Keeping yourself on a budget can be overwhelming. Making ends meet is liable to stress anyone out, but there are simple, daily steps you can take to decrease your spending and increase your savings. None of those steps, however, will really work, because you simply aren’t being compensated properly for your labor! That’s why we recommend totally hacking your budget by organizing your community to fight for a living wage. Here’s how:

Skip the Daily Lattes

Americans reportedly spend approximately $1000 a year on coffee, so we suggest skipping your early morning Americano to become a savings savant. Plus, then you can afford to buy an afternoon coffee at your meeting with a friend who is also interested in immediate political change! Changing your habits can be hard, but trying to live off $7.25 an hour is even harder.

Track Every Dollar

Keeping a ledger of every penny you spend can help you examine where your money goes. Your spending habits have likely changed over time, unlike the federal minimum wage which hasn’t changed since 2009! Tracking your daily spending can you have you budgeting like a boss, much like your boss decreases spending by paying you starvation wages. Accountability is so important, so reach out to a coworker and see if they’ll help you hold your boss accountable by unionizing!

Buy Last Year’s Phone

Every year the big tech companies announce a brand new phone, but trying to keep up with the latest trends is a sure-fire way to drain your wallet. In need of a new phone? Stores will often sell last year’s model at a much lower price. Rest assured knowing that phone will have all the texting, calling, and social media capability you need to reach out to your community members who feel strangled by a system that doesn’t value their labor. Or get the new phone! Turns out the reason you’re struggling isn’t small luxuries, but actually the systemic exploitation of workers. Adulting is hard!

Managing your finances is difficult, but follow these simple tips and you’ll be on your way to becoming a boss budgeting babe, all while fighting the oppression of the working class! Budget = hacked.