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Buy glasses online. It can be 70 percent cheaper to buy at sites such as zennioptical.com than at a store. That's $210 off a $300 pair of specs. AARP members can save at EyeMed.

Shop around for meds. Area drug prices can vary widely. For example, a customer in Raleigh, N.C., was quoted $249 at a national chain for duloxetine. Costco charged $43 for the same prescription. Savings: $206.

Be a chill driver. Hard braking and speeding can lower your gas mileage by 30 to 40 percent. At an annual gas consumption of 480 gallons, you could save $460.

Ask for open-box items — display models or unused products returned to the retailer (but not returned to the factory like refurbished items). A $1,200 MacBook Air, for example, was purchased in an open box for $230 less.

Get taxes done free. AARP Foundation offers free tax preparation to people with low to moderate incomes. Go to aarp.org/taxaide or call 888-687-2277. Save $273 on average.

Adopt a mutt. Many shelters offer pets for free or a small fee; a breeder can charge $500 or more.

Buy gas on Monday. It's the cheapest gas day in 23 states, according to GasBuddy. Thursday is the most expensive day. Stick to Mondays and save $325 a year.

Hire a haggler. Companies such as BillFixers and Shrinkabill will haggle with your cable TV company or other service providers for one-third to half of your first-year savings. BillFixers claims it saves clients an average of $300 per year.

Beef up your computer. Many PCs include only 4GB of DRAM, the active memory used when your computer is on. Add another 4GB ($33) for smoother operation. Then add a solid-state drive ($114) for more and faster storage. Save $500 or more compared with a new computer.