diff --git a/src/frontend/ftesopt.c b/src/frontend/ftesopt.c
index 19bbd82ea..7aca8d4ee 100644
--- a/src/frontend/ftesopt.c
+++ b/src/frontend/ftesopt.c
@@ -56,21 +56,15 @@ getFTEstat(struct FTEparm *p, FTESTATistics *stat, struct variable *next)
 
     switch (p->id) {
     case FTEOPT_NLDECK:
-        v = TMALLOC(struct variable, 1);
-        v->va_name = copy(p->description);
-        v->va_next = next;
+        v = var_alloc(copy(p->description), next);
         var_set_num(v, stat->FTESTATdeckNumLines);
         return v;
     case FTEOPT_NLT:
-        v = TMALLOC(struct variable, 1);
-        v->va_name = copy(p->description);
-        v->va_next = next;
+        v = var_alloc(copy(p->description), next);
         var_set_real(v, stat->FTESTATnetLoadTime);
         return v;
     case FTEOPT_NPT:
-        v = TMALLOC(struct variable, 1);
-        v->va_name = copy(p->description);
-        v->va_next = next;
+        v = var_alloc(copy(p->description), next);
         var_set_real(v, stat->FTESTATnetParseTime);
         return v;
     default:
diff --git a/src/frontend/options.c b/src/frontend/options.c
index b91930849..af31ee6e6 100644
--- a/src/frontend/options.c
+++ b/src/frontend/options.c
@@ -52,9 +52,7 @@ cp_enqvar(char *word)
             double value = isreal(d)
                 ? d->v_realdata[0]
                 : realpart(d->v_compdata[0]);
-            vv = TMALLOC(struct variable, 1);
-            vv->va_name = copy(word);
-            vv->va_next = NULL;
+            vv = var_alloc(copy(word), NULL);
             var_set_real(vv, value);
         } else {
             struct variable *list = NULL;
@@ -64,15 +62,11 @@ cp_enqvar(char *word)
                     ? d->v_realdata[i]
                     : realpart(d->v_compdata[i]);
                 struct variable *tv;
-                tv = TMALLOC(struct variable, 1);
-                tv->va_name = NULL;
-                tv->va_next = list;
+                tv = var_alloc(NULL, list);
                 var_set_real(tv, value);
                 list = tv;
             }
-            vv = TMALLOC(struct variable, 1);
-            vv->va_name = copy(word);
-            vv->va_next = NULL;
+            vv = var_alloc(copy(word), NULL);
             var_set_vlist(vv, list);
         }
 
@@ -88,39 +82,27 @@ cp_enqvar(char *word)
             if (eq(vv->va_name, word))
                 return (vv);
         if (eq(word, "curplotname")) {
-            vv = TMALLOC(struct variable, 1);
-            vv->va_name = copy(word);
-            vv->va_next = NULL;
+            vv = var_alloc(copy(word), NULL);
             var_set_string(vv, copy(plot_cur->pl_name));
         } else if (eq(word, "curplottitle")) {
-            vv = TMALLOC(struct variable, 1);
-            vv->va_name = copy(word);
-            vv->va_next = NULL;
+            vv = var_alloc(copy(word), NULL);
             var_set_string(vv, copy(plot_cur->pl_title));
         } else if (eq(word, "curplotdate")) {
-            vv = TMALLOC(struct variable, 1);
-            vv->va_name = copy(word);
-            vv->va_next = NULL;
+            vv = var_alloc(copy(word), NULL);
             var_set_string(vv, copy(plot_cur->pl_date));
         } else if (eq(word, "curplot")) {
-            vv = TMALLOC(struct variable, 1);
-            vv->va_name = copy(word);
-            vv->va_next = NULL;
+            vv = var_alloc(copy(word), NULL);
             var_set_string(vv, copy(plot_cur->pl_typename));
         } else if (eq(word, "plots")) {
             struct variable *list = NULL;
             struct plot *pl;
             for (pl = plot_list; pl; pl = pl->pl_next) {
                 struct variable *tv;
-                tv = TMALLOC(struct variable, 1);
-                tv->va_name = NULL;
-                tv->va_next = list;
+                tv = var_alloc(NULL, list);
                 var_set_string(tv, copy(pl->pl_typename));
                 list = tv;
             }
-            vv = TMALLOC(struct variable, 1);
-            vv->va_name = copy(word);
-            vv->va_next = NULL;
+            vv = var_alloc(copy(word), NULL);
             var_set_vlist(vv, list);
         }
         if (vv)
diff --git a/src/frontend/spiceif.c b/src/frontend/spiceif.c
index c48ac6481..a44427e8c 100644
--- a/src/frontend/spiceif.c
+++ b/src/frontend/spiceif.c
@@ -964,28 +964,20 @@ parmtovar(IFvalue *pv, IFparm *opt)
 
     switch (opt->dataType & IF_VARTYPES) {
     case IF_INTEGER:
-        vv = TMALLOC(struct variable, 1);
-        vv->va_name = copy(opt->description);
-        vv->va_next = NULL;
+        vv = var_alloc(copy(opt->description), NULL);
         var_set_num(vv, pv->iValue);
         return vv;
     case IF_REAL:
     case IF_COMPLEX:
-        vv = TMALLOC(struct variable, 1);
-        vv->va_name = copy(opt->description);
-        vv->va_next = NULL;
+        vv = var_alloc(copy(opt->description), NULL);
         var_set_real(vv, pv->rValue);
         return vv;
     case IF_STRING:
-        vv = TMALLOC(struct variable, 1);
-        vv->va_name = copy(opt->description);
-        vv->va_next = NULL;
+        vv = var_alloc(copy(opt->description), NULL);
         var_set_string(vv, pv->sValue);
         return vv;
     case IF_FLAG:
-        vv = TMALLOC(struct variable, 1);
-        vv->va_name = copy(opt->description);
-        vv->va_next = NULL;
+        vv = var_alloc(copy(opt->description), NULL);
         var_set_bool(vv, pv->iValue ? TRUE : FALSE);
         return vv;
     case IF_REALVEC: {
@@ -993,15 +985,11 @@ parmtovar(IFvalue *pv, IFparm *opt)
         int i;
         for (i = pv->v.numValue; --i >= 0;) {
             struct variable *nv;
-            nv = TMALLOC(struct variable, 1);
-            nv->va_name = NULL;
-            nv->va_next = list;
+            nv = var_alloc(NULL, list);
             var_set_real(nv, pv->v.vec.rVec[i]);
             list = nv;
         }
-        vv = TMALLOC(struct variable, 1);
-        vv->va_name = copy(opt->description);
-        vv->va_next = NULL;
+        vv = var_alloc(copy(opt->description), NULL);
         var_set_vlist(vv, list);
         return vv;
         /* It is a linked list where the first node is a variable
diff --git a/src/frontend/variable.c b/src/frontend/variable.c
index 8c1c1a602..c3eb5aaad 100644
--- a/src/frontend/variable.c
+++ b/src/frontend/variable.c
@@ -104,9 +104,7 @@ cp_vset(char *varname, enum cp_types type, void *value)
     }
 
     if (!v) {
-        v = TMALLOC(struct variable, 1);
-        v->va_name = copy(copyvarname);
-        v->va_next = NULL;
+        v = var_alloc(copy(copyvarname), NULL);
         v_free = TRUE;
     }
 
@@ -280,9 +278,7 @@ cp_setparse(wordlist *wl)
 
         wl = wl->wl_next;
         if ((!wl || (*wl->wl_word != '=')) && !strchr(name, '=')) {
-            vv = TMALLOC(struct variable, 1);
-            vv->va_name = copy(name);
-            vv->va_next = vars;
+            vv = var_alloc(copy(name), vars);
             var_set_bool(vv, TRUE);
             vars = vv;
             tfree(name);        /*DG: cp_unquote Memory leak*/
@@ -343,9 +339,7 @@ cp_setparse(wordlist *wl)
                     if (!--balance)
                         break;
                 }
-                vv = TMALLOC(struct variable, 1);
-                vv->va_name = NULL;
-                vv->va_next = NULL;
+                vv = var_alloc(NULL, NULL);
                 copyval = ss = cp_unquote(wl->wl_word);
                 td = ft_numparse(&ss, FALSE);
                 if (td) {
@@ -370,9 +364,7 @@ cp_setparse(wordlist *wl)
                 return (NULL);
             }
 
-            vv = TMALLOC(struct variable, 1);
-            vv->va_name = copy(name);
-            vv->va_next = vars;
+            vv = var_alloc(copy(name), vars);
             var_set_vlist(vv, listv);
             vars = vv;
 
@@ -382,9 +374,7 @@ cp_setparse(wordlist *wl)
 
         copyval = ss = cp_unquote(val);
         td = ft_numparse(&ss, FALSE);
-        vv = TMALLOC(struct variable, 1);
-        vv->va_name = copy(name);
-        vv->va_next = vars;
+        vv = var_alloc(copy(name), vars);
         vars = vv;
         if (td) {
             /*** We should try to get CP_NUM's... */
@@ -454,9 +444,7 @@ cp_remvar(char *varname)
     }
     if (!v) {
         /* Gotta make up a var struct for cp_usrset()... */
-        v = TMALLOC(struct variable, 1);
-        v->va_name = copy(varname);
-        v->va_next = NULL;
+        v = var_alloc(copy(varname), NULL);
         var_set_num(v, 0);
         found = FALSE;
     }