It's wet out there. If you can drag yourself away from online shopping and reality TV here are some nifty thrifty distractions for the week ahead.
Tonight: Ahead of a weekend of shopping related events, get out of work early and get along to LSE's public lecture "Scroogenomics: Why You Shouldn't Buy Presents For Christmas" from 5pm. Free, first come, first served.
Friday: To celebrate the release of the One Eye Grey theme tune, there's a gathering at the Pullens Centre, Walworth between 8-10pm. Expect to hear murder ballads, scary stories, tales of south London wonder and the marvellous Nigel of Bermondsey and London Dreamtime singing stories from the streets. Plus, the traditional pre-Xmas Pullens Yard sale, with free mince pies, mulled wine, carol singing. Just follow the rats from Elephant and Castle.
Expect a mega singsong with Extraordinary Voices: Late @ Tate Britain, free entry, 6pm-10pm.
And the National Gallery is open till 9pm as usual.
Saturday: It's all about Christmas Shopping today with VIP day in the West End, meaning traffic free streets. Take advantage and walk down the middle of Oxford Street trying to spot bargains from a distance. Roads are closed 10.30am - 8pm. Be wary of the rush for buses at the perimeter when you're done.
Creekside Artists, Deptford, are having open studios this weekend, 11.30am-6pm with drinks, music, performance and more. Go and be nosy. Buy some stuff.
Back in the city, the Evil Xmas Fair at The East Room & SOSHO, 2 Tabernacle Street EC2A 4LU between 12-5pm offers a cult art exhibition and unique alternative Christmas presents from £3. £1 donation entry in aid of Streetsmart, Saturday and Sunday.
And it's only £5 to get yourself some unfathomable church based music and poetry in Shoreditch from 5pm to midnight.
Sunday: Get your cycle clips on down in Gillett Square, Dalston and help power the artwork: Magnificent Revolution. If you can't be bothered, show up anyway and experience the audio installation, "In Clean Air We Fly" by Kaffe Matthews. Between 12-9pm.
Or take the kids along to the Photographers Gallery for family workshop on "Imaginary Worlds" between 2-5pm. Bring a favourite photograph in hand and turn it "into something magical". Free. Kids must be accompanied by an adult.
Monday: It's free film night Cigarette Burns at the Mucky Pup from 7.30pm. It's "Peter Jackson's gut-blendingly brilliant Braindead" for the feature preceeded by some "zombie-riffic shorts". Get there early.
Tuesday: November's Museum of the Month, the Grant Museum of Zoology has another fab talk this evening, Adventures of a Fossil Collector, from 6.30pm. Geologist, Richard Fortey, looks back on 40 years of global fossil collecting whilst you sup your gratis glass of wine. Free.
Wednesday: The Secret Chiefs meet tonight for Saturnalia, the ancient Roman festival of fun and role-swapping. 7.30pm at the Devereux pub, 20 Devereux Court WC2. Admission is £2 (£1 concs). All are welcome.
Please let us know of cheap or free things that haven't crossed our radar this week. It's like a public information service for the budget conscious. Email londonist at gmail dot com, tweet @londonist or leave us a lovely comment. Thanks.
