London’s expensive at the best of the times. But right now, with jobs going and banks collapsing, that nice shirt of yours might not be on your back for much longer. Kate Stroud’s got some tips for keeping the bailiffs at bay.

1 - Get the hip flask out. If you don’t have one already, get it cheap on Camden market. Fill with your drink of choice, and enjoy a cheap night your favourite London bar. Only don’t get caught. Or you’ll be needing a new favourite bar.

2 - No money for new clothes? Get a friend over with a bag of threads she’s bored of and do some swapping. Voila! New wardrobe. Make sure you invite someone with a dress sense you enjoy, or you’ll end up looking like you left C&A in a hurry.

3 - Get a bike, ride to work. Look on the Gumtree bike section for a second hand bike from anywhere between £30 and £150. Keep a tally of how much you save every day compared to public transport or petrol costs, marvel at your rock-hard calves, feel smug about your carbon footprint and eat as many biscuits and cakes as you like once at your desk.

4 - Give charity shops a chance. Posh areas of London like Kensington and Angel have brilliant selections for half the price of the brand new equivalent. And it’s not just clothes. Books for £1 and cheap household goods will keep your birthday present and pea-draining situations in good order. And you’re giving to charity, obviously.

5 - Join your local library for FREE. You can take up to ten books out at a time or rent DVDs and CDs for a pound. Click here to find your nearest free entertainment zone in London.

6 -  Do your own version of Come Dine With Me. Sort out a group of friends and for one working week arrange your own spin on Channel 4’s television show. Cook once and get four dinners in return. But pick well, or it’ll be a long, painful week.

7 - Wine tasting. Get some friends round, everyone brings a bottle, choose some strict minimum and maximum amounts that can be spent and you’re away. Follow the guidelines on this website.

8 - Free TV Tickets. Watch your favourite television shows being filmed live like Mock The Week or Have I Got News For You. Loads of radio programmes need audiences too. Click here and here for tix.

9 - Take a walk down London’s more cultural route and go to free museums and galleries. For example, here. Or check out for all the information required for free culture in the city, here.

10 - Finally, sign up to Love Film (here). Join today for a FREE two week trial. Go to their website, set up your free account, and wait for the DVDs to be sent to you. Cancel your account at the end of the fortnight if you don’t want to pay for a subscription. Or forget, like they want you too.

Concrete and Glass, formed by Tom Baker, will bring contemporary music and art to paying customers. Taking place on the 2nd and 3rd of October, most of the shindigs will take place in venues and galleries in the cool part of town: Shoreditch, Hoxton, Brick Lane.

The launch party was in the T Bar in Shoreditch. I was expecting cocktails. I got cider. Brilliant. Lion Club were on stage. Grrrrrr. They were good, in a way. The skinniest of jeans, the singers legs impressed me. They made me think of New Order. They weren’t enthusiastic, but I guess that’s hip. Meanwhile, a strange couple were rubbing balloons against themselves, in the name of art. They would hug, the balloons would pop. They went through a whole bag. It was annoying.

Over 100 bands and 25 artists will be showcased at the two-day event. The full line-up will be announced soon. Keep an eye on the Concrete and Glass website for more details.

Tickets are now available.

Speaking to the Daily Star, Barat said: “I’m a fan of Ronson. Who isn’t? We have something coming up but it’s very hush-hush. I don’t want to jinx anything so my lips are sealed, but it could be brilliant.”

Barat is playing a DJ set at Dangerous Disco at the Carling Academy in Islington on the 11th July.

Dirty Pretty Things will be taking to the stage at Reading and Leeds festival on August 23rd and 24th of this year.