diff --git a/src/misc.c b/src/misc.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..97de89488c1f1afb9c95333f97f7b8935d0c3cfb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/misc.c
@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
+/** @file misc.c
+ *  @brief Miscellaneous utilities.
+ */
+
+#include <stdlib.h>
+#include <stdio.h>
+
+extern char *invok_name;
+
+/** @brief  Allocates memory with check and (eventually) error reporting. */
+void*
+xmalloc (size_t size)
+{
+  void *value = malloc(size);
+  if (value == 0) {
+    fprintf (stderr, "%s: virtual memory exhausted", invok_name);
+    exit (1);
+  }
+  return value;
+}
+
+/** @brief Reallocates memory */
+void *
+xrealloc (void *ptr, size_t size)
+{
+  void *value = realloc (ptr, size);
+  if (value == 0) {
+    fprintf (stderr, "%s: Virtual memory exhausted", invok_name);
+    exit (1);
+  }
+  return value;
+}
+
+
+/** @brief Reallocates memory, but now initializes the memory to zero. */
+void*
+xcalloc (size_t count, size_t size)
+{
+  void *value;
+
+  value = calloc (count, size);
+  if (value == 0){
+    fprintf (stderr, "%s: virtual memory exhausted", invok_name);
+    exit (1);
+  }
+  return value;
+}