Interesting and unusual things to do for a fiver or less this week. For more ideas have a look at our Free & Cheap page.
All Week
ENTERPRISE WEEK: Wandsworth Enterprise Week is going on all week with various events to help those who want to set up their own business. See the full list of events, including social media workshops and a youth enterprise day. Free, prebook, 2-7 February
MEMORIES OF CHINA: Horniman Museum's free exhibition, Memories Of China, displays items exploring the lives and experiences of Chinese migrants in the UK in the early 20th century, and their relationship with their homeland. Free, just turn up, until 12 April
MATHS EXHIBITION: UCL celebrates 150 years of the London Mathematical Society with an exhibition of documents and correspondence from important figures such as Augustus de Morgan, alongside items from special collections that represent the numbers one to nine. Free, just turn up, until 18 December 2015
CHURCHILL EXHIBITION: Science Museum's latest exhibition, Churchill's Scientists, focuses on how the war leader's scientific thinking was put to use during World War Two. Free, just turn up, until 1 March 2016
Monday 2 February
NATIONAL THEATRE: Dame Joan Plowright is the subject of today's National Theatre Platform. She talks to director Richard Digby Day about her acting career, from her rise to stardom in London and on Broadway, to the National Theatre, established by her husband Laurence Olivier. £4/£3, prebook, 2.30pm
CROSS STITCH: Bring your cross stitch along and relax with other crafters at Drink Shop Do. Experts will be on hand to help out and provide inspiration. £5, just turn up, 7.30pm. Also at Drink Shop Do is a chance to make inappropriate Valentine's Day cards. Free with a drink, just turn up, from 7pm
Tuesday 3 February
HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR: Bea Green, who escaped the Holocaust on the Kindertransport in June 1939 and was fostered by a family in Winchester, is at Wiener Library to talk about her experiences. Free, prebook, 11.30am
KNITTING: The Fleming Collection runs free knitting drop in sessions, where you can help with making knitted booties which will be donated to Knit For Peace. Materials and refreshments provided. Free, just turn up, 1pm-3pm
DINOSAUR LECTURE: UCL's lunchtime lecture, by Professor Steve Miller, is about the role that the media has played in making it known that dinosaurs were wiped out by the impact of a large asteroid about 66 million years ago. Free, just turn up, 1.15pm-1.55pm
HUMANITIES: There's a panel discussion at the British Academy about why the humanities matter now, and how they help our democracy and cultural wellbeing. Free, prebook, 6pm
SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY: LSE holds a talk about anti-immigration arguments which rest on a series of unfounded psychological assumptions. Professor Reicher will propose a new framework for understanding and action. Free, just turn up, 6.30pm
POETRY: Burn After Reading Poetry is at Seven Dials Club in Covent Garden with a performance from spoken word artist Maria Ferguson and readings from the BAR poets. £5, just turn up, 7.45pm
Wednesday 4 February
RENT: There’s a day of talks and workshops for tenants at Rent Freedom Day in Westminster, plus lunchtime comedy from Josie Long and Andy Zaltzman. Free (donations welcome), prebook, 9am-5pm
EARLY UNIVERSE: Gresham College's lunchtime lecture looks at what happened during the ‘dark ages’ that span the period between the Big Bang and the first galaxies, and see how the very early Universe came to resemble the one we see around us now.Free, just turn up, 1pm
DIRTY OLD LONDON: Dirty Old London author Lee Jackson gives a talk at South Friern Library as part of Barnet Libraries Festival. He'll talk about the book which covers a city where "horse traffic filled the streets with dung, household rubbish went uncollected, cesspools brimmed with 'night soil', graveyards teemed with rotting corpses, the air itself was choked with smoke". £1, prebook, 6.30pm-8pm
LONG MARCH OF POP: To coincide with the current exhibition at Saatchi Gallery, Post Pop: East Meets West, Thomas Crow, author of The Long March of Pop is in conversation with Richard Cork, award-winning art critic, historian, broadcaster and curator. £5, prebook, 6.45pm
WHIRLYGIG CINEMA: Head to Hackney Attic for Spotlights, a short film night that shines a light on the work of new filmmakers. Three emerging filmmakers are given 30 minutes each to screen and talk about their films. At the end of the night they take part in a Q&A. £5-£3, prebook, 7pm
DASH CAFE: Head to Rich Mix in Shoreditch for an evening of literature and music courtesy of Dash Arts. Peter Pomerantsev's book Nothing is True and Everything is Possible forms the main part of the evening as it is explored with readings, conversation and live music. Free, just turn up, 7.30pm
Thursday 5 February
QUEER ART: As part of LGBT History Month, Wood Green Library hosts a talk by Marcus Dickey Horley, curator of Access Projects at Tate Modern, looking at 100 years of LGBT art from the Tate collection. Free, prebook, 5.30pm
NEW EXHIBITION: American artist Ron English is at Shoreditch's Boxpark to present a retrospective of his irreverent art. Expect a live art performance, DJ music and complimentary drinks. Free, just turn up, 6pm-9pm
PETER SELLARS: Theatre stalwart Peter Sellars is at Rich Mix to talk about theatre, culture and their role in the contemporary world. Free, prebook, 6.30pm
ALBUM LAUNCH: Celebrate the upcoming release of Chasing Grace's debut album, Nowhere Near Old Enough at the Queen of Hoxton. The night will also feature live performances from Braque, Aaron and Blackjack London DJs. £4, prebook, 8pm
TWEETBOX: The Book Club's weekly event gives you the chance to pick the songs you hear by tweeting them to the venue's Twitter account. Best song choice on the night gets a free cocktail. Free, just turn up, 8pm-2am
Friday 6 February
SHOW 'N' TELL: UCL PhD student Simon Maddock has chosen one object from Grant Museum of Zoology's collection to talk about. He'll also be talking about his research using cutting edge DNA sequencing and CT scanning on the evolutionary relationship between reptiles and amphibians on the tropical islands of the Seychelles. Free, just turn up, 1pm-2pm
LUNCHTIME QUARTET: Head to Bishopsgate Institute for a lunchtime performance by The Solem Quartet, winners of the 2014 Royal Overseas League Ensemble Prize. Free, just turn up, 1.05pm
Saturday 7 February
CROSSING BORDERS: Head to Horniman Museum for a family fun day with people newly arrived in the neighbourhood. Join Southwark Day Centre for Asylum Seekers in arts and crafts activities taking place throughout the day. Free, just turn up, 11am-3.30pm
SOCIAL HISTORY: CoolTan Arts CoolWalks leads a free guided walk around East Dulwich and Camberwell to learn about the area's past and social history and how it was transformed into the area it is today. Starts outside Grove Vale Library. Free, just turn up, 12.30pm
EXPLORE ZOOLOGY: Get hands on with some of the specimens at Grant Museum of Zoology. The Explore Zoology family day lets budding zoologists and their families get up close to things such as snake skins and shark teeth. Free, just turn up, 1pm-4.30pm
CHANGING BRITAIN: The first of two sets of short talks in the Changing Britain Festival at Southbank Centre see six speakers come together to think about defence, health and welfare, housing, education and arts and culture over the past 70 years. Free, just turn up, 4pm
Sunday 8 February
ANTIQUES FAIR: Adams Antiques Fair is back at the Royal Horticultural Halls in Westminster. 140 traders come from all over Europe to offer antique linens, fine jewellery, silver, ceramics and paintings. £4, prebook, 10am-4.30pm
BENGAL TO BETHNAL GREEN: Rich Mix hosts an afternoon celebrating Bengali music and arts in East London. The monthly series of concerts features much-loved singers and musicians from the Grand Union Orchestra, directed by international tabla star Yousuf Ali Khan. Free, just turn up, 3.30pm
Check out our map of free things to do in London for more frugal fun. Or pop over to BrokeInLondon.com who also have plenty of great ideas.
