free for people to attend and be really varied - that's the general idea.

G: Another thing is definitely broadening our reach by the end of 2021.

K: We're also very excited to be shortlisted for a £20k prize by a gin brand called Bloom - they've got this passion project competition. We applied in December and found out in January that we've been shortlisted - there's going to be an in-person pitching event in June. The winner will get £20k towards their passion project so obviously, that would be incredible but being part of the competition is also very exciting.

MR: So, what things have you done to stay centred throughout lockdown? 

G: Um, personally, I've been doing a bit of Yoga with Adriene, which is a great free resource with Adriene and her dog Benji, I've also gotten into Indian cooking and learning the guitar - as well as endlessly arranging my flat. I guess you want to make the space that you're in as nice as possible.

K: I've gotten quite into doing virtual HITT classes which is something that I've never, ever done before lockdown. There are so many good free ones on YouTube. I started with Joe Wicks and now I've been experimenting with some different free ones. I'm trying to do one 15 minute HITT class a day and I've also been doing virtual life drawing, lots of reading and cooking - I find that really mindful. That's kind of my only excitement at the moment.

MR: I totally agree! Working out, cooking and just being creative really do help you get through all of this.

K: I’ve also found that doing a lot of the Cheapskate events and learning new skills has been fun especially when we've got all this extra time on our hands.

MR: Yes, I totally agree!

MR: What are some of your favourite places to hangout in London? 

G: We used to go to Hampstead Heath Ponds together a lot, which is such an amazing spot in London that's actually free or pay as you feel and it's women's only, which is quite nice because it's quite private. I also love going to all the markets in London, I think both Kate and I love stealing all the samples.

K: We both love markets! If we go to the market, we're going to be like just take all our money, we can't resist. We love Moss Street Market, Broadway Market and Portobello - I love walking down the canal to get there.

G: I’m also looking forward to going back to the cinema as well, especially independent cinemas that we have frequently worked with like Bertha DocHouse

K: And The Kiln which is this kind of cultural center I used to frequent - I got really into going to the cinema and the theatre there. So it'll be really exciting to be able to do that again.

G: And now I also want to, since I found my love of Indian cooking, I want to go find all the great Indian restaurants and out there.

MR: I was just going to say, what are you looking forward to doing most once it’s safe to do so again? 

K: So, again, that's such a good question, because it's really nice to think about. Definitely hugging my parents - that's number one and then I would say going to restaurants. Going to restaurants and markets again and really making the most out of what London has to offer because everything has been put on hold. Being able to actually go to the National Portrait Gallery, the Wellcome Collection, Somerset House and visit all of London's iconic places again. It'll be very exciting to resume culture and eating out again - it will be fantastic. 

MR: Yes, definitely, I totally agree. Other than obviously seeing my family again, I’m also looking forward to being able to feel safe enough to go to restaurants, museums and live events again. 

K: I'm actually hoping to go to the GALA Festival in Peckham this summer. So, if it all goes as planned, that would be my first big event, which will be really exciting.