Sad to say, the stellar expansion of the Festival over the last ten years has been echoed by ballooning ticket prices. Locals lament the days when a Fringe ticket came in at under a fiver - and venues, with their volunteer staffs, express increasing concern about whether those on a student budget will still be here in another ten years' time.

A visit to the Festival is never going to be cheap, but there's no need to panic if you're feeling the pinch. With a little cunning and flexibility, you can cut the daily cost of your trip without sacrificing any of the Edinburgh experience.

One of the best ways to save the pennies is to time your visit around the major free events which spatter the Festival calendar - FringeGuru's Plan Your Visit section has full details of when and where to find them. Whenever you're here, though, there are bargains to be found... if you know where to go to look for them.