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A friend from high school visited me last weekend and we got to talking. Her salary is solid but not high in comparison to some of our other friends. She loves what she does and she’s great at it. And despite making a somewhat modest salary, she has a cute apartment, a cool wardrobe and the lifestyle she wants. How does she do it?

• She lives in an affordable city. My city, on the other hand, is pretty cha-ching. We compared notes and she pays $500 less in rent than I do for about the same square footage. Wow. • She takes good care of her car. A special fund for ongoing car maintenance keeps her older bmw on the road. No monthly payments on a shiny new model for her. And since its older, her insurance is lower too. • She gets a produce box and cooks in. She found a community produce organization that sells organic weekly produce boxes for cheap. Each week, she uses the goods to make large batches of soups, curries, pastas and stirfrys—then she takes them to work. • She hits up cafés instead of restaurants or bars. A $5 mocha may seem like pricey, but it’s nothing compared to dinner and drinks. • She chooses fun carefully. Hey—between motorcycles, weekend getaways, big shows, spa days—the girl still lives it up. She doesn’t skimp on the things that are important to her; she just chooses carefully. • She saves every receipt. At the end of the week she reviews them to see how much shes really spending on lattes and shows.

So, whether youre a student on a practically non-existent budget, or making the biggest salary you ever have—save yourself some scrilla. Youll have more for the things that really matter to you.

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