10 simple hacks to save some extra money this year

Tax Credits, Flickr

Putting extra money away is a deceivingly complicated thing. On one hand, someday you won’t want to or be able to work anymore and will need extra cash to comfortably live out the rest of your days being the dirty old man you’ve been aspiring to be your whole life. On the other hand, we’re young and want the world (and some beer as well). Here are some easy ways to save a little extra money this year. What are some of your favorite methods?

Photo credit: Tax Credits, Flickr

10 Use the Same Razor For a Longer Period of Time

p_a_h, Flickr

Razors have gotten stupid expensive over the last decade or so. Why can’t we all be as adept with straight razor-wielding as those albino twins in The Matrix Reloaded were? Luckily, you can keep your razors dry for longer use. Another good way to get the nicks out of razors for extended use is to slide them up and down a length of old jeans 20 or so times after each use.

Photo credit: p_a_h, Flickr

9 Drink Your Booze With No or Low-Cal Mixers

GoodNCrazy, Flickr

Get yourself to the drunk-level you want quickly and efficiently by not loading up on heavy brews or calorie-laden mixed drinks. Instead, try a Jack and diet, whiskey and water, or a shot of tequila. A study done by the University of North Texas Health Science Center found that lo-cal drinking increases an alcoholic beverage’s impact by around 18%. That’s one, two or three less drinks you’ll need to buy during your night out (depending on how much of a lush you are).

Photo credit: GoodNCrazy, Flickr

8 Use Price Comparison Web Sites


Comparison sites like GasBuddy and PriceGrabber take just a few seconds to use and can help save you cash year-round. There’s also an insta-coupon plug-in called Honey for auto-savings that pop up at your checkout cart for online purchases. Do it.

Photo credit: PriceGrabber

7 Use Your Library

cybrgrl, Flickr

Instead of buying DVDs and books, check out your local library for plenty of free titles. Some libraries even have Blu-rays now. And if you hate libraries, just think back to the opening scene of Ghostbusters. See, now you like libraries slightly more.

Photo credit: cybrgrl, Flickr

6 Bring Snacks to the Movies

Marlon Hammes, Flickr

This one time back in college I took an entire foot-long chicken sub into a movie theater and ate it with great gusto. I’m not suggesting you go this far, but doesn’t grabbing a few candy bars at a gas station for $4 sound better than a deceivingly tiny portion of nonpareils for the same amount?

Photo credit: Marlon Hammes, Flickr

5 Make Your Own Coffee or Tea

Dan4th, Flickr

It may not seem like a lot, paying around $1 per day for a plain coffee, but it’s unnecessary given that some coffee grounds or a tea bag and hot water cost maybe 10 cents at most for you to throw together yourself. And if you want the full Starbucks experience, then buy some of their coffee and flirt with yourself like you’re a barista.

Photo credit: Dan4th, Flickr

4 Keep Your Soap Dry

Horia Varlan, Flickr

Bars of soap that sit in water dissolve more quickly over time. (Insert ‘dropping the soap’ joke here.)

Photo credit: Horia Varlan, Flickr

3 Don’t Throw Away Leftovers

Muffet, Flickr

I know you can’t believe how much you ate and that there’s still food left, but don’t throw it out. Get it wrapped up and I guarantee in a day or two you’ll be thinking back to your meal with fond memories, instead of the butt-wrenching pain you’re currently experiencing. For example: Chinese. If you have some leftover sauce, broccoli, crunchy noodles and rice, all it takes is throwing in some meat or tofu to make it a complete meal instead of trash-bound.

Photo credit: Muffet, Flickr

2 Cook With Leftover Animal Fat

joyosity, Flickr

Instead of throwing out extra rendered bacon or beef fat, use it to cook something delicious. Store in your fridge or freezer, and then throw it in a pan. Case in point: if you cook onions and garlic in bacon fat with spices and crushed tomatoes, all of a sudden you’ve made yourself a homemade bacon-tomato sauce.

Photo credit: joyosity, Flickr

1 Try Amazon Scheduled Shipments


If you’re the type to need the same snacks, paper products, over-the-counter meds or other everyday items regularly, Amazon has a cool feature that gives you a 5-15% discount on the same item as long as you allow them to schedule regular shipments between one and six months. It even has a notification and option to cancel the order every time.

Photo credit: Amazon