9 Money Saving Tips To Ease Your First World Pains

Even if you're living eons outside of your means (claiming poverty while reading this on your smartphone/MacBook, for instance), with these simple thrifty tricks, you may be able to keep that Champagne taste on a Natty Light budget.

1. Start your day with a Starbucks grande for a [less] tall price

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Instead of ordering a tall coffee with room for milk (ie: 3/4 of a tall coffee), order a tall in a grande cup—usually you'll end up with more coffee. And if you're a black coffee drinker, you're probably a real adult with concerns that far exceed financing your designer caffeine.

2. Two words on the gym: Trial Membership

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Realistically, if you're active enough to necessitate a gym membership, you would probably already have one. So before investing in your aspirational hot bod, register for trial memberships at every local gym (most will offer a free week or an amazing discount). After that—if you haven't yet fallen off the workout wagon—consider the big membership purchase.

3. Going out? Bring a flask.

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Not into the $12 mixed drink ("Not bad!" said everyone in Manhattan)? Pack a flask in your purse or on your person, order a soft drink at the bar, pour in your smuggled alcohol, and BAM: fun on budget.

4. Samples = free lunch

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After a few loops around a samples goldmine like Costco or Sam's Club, you'll be plenty full. Seriously, just shamelessly sample in lieu of lunch a couple of times and your membership will pay for itself.

5. Manicure: $20; Bottle of polish: $8; Sephora: FREE

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Your friends, Essie, OPI and Nicole, aren't exactly budget friendly—but rather than condemn your nails to an eternity of the few tired tubes that have lived in your medicine cabinet for...ever, try this: At Sephora, all bajillion shades have a "tester" tube, and some stores actually have stands designated for nail painting—sounds like a perfect Friday night ritual.

6. Hollywood makeover on a starving-artist's budget

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Just a simple trim might qualify for a payment plan, and highlights? Forget it—or forget dinner for the month. Volunteer to be a hair model for stylists-in-training, and a luxe look can be yours for a fraction of the price, or for free. Salonapprentice.com, available in several major cities, allows stylists to post services that require models. Craigslist also posts hair model opportunities—and, hey, if the results aren't great, at least the the paper bag you'll wear on your head for the next week won't break the bank!

7. Selfish gifts are still generous

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Whether it's for a holiday, a birthday or a significant event, gifts are tough because they have to be thoughtful, creative, what you want to give, and what you can afford to give. So treat yourself too! If you buy a certificate on Groupon (or any of the other equally acceptable discount providers) for a restaurant, guess what? You're eating too! Or a pizza making class or tickets to a play or whatever you've probably had your eye on for months. Just because the gift benefits you too doesn't make it less kind (I think).

8. Don't purchase, rent new clothes

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When Jennifer Hudson taught us about renting purses on Bag Borrow or Steal in the first Sex and the City movie, she granted entry-level fashionistas high fashion purchasing power. Another service to bookmark: Rent the Runway offers designer dresses and accessory rentals to be yours for the night and includes a prepaid envelope to send the goods back in the next day. Costs range depending on the item and its retail value, but channelling Cinderella for a night of Badgley Mischka or Vera Wang is [almost] priceless.

9. Get bang for your box office buck

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The movie theater business is tanking, so ticket prices are skyrocketing (because that's an enticement to consumers, right?). At most theaters, showtimes before noon are way cheaper, so plan accordingly. And if your moral compass doesn't point due north, pack your lunch and sneak into a second flick.

10. Free lunch? There's a meeting for that!

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Do you work at a large company or go to a large college? If so, there are plenty of meetings and/or clubs that will provide lunch. And does it matter if you care at all about the Ph.D program in geology, or whatever the purpose of the gathering may be? NO! You care about vast abundance of sandwich trays and pizza pies, damnit!

11. Sell your organs

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Seriously? KIDDING. But if you thought this was this was real, take none of these tips and actually cut back... sorry, awkward.