How much money do you save a month since you quit alcohol?
We all love to have a good time and relax with a drink or two at a bar, nightclub or home. People rarely realize how much money they could save and put aside if they would cut back on alcohol spending. The situation certainly looks good for the beverage industry which cashes in around 23 billion dollars from alcohol sales.
In consumer terms, this means that alcohol lovers spend billions of dollars on alcohol consumption and they could certainly use the money on more efficient things. How much exactly is wasted on alcohol can be seen below in our review?
Splurging on Alcohol
According to statistics, if you reward yourself with a beer or glass of wine every day after a meal, you already count to the 30% of top alcohol consumers. The shocking truth is that two drinks a day would earn you a rank in the top 20% of alcohol consumers in the USA.
The top 10% of alcohol drinkers comprise people who drink up to ten drinks a day, or 74 drinks a week.
Now let’s get to the point and calculate how much consumers spend on the guilty pleasure. Heavy drinkers spend a lot on alcohol, the amount equalling a nice sum that could cover a new car or remodeling the house. If we take the average wine bottle price of $10, then a heavy drinker who takes around ten drinks per day would splurge $200 weekly on alcohol, which equals $10.000 per year. This only refers to those who drink in the comfort of their home and do not pay for ridiculously expensive drinks.
Those who like to treat themselves with a nice alcoholic beverage in the bar, usually end up having two drinks on average and they usually add a nice meal which costs them around $40 or $50 per night out. If you repeat this ritual two or three times a week, you realize that you spend from $100 to $150 a week which is almost as much as heavy drinkers spend on alcohol per week.
Further on, on weekends you will probably splurge more and have more than two drinks, and according to statistics, you will spend $100 before you know it only on yourself. If you are with a partner, multiple it by two. When you calculate it on a monthly, or even more shockingly on an annual basis, you will realize that you spend $5000-$7000 on your alcohol sprees. We are certain that you could use the money for a far better cause.
How Can You Save on Alcohol Consumption?
No one says that you have to give up drinking completely, but you could make a few arrangements in order to cut back on the money you waste on alcohol consumption. One of the tricks would be to decide on the amount you want to spend before you hit the bar and pay with cash only. Credit card payments often get out of control, and you are not even aware of how much it costs you when charged via card. On the other hand, cash payments enable you to see your money disappear literally and how much is left in your pocket. This will teach you a valuable lesson.Once you hit your target limit, you should know that it is time to hit the road back home.
Another good trick is to eat at home before you go to the bar. Appear with a full stomach, and you will be bale to resist the delicious but overpriced snacks and meals. Another alternative is to pre-drink at home before you hit the town.
Also, ordering water between your drinks while at the bar will keep you away from ordering a drink every 10 minutes and it will slow down your drinking. Happy hours are also a popular trick to save few bucks.