london on a student's budget

Not sure what a students budget reall means in hard figures but London can be cheap if you don't follow where the guide books and marketing people prod you. For a B&B, try the Kings Cross St Pancras area which is very central. There is a lot of simple places for around 50 GBP per room for two with breakfast, 65-70 GBP ensuite. No air conditioning or lifts but otherwise fine. Try Montana Excel, Wardonia, Crestfield or Meridiana, Buying a transport pass like Travelcard/Oyster mean your getting around budget shoyld be 8 GBP per day tops. Great free places to visit are Camden Lock Market, OLD Bailey (watch a murder trail), all the main museums and art galleries are free. Go to Speaker's Corner on a Sunday morning. For food doesn't have to be expensive, Weatherspoon's pubs are a good benchmark for value, their steak nights, curry nights, sunday roast means you can a mains plate plus pint of beer for two people for around 12 GBP. Chaeper places tend to have free wifi plus many coffee houses, McDonald's, Waetherspoon's pubs etc
And remenber all the places you visit listed above, none of them are expecting tips.

You might want to look at the London School of Economics as a place to stay. They have a number of locations around London, and look to fit your budget. Their website is http://www.lsevacations.co.uk As already noted, you don't have to spend a fortune on food to eat well. There are plenty of places to grab sandwich and picnic fare, then head to a park or bench and enjoy. And if you're near Trafalgar Square, the Cafe-in-the-Crypt at St. Martin's is very good and inexpensive. Also, try to figure out how much you'll be using the tube to get around on a daily basis. For some people a 7-day Travelcard works better than the pay-as-you-go Oyster Card, especially since you most likely will be staying within zones 1 & 2 (other than getting to and from an airport). Remember to check out the 2-for-1 deals at daysoutguide.co.uk to see if it would be more advantageous to purchase your Travelcards from the train companies instead of the underground. Have a great trip.

There are lots of "ordinary" people living and working in London. They eat in sandwich shops and small cafes.
Not the decorated pubs There are also "student" cafeterias hidden in some of the Museums- Science Museum for one. (I cant help in how to find it- a student took me)

This is one of the sites that show money off food deals in cafes and restos in, amongst other places, London. http://www.toptable.com/location/content/?l=7 Edit - or the 2 for 1 food offers from the Days Out Guide for Travelcard holders. http://www.daysoutguide.co.uk/food-drink-shopping/counties/London?page=3

Thanks everyone for your input! I'm really excited about our trip, especially since this will be my first trip to Europe. :)

Try the free london walks, there is a great variety to choose from, we have been on several and found them great, you can get info at the TI or at most tube stops. We also loved what I think are called "pasties" meat filled pies, very good and filling and reasonable.

Try the Astor Hostels, they have several locations within the city. I stayed at the one near the British Museum, at Russell Square, which, ironically, is free! It was cheap (well, in 2004) and they had a fabulous breakfast. I was also on a student budget.

Hyde Park Rooms Hotel in Paddington on Sussex Gardens has double or twin ensuite rooms for 65 pounds a night, or save 10 pounds a night and use a bathroom down the hall (since most rooms have a bathroom, you may only be sharing with one other room). this rate includes breakfast, and they have a very good rating on Tripadvisor.com. Never actually stayed there but nearly did a few years ago. Better to call than to email, they take a couple days to reply to emails. But good transportation options from Paddington to the rest of Central London, there is a good bus that goes right in front of the hotel, and two tube stations within easy walking distance. hydeparkrooms.com Wife and I ate at Pret A Manger often while in London, they are everywhere and they have excellent pre-made sandwiches you can choose and pay for at the register. Also have good juices and fruit to eat, and some tables. We also ate at pubs.

I'm sure you've already booked your lodging by now, but just wanted to mention that London School of Economics (mentioned by previous poster) typically only rents out rooms during the summer months - usually July through part of September. Unless LSE changed it, their one exception was Northumberland House which has a small handful of rooms they call "Top Floor" which are available to travelers year round, but these book very fast. Thought you, or others looking for lodging outside of the summer season, should be aware of this.

Not sure location of where you'll be staying. But there are street markets where it is easy to buy fruit cheaper than at sandwich bars. Also try Marks & Spencer food halls or their Simply Food outlets, where you can get sandwiches, salad meals etc. Also most of the supermarkets (including Sainsbury's local) and branches of Boots the Chemist have chiller cabinets with sandwiches/salads etc.

SM, People that use hostels will often be very much like you, travelers who are careful of their belongings. I stayed in one last year in Zurich with another American, a Dane, a Canadian and a Vietnamese. While I made sure to keep my most expensive possession, my DSLR, on me at all times and didn't leave it in the room, I wasn't really worried. Each one of you is traveling and worried about your things, you are kinda forced into a social contract of mutual trust. Theft can be a problem at hostels of course, but often times it ends up being something like "I won't mess with your things as long as you don't mess with mine," and everyone is friendly.

Thanks for the recommendations. The first half of our trip we are staying in a B&B (GBP 65/night) and then the last half we are staying in a hostel (Astor Hyde Park). I'm kind of nervous about it sleeping in a room with strangers but luckily we are only sharing two other beds. I may have to sleep with one eye open the first night :)

A few suggestions since it sounds like your 1st hostel stay: If you are a light sleeper, bring earplugs & a sleep mask. You never know if your bunk mates will be snoring or flipping overhead light on to search for something in their luggage in middle of the night. A headlamp or small flashlight can come in handy if it is you coming in late & needing to search your bag while everyone else is sleeping (also useful if you are on top bunk & need to climb down in dark to get to toilet). I've stayed in a few hostels w/ no shades or very thin curtains, so sleep mask comes in handy to avoid being up at crack of dawn. Bring your own padlock if hostel provides lockers so you can secure your belongings. If there are no lockers, a small cable lock is usually enough to secure bag to fixed object (like bed railing) as most theft takes place if a bunk mate leaves door to room open when they leave or use bathroom & someone sees that as a good opportunity to quickly steal. Some people bring wallets/moneybelt/passport w/ them when they use showers, but as you are travelling w/ husband, you can always take turns. Don't tempt fate & leave small items or expensive electronics out on bed even if you are just running down the hall for a minute (iPods, cell phones, laptops, camera, etc). Pack flip flops (even cheap foam ones nail salon gives you during pedicure are fine). While most hostels are clean, bathrooms & showers can sometimes be pretty nasty. Rest easy...the other poster is right when they said you are sharing a room with other travelers that are perfectly nice & respectful of your belongings, as they are hoping the same goes for you.

I would "second" the suggestion of looking at the LSE or other campus dorms. They are affordable, a good value and often centrally located. As for the Oyster Card, they are now accepted on buses as well as the tube and so a much more convenient option. Check out Rick's London guide for some high-value dining options, too. On a recent trip I stayed at LSE and used a local website to find highly rated affordable dining options and was pleasantly surprised many of these same places were suggested in Rick's London book. Breakfast was much better than in typical B&B's on previous trips.