When you’re in your twenties, any fortune that you make in your lifetime is probably still ahead of you. A New York penthouse and a car and butler both named Bentley may be years away, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t put a little luxury into your life on an entry level salary. Whether it’s your car, your look, or your love life, there’s an affordable way to up your game.

The Next Best Thing to a Stretch Limo

Zipcar is sort of like a “take a penny, leave a penny” dish, except with cars. Car sharing services typically cost around $25 to join, and charge around $8 per hour or $50 for six hours of driving. Once you join Zipcar, you get a card that allows you to reserve, unlock and drive short-term rental cars around town with insurance and gas included. Simply put, you get all the convenience of car ownership with none of the hassle and little of the expense.

Deluxe Dating on a Dime

A table cloth and some candles go a long way in impressing someone. WonderHowTo.com suggests a lavish home cooked meal using basic, inexpensive ingredients like tomatoes, onions, and pasta. A nice tablecloth and wine glasses will make the meal feel a little more expensive than it really is.

As for the fancy meal, buy the ingredients at the start of the week and make that meal for yourself every night until it’s perfect. Then, come the weekend, you’ll be able to really impress and have gotten a week’s worth of groceries out of the deal. Rachel Ray offers a host of “Fast ‘n Fancy” meals you can try out on Food Network.

Dressing Sharp

Jewelry Gal’s blog suggests timeless fashions as an alternative to trying to keep up with the hot trends. This isn’t a bad idea. Metallic jeans are in one week and out the next, but a nice floppy sun hat is neither in or out, it’s just a great look.

For men, here’s a tip: go to the cheapest clothing outlet you can find, be it a thrift store or a big box store, and find a suit that’s too big for you. Take this suit to the tailor and have it custom trimmed to your specifications, and you’ll have a $1200 suit at about a tenth the price. That may eat up a lot of your clothes budget, but what were you gonna buy instead? “Funny” t-shirts and cargo shorts? Besides, it’s the only suit you’re going to need until you make it big.

Living well on a budget isn’t just a temporary fix until you get rich, it’s a way to enjoy life in such a way that you don’t need as much money. You’ll now have the time, the freedom and the peace of mind that you need to chase your career goals without worry.

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