If POKERGALAXY there’s one thing I’m pretty good at without trying too hard, it’s saving money. Living beneath your means is probably the most cliché phrase used by financial gurus everywhere, second only to the classic “diversify your portfolio”. To a great extent though, they’re both said for good reasons, namely the fact that they ring true.

Living beneath your means is a fancy way of saying that you should stop spending unnecessary money on things that don’t benefit you. In other words, paying too much for rent, or dealing with a big car loan, is a fast track way to saddle yourself up with extra payments (and not to mention having money fly from your pockets). Unfortunately, these aren’t things you can just change overnight, but they are fixable.

The good news

I know how life is, and I’m not about to instill 20 rules that will suck your entire vacation and social life goodbye. I believe in living, and while it’s important to save, you aren’t guaranteed tomorrow and so act accordingly, but act responsibly. In the past, I’ve managed to take several trips a year out of state and have a social life while still saving thousands of dollars each year, all on an income of less than $50k. If you’ve slacked off on gaining a bit of personal momentum in the area of retirement and savings because you know, life hit or you got lazy yada yada yada, here’s your chance to catch up some, the quick way.

Here are eight ways you can start saving money today by logging into your account online, making a quick phone call, or committing to a lifestyle change. Keep in mind, you can always adjust these as needed, and may serve beneficial only in the short term.

#1 Your source of food

Eating POKERGALAXY out and buying pre-cooked quick food (such as Chipotle) is probably the biggest area you can cut your expenses down. If you truly want to line your pockets with a bit extra dough instead of guacamole, make it a habit to grocery shop every weekend and spend just 2-3 hours max prepping lunch and dinners for the upcoming Monday through Friday. This way, you can save some time and bad choices when you’re inundated with your work life. By following this rule, I literally have never used a coupon or worried about buying expensive cuts of meat, wild fresh caught seafood, or grass fed beef whenever I feel like it. In fact, I never really set aside a budget for groceries, because I know I stick to the basics for the most part. Generally, I cook two to three different kind of marinated or seasoned meats, a source of carbs such as rice or quinoa, and two to three different vegetables. I then mix and match for my lunches and dinners. You won’t necessarily be fine dining with your cuisine, but if you really don’t care and would rather laugh your way to the bank, get it done.

#2 Following the 50/30/20 rule

Google it for details, but I’ll keep it short and simple here. To start off, I firmly believe that most people fall into one of two categories even in their late 20s or 30s: either completely clueless about their finances, or much too detailed, tracking every dollar that comes in and out. You need to live a little, homeboy. Unless you’re saddled with $120k in student loan debt and working a minimum wage job, you don’t need to track every penny.

That said, in order to relax a bit, prevent your hair from falling out, and make paying attention to your finances a better habit, follow the 50/30/20 rule. Fairly simple: 50% of your take-home monthly income is allocated towards fixed costs that are necessary to pay on a month-to-month basis. Rent, utilities, cell phone bill, internet, car insurance, gas, etc. Make it all fit within the half. 30% should then be allocated to variable costs that you can adjust as necessary, such as the cable bill (hopefully you don’t have one), subscription services, and the like. The last 20%, and maybe a bit more, would be allocated towards your savings and retirement. Don’t touch that shit. I know that some people would argue something like a cell phone bill or internet falls under the variable 30% instead of the 50% fixed that I said, so that’s up to you. I know for me, at least, I have pretty basic plans and don’t really see why (or how) I could downgrade to save maybe $5 a month, so it’s staying put where it is.

#3 Stop drinking as much

Now that you’ve hopefully gotten the early and mid-20’s party stage out of your system, you can relax a bit on the consumption of liquor. Maybe you still consider it a crutch and need it to have fun, and you feel weird being out without holding one in your hand. If you can somehow tone it down a notch and be OK holding a water or juice once in awhile, your bank account will take a positive notice. I basically stopped drinking when I go out, minus here and there when I feel like it. We’ll skip the benefits of being healthier, feeling better, and all that titillating jazz, but I’ll just say that I can go out and have fun minus the buzz. Sure, the buzz is nice and feels awesome. Between the health and money benefits, though, I just don’t see the point right now. If you want to get that temporary spicy thrill from drinking, have a couple drinks at home before you head out so you’ll save yourself a good $20+ each time you do this. It adds up quickly.

#4 Look for free events in the area

Self-explanatory and super obvious, you knew this one had to show up somewhere. Plenty of resources for this for each city, from private websites to government sponsored ones. Best if you’re dating someone or want to do something different with a group of friends.

#5 Stop wasting money on dates because you have a desire for attention

You know exactly what I’m talking about. The desire for attention goes both ways, but men are likely the ones dropping more money on dates since traditional rules have it that way. Either way, you got lonely and signed up for any combination of Tinder/Bumble/Coffee Meets Bagel/Plenty of Fish/Hinge/Ok Cupid (hopefully not all at once, but you’d be surprised from what I hear – no wonder people have too many choices and not enough time to give). So now you start going on dates, and the money’s flying right off the bat. You know the chick or dude probably isn’t right for you; you weren’t even that attracted to them based off their pictures. But you meet them up anyway, and before you know it you’re out $50 for a confirmation. Do this a few times a week in the hopes of getting laid or seeking attention, and voila, there goes your 20% for retirement and savings.

#6 Cut down on cell phone bill – are you really using all that data?

Unfortunately, the answer to that question is probably yes. So here’s a two-fold approach to it – maybe it’s time to put your phone down a few more times during the day so Instagram or Snapchat will only be checked 20 times instead of 30. This way, you can actually enjoy being in the present moment a bit more, and save some data. And like magic, you can now cut down your cell phone bill. Win/win, I say. Although I know most of you will disagree, and a number of people are on unlimited plans which wouldn’t affect data rates. Problem is, we are addicted to our phones, and it’s bad.

#7 Lower subscription services to things such as XM, cable TV, etc.

Hopefully by now you’ve cut out your cable bill completely and have smartened up by subscribing to a combination of paid services like Netflix, HBO Now, and a basic HD antenna. If not, and you really want to keep the sports channels, look into Sling TV. If you still insist on having ESPN 8 and HGTV/Bravo, call your provider and ask if they’re running any specials or ways you can keep those channels but lower your bill. Surprisingly, you’ll likely walk away with something good. If you’ve got XM and listen here and there, try maybe switching up to podcasts or jam Spotify if you’ve got unlimited data or a few GB to spare.

#8 Use public transportation or carpool to work

If you live in a sprawled out metropolis like Houston or Los Angeles, taking public transit to work can be a little tricky and actually fairly impractical (unless you live super close to your job). If you can carpool with a coworker you’ve befriended and they live somewhat near you, set up a deal where you switch off every week. Immediately, you’re cutting your gas bill in half on top of saving wear and tear on your car, which no one ever thinks about. Hint: there’s a reason the government rate for mileage on the job is something like 52 cents a mile. You think you’re committing highway robbery there, but when you think of the wear and tear you’re putting on your car, it’s not that fun or funny.

#9 (Bonus) Extremely short term: start using cash instead of your credit card

Sounds archaic, overkill, too much work, impractical, and you’ll probably throw a fit since you can’t collect credit card points. Hence, I said extremely short term. The reason for trying this? It’s pretty eye opening how money can fly when all you have to do is swipe plastic and worry about it later. Even if you pay off your account balance every month (a serious must), it’s just easier to swipe than to realize how much just left your account. Try it for a month, and you’ll likely cringe when you’re out shopping and you see the bills fly.

The Bottom Line

These aren’t hard to grasp, but they’re likely harder to implement than your high school math class. Mrs. Friedman was one of those teachers who did nothing but make you re-think your answers five times, every time. In the same way, these methods to save money immediately will have you rethinking your finances. But this time, in a good way. Nothing is new here; you’ve probably heard a good portion of them before. And on top of that, chances are some of these won’t really apply to you for one reason or another, be it circumstances or personal choice. If that’s the case, look to adjust your bigger expenses next, such as cheaper rent, refinancing your car or mortgage, and the likes.

For real though, get to saving some money.