I am trying to figure out a budget for our trip to london

I am in the midst of planning myself and all I can tell you is what I have learned. get a Rick Steves guide book and read his website for Europe through the back door. If you are alone, the possibilities become endless. Youth Hostels and just popping into a pub and asking a local and turn up great results.
definitely pickup a Brit pass for public transportation. Rick steves website shows all the costs for what works best for you. Also the dollar is weak. the rate changes but past few days fall between our U.S, dollar @1.85- $1.95 to their 1 pound

Rick also has a book on doing Europe on $40. a day
if your adventurous. It all depends on how extravagent you want to be. As Rick says, you get to meet more real people traveling alone and poor.
-Snobs are no fun (thats my quote. hahah)

It depends on when you are going and what your preferred level of 'comfort' is - i.e. do you want to stay in hostels or cheap hotels or more expensive hotels.
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I think $1000 might be enough to get you there in the off-season (October-April), but my guess is that you will be paying a lot more between May and September. Unfortunately ticket prices are getting more expensive as the dollar drops in value. You should check out sites like Expedia and Orbitz to see about sales.
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As to prices, remember that it's about $2 to £1, so things are often twice as expensive in the UK, and London is the most expensive place in the country. Up here in Scotland, I pay about £2.00 for a sandwich, £6+ for a simple pub dinner or something a 'studenty' cafe. All you can eat at Chinese restaurant was £9-12, with sodas about £1.60.
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Your big expense is going to be housing - a cheap B&B room in Edinburgh with shared bathroom starts at £25-30 in the off season. Hostels are cheaper...
Kate

I just bought on Orbitz for $817 total round trip
Boston to heathrow British Airways.
Check out Virgin.com and Cheap tickets.com compares several sites at once.
My tip; have credit card in hand- if anything shows up under $800. Dive face first. otherwise roll the dice and play chess for a while- there are so many strategies used from 'waiting till after midnight' to waiting till end of the month yada- ya- da.....
its all luck of the draw-- . You can get lucky looking early- you can get lucky last minute (more risky).

It depends on what you want to do? London ranges from great deals (free museums: British, Natl Gal, V&A, etc) to "oh, my god it's expensive in pounds let alone converting to dollars" (Tower of London ~$32US, Westminster Abbey ~$20, London Eye ~$30.) Meals will cost 2x as much as in US (eg. a Cup of Starbucks coffee in US is $1.65; same cup in London is 1.65 pounds (ie.~$3.20US). Are you going to do side trips? Frankly, I think 14 days in London alone is too much time.

figure what you would spend in USA now double it afraid this is no joke !! been 25 times that is the sad facts just back in December BUT most museums are free and you can eat sandwhichs the bus system is great theatre is possible with half price booth

We read with amusement the advice that "14 days in London is too much time". We spent 15 days there in 2004 and filled every day. Side trips are good additions, tho, and we feel that was what the writer was trying to say.

Your budget will depend on where you stay, where you eat and what you do. We;ve stayed in an apartment there called Royal Court Apartments ,in Bayswater and in a nice small hotel in Kensington, called Ambassadors.
Both were about £60. Food prepared in an apt is far cheaper than restaurant fare.

I think it depends on what level of lodging you require, and where you like to eat. Yes, you can exist on sandwiches for 14 days in London, I quess (I like Pret a Manger), but is this what you want to do? You might like to have some pub food, good Indian food, etc., or hang out in pubs alot drinking pints. Most people want to do this! There are costs for museum passes and tube tickets. Figure out what you want to do, the cost of doing it (consult current guidebooks that list prices). London is very expensive, everything listed in pounds is pretty much double price in dollars. Be prepared for this, then figure out how must discretionary spending money you need -- for souveniers, shopping, concerts, unforseen events, etc. You can economize in this area if you have to and still have a good time. Figure out what you want to do, budget for it, but also budget for unexpected things.

You can find plenty to do for 14 days.

Spent 15 days in London in 2004 and then
an additional 10 days last summer. Did
not repeat anything except a visit to
the British Museum. As you have been
told, London is one of the most expensive
places on earth, but worth the cost.

Make a budget and itinerary.
On a sheet of paper set up columns across the top of the page: DATE, CITY, HOUSING, COST, MEALS, SIGHTS,
MISC, TRANSPORTATION.

As you fill in tha dates of your trip down the first culumn you will list the city where you will be on that date in the second column, then the hotel you plan to stay in , then the cost, then the estimated amount you expect to spend of food.

Then estimate entry fees for museums and other attractions, then estimated cost of souvenirs and other misc purchases.
In the last column I list RR or bus tickets and auto rental.

You may want to add other columns of your preference. Then total all the money for the trip. I always add another $10 for each day to cover surprises.

I booked a flight from central Canada with Zoom airlines. I got return airfare for $329 CDN all taxes included.
Therefore check the charter airlines.
Also check VRBO.com (Vacation rentals by owner).
They have lots of flats listed for rent and some are very reasonable. Check the fine print and ask questions about cleaning deposits, key deposits, security/damage deposits. Some of these deposits are included in the weekly rent, some are add-ons.

We have been to London more than 40 times. You can't spend too much time there! It is a great place to get your first taste of the UK. You can do wonderful day trips to Windsor, Bath, York, Cardiff, Swansea, Canterbury, Oxford, Cambridge, Stratford upon Avon, ..... All easyly done by rail. There is also plenty to do in London itself. The markets alone are wonderful, then the museums, theatre, concerts, and just plain people watching. Save money by eating a large breakfast, if it is included in your room rate. Lite lunch- maybe a picnic in Leceister Square- just pick up sandwiches at Boots or Marks and Spencers. Supper can vary from pub grub that is rather inexpensive to "WOW can you believe that chagre that" at exclusive places. We usually do something in between.