James Bond needs a pretty big chequebook to bankroll his lifestyle – but one clever saver has proven it is possible to emulate the super spy for a tiny budget – sort of
Image: Dan Jones Images)
Being James Bond can get expensive – from smashing up pricey sports cars in high-speed chases to betting millions of pounds in Casino Royale.
But one savvy saver has worked out how to be Bond on a budget – of just £100.70.
To tie in with the release of the latest Bond film, No Time To Die , Mark Teale has laid out how to spend a day like the super spy, but with super-thrifty budgeting.
“As somebody who prides himself on getting good value, watching 007 once again slap down his credit card (whether at a hotel, casino or swanky cocktail bar) without a second thought gets my head spinning,” Teale said.
No Bond film is complete without a dinner jacket – but Teale turned his back on Savile Row tailors and went to Burton instead.
A full dinner jacket cost just £55 from the menswear retailer – the biggest overall expense.
What do you think of Teale’s poundstretching? Let us know in the comments below
Sadly the £100 budget couldn’t stretch to renting a supercar, but it will let you get the next-best thing – the London Underground.
(
Image:
Dan Jones Images)
“When it comes to finding the right transport to hit up the capital, a £280,000 Aston Martin was out of the question – yet the bus is just too slow for Bond,” Teale said .”So it had to be the Tube – it’s quick, it’s slick and it’s underground. Just like me.”
He then headed to a favourite spot for Bond’s clandestine meetings – the National Gallery, in Trafalgar Square.
The gallery features in the 2012 Bond film Skyfall, where Bond meets his quartermaster, Q, to get gadgets for a mission.
Sadly, Teale said the only tech he could afford was a simcard on a £6-a-month contract, which he used to get to the riverside headquarters of Bond’s employers – MI6.
(
Image:
Dan Jones Images)
He went part of the way using a river taxi, the Thames Clipper – which cost £7.30, but “felt like a good value way to be a little more Bond”.
After a £3 sandwich Neale headed to get Bond’s signature drink – a martini, shaken not stirred.
However, the barman in a local All Bar One looked “unimpressed” when Teale placed an order, apparently.
Still, with happy hour cocktails priced at two for £14, it was a thrifty way to drink like 007.
(
Image:
Dan Jones Images)
(
Image:
Dan Jones Images)
No day as Bond would be complete without a chance to gamble.
“Luckily I had come prepared with a £3 scratchcard – while it may not have been Casino Royale, I certainly felt my luck was in,” Teale told The Mirror.
Many Bond films feature scenes in a top-end restaurant, and Teale was determined to keep up appearances.
So he headed to a local brasserie with 1930s Art Deco decor, which had a suitable vibe – and where two courses and a glass of wine cost £15.45.
“Counting up the bills at the end of the day I thought to myself I’ve not just saved the world, I’ve saved my bank balance too,” Teale said.
Nick Silverwood of Plusnet, who bankrolled Teale for the day, said: “While we can’t all be James Bond, Mark has proven by doing your research and shopping around we can get exactly what we want for far less than expected.”
Read More
Read More
Discussion about this post