Don't Get Skin Cancer!

See anything wrong with this picture?  Check out the answer below (it should be obvious).

All three sunscreens cost over $10!  I enjoy going to the beach as much as anyone else, but it becomes very hard to justify going when I have to practically hand over my paycheck to prevent looking like an ad for Victoria's Secret Pink Collection.  While on a recent trip to the overpriced state of California, I made note of some people that obviously felt the same way, and had found a solution to my dilemma. 

Wise beyond his years.

The solution, of course, is to skip the sunscreen altogether, and wear long sleeves and a huge hat when the sun is beating down.  The initial benefits are obvious.  A tube of sunscreen will generally last one season, so wearing your favorite sweater to Laguna Beach as the man to the right did, will net you savings somewhere in the $10 per year range.  This technique will save you more than just money, however:

• Don't have the time to go to the gym for a ripped summer body or are you 90 years old and your body is disgusting?  Cover it up!  

• Is the sun reflecting off your bald head blinding those nearest to you? Put a hat on it!  

• Afraid that you'll get a farmer's tan?  How about getting no tan! 

While this is just a small portion of the benefits, I'll leave it to you to come up with some more.

Advanced Technique

Don't be ashamed to bring your umbrella to the beach.

What happens when you don't want to wear a hat or you just can't afford hats like the lovely couple above?  There's a neat tool for this that women used hundreds of years ago: the parasol.  For those that don't know, a parasol is just an umbrella used to block out sun instead of rain.  As a result, a parasol can be made of many different materials that are not necessarily waterproof, and they don't have to be as resistant to the winds that frequently accompany storms.  Unfortunately, parasols are much harder to find than umbrellas.  Luckily, an umbrella will do the job just fine.  In addition, if you already have an umbrella lying around, it won't cost you anything extra to re-purpose it into a sun blocking money saver.

If you like money but dislike skin cancer, ignore the sunscreen and grab the winter wardrobe.  When you see that extra $10 in your bank account, you'll be glad you did.

Don't Pay for Water. Save Money.

It takes a lot of water to stay alive.  It shouldn't take a lot of money.  For those not fortunate enough to get their water from a well, the law provides a convenient and free method of boosting your retirement nest egg.  Specifically, regarding places of employment, OSHA Standard number 1910.141(b)(1)(iii) states,

"Potable drinking water dispensers shall be designed, constructed, and serviced so that sanitary conditions are maintained, shall be capable of being closed, and shall be equipped with a tap."

You can also get your water from precipitation, runoff and streamflow,

 before it ends up in the ocean to repeat the water cycle.

As long as you have a job in the U.S., you have access to clean tap water.  Every day when you go to work, fill a water jug for home hydration and start saving. Remember to take extra for the weekend!

Your cost savings will depend on how much money you wasted before changing your water habits.  Assume a typical male and female couple living together collectively drinks 5.2 liters (1.374 gallons) per day to stay alive at a cost of $0.02 per gallon.  This comes out to only $0.027 per day, but over the course of a whole year, this quickly adds up to a total of $10.03.  Like all investments, the earlier you start, the bigger you save.  If you can keep this up for 40 years till retirement, you'll have an extra $401.20 to your name.  Not bad for a simple life changing tip.