Author Topic: Slashing My Alcohol Spend by 75% starting now.  (Read 51120 times)

monstermonster

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Re: Slashing My Alcohol Spend by 75% starting now.
« Reply #100 on: January 19, 2017, 10:38:35 AM »
Also what language are you working on for duolingo?

Thanks for the congrats :-) Honestly, it's surprisingly easy. My biggest triggers have been watching people pour a whiskey on TV. I think "that looks good!" And then I think "But, really? Is it really as good? What about your streak?" And then I forget about it.

My SSO (statistically significant other) makes himself pretty fancy cocktails every night but that doesn't make me want booze at all - just the seeing it on TV. I think it's something about glamorous TV people drinking. A good argument for not watching TV, I suppose, but I'm not currently exercising willpower in that part of my life.

German is the one with the streak; I finished my "tree" a long time ago, so now it's just daily maintenance. I need to start forcing myself to have conversations in German so I don't lose my spoken German, but right now it's not my top priority. I'm also doing Russian on duolingo because I'm traveling the trans-siberian railway this year, but it's not really enough instruction to have that be my only way of learning.



mustachepungoeshere

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Re: Slashing My Alcohol Spend by 75% starting now.
« Reply #101 on: January 19, 2017, 04:08:40 PM »
My biggest triggers have been watching people pour a whiskey on TV. I think "that looks good!"

Fucking Archer! Every single episode.

I gotta go back to watching House on Netflix. Vicodin has absolutely no appeal.

renata ricotta

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Re: Slashing My Alcohol Spend by 75% starting now.
« Reply #102 on: January 19, 2017, 04:21:13 PM »
My biggest triggers have been watching people pour a whiskey on TV. I think "that looks good!"

Fucking Archer! Every single episode.

I gotta go back to watching House on Netflix. Vicodin has absolutely no appeal.

Jack Donaghy looks so smooth with his glass of scotch in his dimly lit office; wouldn't I look that cool on my couch?

monstermonster

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Re: Slashing My Alcohol Spend by 75% starting now.
« Reply #103 on: January 19, 2017, 04:27:12 PM »
My biggest triggers have been watching people pour a whiskey on TV. I think "that looks good!"

Fucking Archer! Every single episode.

I gotta go back to watching House on Netflix. Vicodin has absolutely no appeal.

Jack Donaghy looks so smooth with his glass of scotch in his dimly lit office; wouldn't I look that cool on my couch?
^yea that!! Also, Scandal (Olivia Pope with a glass of wine & bowl of popcorn in her stupidly luxurious all-white loungewear).

DailyGrindFree

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Re: Slashing My Alcohol Spend by 75% starting now.
« Reply #104 on: January 19, 2017, 05:07:18 PM »
Since I decided to go cold turkey a few days before Christmas I have no desire to drink. I remember my wife saying "but you have a lot of alcohol at home who is going to drink those?". :-) I guess, for now, financial and health benefits of not drinking is winning. That doesn't mean that I will never drink in the future. But it wouldn't hurt to give my liver a break.

BTW, I have always been able make changes and don't worry or get bothered by them too much. Example? Here is my current view from my desk while I am typing this post. :-)

I'd take the Bulliet in a heartbeat.

:-).
That thing is awesome. Wow, you gotta know your bourbon if you can recognize Bulliet from that picture. :-)
BTW, still going strong.
« Last Edit: January 20, 2017, 05:23:27 AM by DailyGrindFree »

moof

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Re: Slashing My Alcohol Spend by 75% starting now.
« Reply #105 on: January 19, 2017, 05:14:30 PM »
Let my beer supply run out at home a few days ago.  Trying to keep it to special occasions only moving forward. 

Lagom

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Re: Slashing My Alcohol Spend by 75% starting now.
« Reply #106 on: January 19, 2017, 05:23:08 PM »
Late to the party but I'm in! DW and I are going alcohol free until we have finished paying off my student loan (currently at 49k, hoping to be done early 2018) and saved a down payment for a house (in the SF Bay Area, no less!). If someone offers me a free beer, I might partake, but otherwise will be teetotaling for a fair while :)

TightFistedScot

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Re: Slashing My Alcohol Spend by 75% starting now.
« Reply #107 on: January 19, 2017, 07:45:42 PM »
Also what language are you working on for duolingo?

Thanks for the congrats :-) Honestly, it's surprisingly easy. My biggest triggers have been watching people pour a whiskey on TV. I think "that looks good!" And then I think "But, really? Is it really as good? What about your streak?" And then I forget about it.

My SSO (statistically significant other) makes himself pretty fancy cocktails every night but that doesn't make me want booze at all - just the seeing it on TV. I think it's something about glamorous TV people drinking. A good argument for not watching TV, I suppose, but I'm not currently exercising willpower in that part of my life.

German is the one with the streak; I finished my "tree" a long time ago, so now it's just daily maintenance. I need to start forcing myself to have conversations in German so I don't lose my spoken German, but right now it's not my top priority. I'm also doing Russian on duolingo because I'm traveling the trans-siberian railway this year, but it's not really enough instruction to have that be my only way of learning.

Sehr gut! Have fun!

I used duolingo for french prior to (and during) a 6-week french immersion program last spring. I have already forgotten a lot of what I learned. I should follow your lead.

Metric Mouse

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Re: Slashing My Alcohol Spend by 75% starting now.
« Reply #108 on: January 20, 2017, 12:53:35 AM »

I'd take the Bulliet in a heartbeat.

:-).
That thing is awesome. Wow, you gotta know your whiskey if you can recognize Bulliet from that picture. :-)
BTW, still going strong.
[/quote]

I figure anyone who has it on their shelf must know theirs as well, so I'll take the compliment. :D

Last Night

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Re: Slashing My Alcohol Spend by 75% starting now.
« Reply #109 on: January 20, 2017, 06:33:20 AM »
Closing in on week 3 of no drinking.  With Friday/Saturday coming up just some encouragement for everyone still holding out.

Not sure about everyone else, but after being a social drinker for years and the 2 weeks of non stop drinking during the holidays not drinking has had some dramatic effects:

1. My focus and ability to concentrate has probably improved at least 3x.
2. I am a lot happier, this has to do with not being cloudy in the morning, regretting anything I did/said the night before, or hating myself for pissing away my night/day.
3. Productivity, this ties to number 1, but I feel I have a lot more time.
4. I feel great health wise.

boarder42

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Re: Slashing My Alcohol Spend by 75% starting now.
« Reply #110 on: January 20, 2017, 07:48:09 AM »
Closing in on week 3 of no drinking.  With Friday/Saturday coming up just some encouragement for everyone still holding out.

Not sure about everyone else, but after being a social drinker for years and the 2 weeks of non stop drinking during the holidays not drinking has had some dramatic effects:

1. My focus and ability to concentrate has probably improved at least 3x.
2. I am a lot happier, this has to do with not being cloudy in the morning, regretting anything I did/said the night before, or hating myself for pissing away my night/day.
3. Productivity, this ties to number 1, but I feel I have a lot more time.
4. I feel great health wise.

1. i havent seen much of that in my 4 weeks sober
2. 100% yes... i tend to over drink when i drink esp. in a social environment and i'm abrassive.  (shouldnt be a surprise to many who have seen my posts around here) my filter goes away after a few drinks.  and i wake up with a mad wife half the time ... and most of the time i couldnt remember if i did anything bad or not. 
3. yes tons more time rather than just opening a bottle of wine at 11 on saturday i went out and did some work in my garage on a crappy snowy slushy icey day.
4. i dont know if i feel much different minus the not feeling a little hung over some mornings.
5. ties into 2 its helped my relationship with my wife.  she would always get concerned when we had parties about what i may do or say.  she worries to no end ... so that whole part is gone now.  Probably helps her stay less stressed while pregnant too ... not worrying about me over drinking.

Tris Prior

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Re: Slashing My Alcohol Spend by 75% starting now.
« Reply #111 on: January 22, 2017, 01:28:42 PM »
CHOKE. Bought a drink for me and a drink for Boyfriend at an ACLU fundraiser show Friday night. Total: $23 (plus tip). And Boyfriend didn't even like his.

Facepunch! Note to self, don't buy drinks at establishments that don't show the prices. If I had known my glass of wine was $10 I would not have had it.

... at least it was for a good cause? :(

$8 on a bottle of wine today while grocery shopping. Does it count if a cup of it is going in a recipe?


TheStrenuousLife

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Re: Slashing My Alcohol Spend by 75% starting now.
« Reply #112 on: January 23, 2017, 07:39:21 AM »
I spent $132 on wine this weekend....but it was for 24 bottles of do-it-yourself wine, with a $18.00 bottle deposit that is fully refundable if I return the bottles.   This works out to $4.75 a bottle and should keep me well-stocked until at least June.  I had originally placed my order in November and got the call on Friday that it was ready to bottle. 

I went to the same place featured by Mr. Frugal Toque on the blog: http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2014/01/30/how-to-make-wine-in-canada/

Now the trick is going to be to rely upon this stash of wine instead of going out or buying anything at all from the regulated duopoly that exists in Ontario of the Beer Store and the LCBO.

swick

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Re: Slashing My Alcohol Spend by 75% starting now.
« Reply #113 on: January 23, 2017, 08:04:29 AM »
Hey Everyone!

I took a look when this thread was first posted but didn't really apply to us as we don't spend a lot on alcohol. Just catching up now. Super interesting that many people have morphed it into a no-drinks challenge. This is awesome!

Just wanted to pop in and show my support and share a link with you. This has some pretty interesting data shared - although it is a fairly small sample size:http://www.thisepiclife.com/crazy-ass-impact-of-drinking-less/ and the drinks calc is pretty eye opening: https://form.jotform.com/62565074894164

Full Disclosure; KC is a friend of mine, and I paid for a family member to do his first "New Sobriety" program. I would say that it was life-changing, both for the person who did it (who was a moderate drinker)  AND the alcoholic they live with. 

Whether you are cutting down or cutting out, it is cool to see the conversations taking place :)

monstermonster

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Re: Slashing My Alcohol Spend by 75% starting now.
« Reply #114 on: January 23, 2017, 10:32:23 AM »
That drinks calc is totally up my alley. The fun part is that I extensively track data in my life, so I didn't have to estimate the #'s of drinks or the $$ spent on drinks, but it was interesting to see how many hours per week I have alcohol in my system!

I'm now into day 55 of not drinking, and it's so fucking easy after awhile it's ridiculous.  Not requiring any willpower anymore. Went to a (stadium) comedy show and was delighted to not spend $8 on a beer like everyone else at stadium prices.

We'll see if I make it to 100 days, but right now it seems pretty easy. I haven't flown yet, and usually when I'm flying (business class) I have trouble saying no to free whiskey in air or in the lounge.

Cowardly Toaster

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Re: Slashing My Alcohol Spend by 75% starting now.
« Reply #115 on: January 23, 2017, 10:32:28 AM »
wife just got pregnant so we're slashing ours by 100% for the next 9 months.  not fair to her for me to drink and not her.

What? You now have an automatic DD for 9 months and you won't drink?

monstermonster

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Re: Slashing My Alcohol Spend by 75% starting now.
« Reply #116 on: January 23, 2017, 10:33:34 AM »
wife just got pregnant so we're slashing ours by 100% for the next 9 months.  not fair to her for me to drink and not her.

What? You now have an automatic DD for 9 months and you won't drink?
Ha! Solidarity, seriously. She's making a human with his DNA, it's the least he can do to show some solidarity.

Patches

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Re: Slashing My Alcohol Spend by 75% starting now.
« Reply #117 on: January 23, 2017, 03:56:05 PM »
Hmmmmm....

Metric Mouse

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Re: Slashing My Alcohol Spend by 75% starting now.
« Reply #118 on: January 24, 2017, 12:25:38 AM »

Last Night

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Re: Slashing My Alcohol Spend by 75% starting now.
« Reply #119 on: January 24, 2017, 07:33:38 AM »
Another weekend behind me without drinking, another weekend when the temptation was pretty high.

I am finding as long as I plan some activities for Friday/Saturday that don't involve drinking I get by pretty easily.  If I have no plans and get bored, the thoughts flood my head.  Also doesn't help that I've declined all social gatherings and friends' birthdays in the last 2 weeks simply not to expose myself to a situation where I cave in.  This leaves a lot of free time that I didn't have before to do other things.

It's getting easier, but it's still hard :(

Candace

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Re: Slashing My Alcohol Spend by 75% starting now.
« Reply #120 on: January 24, 2017, 07:47:42 AM »
CHOKE. Bought a drink for me and a drink for Boyfriend at an ACLU fundraiser show Friday night. Total: $23 (plus tip). And Boyfriend didn't even like his.

Facepunch! Note to self, don't buy drinks at establishments that don't show the prices. If I had known my glass of wine was $10 I would not have had it.

... at least it was for a good cause? :(

$8 on a bottle of wine today while grocery shopping. Does it count if a cup of it is going in a recipe?

You may already know this, but you can get the 187 ml bottles (~6.3 oz) in four-packs at the supermarket for using in recipes. This may be helpful, or it may just make me a wet blanket, or both :-).

For some reason I find this thread fascinating. I guess I'm lucky in that I can't drink more than a drink or two over an evening before my body tells me it's time to stop. If I ever want to get a buzz, I have to do shots.

You all have a cheerleader on the sidelines though. Seeing that much money get poured down your throats must be painful, especially when you calculate how much it costs over a period of time. Since I'm addicted to chocolate, I know how it feels (to some extent, anyway) to hear the siren call of something you know is not going to do you any good, yet you can't resist it. I'm rooting for all of you!

TheBeardandTheBohemian

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Re: Slashing My Alcohol Spend by 75% starting now.
« Reply #121 on: January 24, 2017, 12:30:59 PM »
how about home brewing? Anybody do that to cut cost? I heard the start up can be costly but after that it's pretty inexpensive compared to store bought beer

Sibley

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Re: Slashing My Alcohol Spend by 75% starting now.
« Reply #122 on: January 24, 2017, 12:44:16 PM »
I don't mean to be a kill joy or anything, but I have a pretty strong alcoholic streak in my family. To anyone who's trying not to drink for any reason and is feeling tempted - for your sake, please carefully and honestly evaluate WHY. Because feeling like you "need" to is actually a sign of a problem, regardless of why you "need" to.

Do not become my uncle, who spent last Christmas having his 3 year old twin grandchildren carefully distracted away from playing with him because he was drunk. Again, and as usual. This guy doesn't stumble, slur his words, or anything. In fact, it took until I was 20 before I ever realized that he was almost always drunk when I saw him.

Cowardly Toaster

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Re: Slashing My Alcohol Spend by 75% starting now.
« Reply #123 on: January 24, 2017, 12:45:17 PM »
how about home brewing? Anybody do that to cut cost? I heard the start up can be costly but after that it's pretty inexpensive compared to store bought beer

I would also be interested in the math on this. My impression was that it was not cheaper even after startup.

monstermonster

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Re: Slashing My Alcohol Spend by 75% starting now.
« Reply #124 on: January 24, 2017, 12:52:16 PM »
how about home brewing? Anybody do that to cut cost? I heard the start up can be costly but after that it's pretty inexpensive compared to store bought beer

I would also be interested in the math on this. My impression was that it was not cheaper even after startup.
It is much, much cheaper  (.50-1$ bottle for good beer) after startup as long as you don't calculate out paying yourself for the time spent. I used to do it frequently, but I don't have the space to store carboys anymore. It's a fun hobby but it is a hobby, to be clear. It takes time & energy to learn like any hobby. It's easiest if you have a gas stove, but otherwise you can get a burner and do it outside.

Patches

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Re: Slashing My Alcohol Spend by 75% starting now.
« Reply #125 on: January 24, 2017, 12:57:09 PM »
how about home brewing? Anybody do that to cut cost? I heard the start up can be costly but after that it's pretty inexpensive compared to store bought beer

I would also be interested in the math on this. My impression was that it was not cheaper even after startup.

You can get everything you need to start here for under $100.  http://www.northernbrewer.com/essential-brewing-starter-kit   or used on craigslist for cheap.

You can make 45 good beers for $35.  Which here in Seattle is about half price of microbrews at the store.  But like any hobby, there is some joy in creating your own stuff.  And additional effort is required. 

Biggest issue I've run across is getting tired of the beer after about 12 or 24... and then just giving the rest of it away.

Patrick

acroy

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Re: Slashing My Alcohol Spend by 75% starting now.
« Reply #126 on: January 24, 2017, 12:59:22 PM »
Lot of badassity shown here!
Personally, I used to drink.. a fair amount. Pretty toasty most nights. Guesstimate $250/mo habit. All consumed at home. Felt guilty about it - till every evening.
2yrs ago I woke up with a hangover and had to drive 8hrs with it. Nasty. Went 100% on the wagon for about 2months. Don't crave it any more, and actually learned to be moderate, moderate.

monstermonster

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Re: Slashing My Alcohol Spend by 75% starting now.
« Reply #127 on: January 24, 2017, 03:11:52 PM »
Biggest issue I've run across is getting tired of the beer after about 12 or 24... and then just giving the rest of it away.
I used to make friends with other homebrewers & do trades of 6-packs at meet-ups which is fun!

Also back when I was in college I sold the homebrews in my housing co-op which let me turn a tidy profit, but that was a nice easy built in network.

Last Night

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Re: Slashing My Alcohol Spend by 75% starting now.
« Reply #128 on: January 25, 2017, 07:21:33 AM »
Lot of badassity shown here!
Personally, I used to drink.. a fair amount. Pretty toasty most nights. Guesstimate $250/mo habit. All consumed at home. Felt guilty about it - till every evening.
2yrs ago I woke up with a hangover and had to drive 8hrs with it. Nasty. Went 100% on the wagon for about 2months. Don't crave it any more, and actually learned to be moderate, moderate.

Inspiring...how long after cold turkey did you find being a moderate as a legit possibility without going back to old habits?

How do you define moderate?

I plan to stay sober for 3 months and after that I'd like to try moderation (drinking once a month maybe).  This is coming from having a couple of drinks 5/7 days for years.

Cryocash

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Re: Slashing My Alcohol Spend by 75% starting now.
« Reply #129 on: January 25, 2017, 08:06:55 AM »
Oh geez. I'm a $250-300 type when I go out. But Canada and high taxes are a thing.


Nice! I did my expenses when I was 23 and found I spent 4k a year on booze, drunk munchies, and drunk ubers altogether. I succeeded in cutting that in half in my age 24 year :). Best way to do it is just skip whole weekends and find something else to do. Its really amazing how much you can spend in one night 'going out'. For me it was about 50. 30 on drinks, 10 on food, 10 on ubers.

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Re: Slashing My Alcohol Spend by 75% starting now.
« Reply #130 on: January 28, 2017, 12:19:17 AM »
I am joining in!

Mr. Tuxedocat and I spent a whopping $1,106.41 on booze last year. Most of the that money was toward wine and scotch that was consumed at home/parties. I tend to buy white wine between $12-15/bottle and sip on wine over the course of a few days. Mr. Tuxedocat likes scotch and would purchase a bottle between $50-100, which would last him 4-5 months. We also like going to lounges and live music, and alcohol is expensive there.

This year, I have bought 3 wine bottles, two bottles of tequlia and a bottle of rum BUT I have not drank any of it. I like having at home incase I am going somewhere and need to bring wine. Private liquor stores are too expensive.

We have a new habit -- it's still pricey but it's healthy! We are drinking kombucha instead of a night cap. It costs about $8/L. We have a small glass of it, in our fancy thrift store-find crystal wine glasses.   

smacpa

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Re: Slashing My Alcohol Spend by 75% starting now.
« Reply #131 on: January 28, 2017, 05:58:53 AM »
Damn I broke my Drynuary yesterday.  But I still haven't paid for a drink in 2017.  I will see how long I can keep that streak going.

DailyGrindFree

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Re: Slashing My Alcohol Spend by 75% starting now.
« Reply #132 on: January 28, 2017, 07:56:35 AM »
Update: Still no drinks since a few days before Christmas. I actually would like to see how long I can go. First, temptation will be Super Bowl party. :-)

TheStrenuousLife

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Re: Slashing My Alcohol Spend by 75% starting now.
« Reply #133 on: January 29, 2017, 06:26:09 PM »
Weekly spend is down to $22.00 CDN this week, which represented 3 drinks out at a bar.  I also had a bottle of my DIY wine on Saturday night that I split with a friend. 23 more bottles to go.

TightFistedScot

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Re: Slashing My Alcohol Spend by 75% starting now.
« Reply #134 on: January 29, 2017, 06:52:03 PM »
I've only had 7 drinks this month and all were related to building and maintaining friendships.  I realize this type of reasoning could easily be applied to getting stubbly drunk but the most I consumed was two glasses of wine.  This is significantly less than I used to consume.  Yeah for me ;)

Yeah I'm basically in the same boat. I've had 8 beers in 2 different social contexts. Only purchased 1 of those at a bar. The rest were leftovers from Xmas.

I think I am going to extend low drinking into February. It's so good on the wallet and my abs are looking better too. Lol

Chaplin

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Re: Slashing My Alcohol Spend by 75% starting now.
« Reply #135 on: January 29, 2017, 10:46:06 PM »
This thread seems to have been completely dominated by Canadians. Do we have drinking problems, or liquor tax problems?

This thread is timely for me. I had to step up my efforts to cut expenses and since I was in the $200/month on booze group, it was clearly and area to target. I wasn't happy with myself about this level of consumption because of the health and the financial implications. The health implications were more than just too much alcohol - I also had many days when I probably would have worked out in the evening if I hadn't had a glass of wine while making dinner.

I did a few experiments to see if there were good ways to reduce the volume and the cost. I drank nothing in July last year just to see if I could, and it wasn't particularly hard, which was reassuring. The problem was that once July was over, I went back to the same amount. In December I saw that a local wine store had a few varieties marked way down. I tried a few and found one that I thought was pleasant enough, so I bought a dozen (extra 5% off) to see if I would drink the same amount at half the cost, or drink more. I ended up drinking more, mainly because it was in the house. Still, as much as I don't like the high tax we have on booze, it does serve as a deterrent to me.

At the end of 2016 I analyzed our expenses for the year and wasn't happy with what I saw. It was clear that a change would be needed if we were going to meet our target FIRE date. January now looks like it will come in at $1600 less than our previous lowest expenses months in the last three years. $150 of that is cutting the wine by 75%. I feel better too, and enjoyed the wine I did have more (that might be a problem though...).

Congratulations to all who are making better decisions for their health and wealth.

Last Night

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Re: Slashing My Alcohol Spend by 75% starting now.
« Reply #136 on: January 30, 2017, 09:06:30 AM »
Entering week 5 without alcohol.  Fridays and Saturdays remain highly tempting.

TheStrenuousLife

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Re: Slashing My Alcohol Spend by 75% starting now.
« Reply #137 on: February 01, 2017, 10:00:37 AM »
This thread seems to have been completely dominated by Canadians. Do we have drinking problems, or liquor tax problems?

This thread is timely for me. I had to step up my efforts to cut expenses and since I was in the $200/month on booze group, it was clearly and area to target. I wasn't happy with myself about this level of consumption because of the health and the financial implications. The health implications were more than just too much alcohol - I also had many days when I probably would have worked out in the evening if I hadn't had a glass of wine while making dinner.

I did a few experiments to see if there were good ways to reduce the volume and the cost. I drank nothing in July last year just to see if I could, and it wasn't particularly hard, which was reassuring. The problem was that once July was over, I went back to the same amount. In December I saw that a local wine store had a few varieties marked way down. I tried a few and found one that I thought was pleasant enough, so I bought a dozen (extra 5% off) to see if I would drink the same amount at half the cost, or drink more. I ended up drinking more, mainly because it was in the house. Still, as much as I don't like the high tax we have on booze, it does serve as a deterrent to me.

At the end of 2016 I analyzed our expenses for the year and wasn't happy with what I saw. It was clear that a change would be needed if we were going to meet our target FIRE date. January now looks like it will come in at $1600 less than our previous lowest expenses months in the last three years. $150 of that is cutting the wine by 75%. I feel better too, and enjoyed the wine I did have more (that might be a problem though...).

Congratulations to all who are making better decisions for their health and wealth.

Although I instinctively dislike Ontario's high alcohol taxes, because 3 pints costing $25-$30 is absurd, it is hard to deny that they are having their intended effect, at least in relation to myself.  Not only are they driving me to drink less, but I'm also spending more money in my local economy, at my local DIY wine-shop for example, instead of on foreign imported wines. 

Will likely get a $5 pint, before HST and tip, of Budweiser with the trivia team tonight.

Izybat

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Re: Slashing My Alcohol Spend by 75% starting now.
« Reply #138 on: February 01, 2017, 03:58:26 PM »
Progress! Our January spending on alcohol was 55% of what it was in December!

CU Tiger

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Re: Slashing My Alcohol Spend by 75% starting now.
« Reply #139 on: February 01, 2017, 07:27:35 PM »
I decided that January would be a no alcohol month for me. It was not hard to not drink, I do not crave alcohol. Once or twice around the inauguration I wanted to drown myself in booze, just to dull the pain, but I was determined to go the whole 31 days. I even went to parties and had a good time on the wagon!

boarder42

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Re: Slashing My Alcohol Spend by 75% starting now.
« Reply #140 on: February 02, 2017, 06:14:39 AM »
7 weeks no booze ... have been semi tempted but the next day when i wake up its quite funny how i dont miss not having them.

TheStrenuousLife

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Re: Slashing My Alcohol Spend by 75% starting now.
« Reply #141 on: February 02, 2017, 07:16:53 AM »
Wow.  You guys are an inspiration.  I just can't quite remove the booze from my social life right now, but I am definitely reigning in the expenditure and amount. 

boarder42

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Re: Slashing My Alcohol Spend by 75% starting now.
« Reply #142 on: February 02, 2017, 08:40:52 AM »
Wow.  You guys are an inspiration.  I just can't quite remove the booze from my social life right now, but I am definitely reigning in the expenditure and amount.

1. i'm not cutting it out forever - my wife's pregnant so we are both not drinking
2. I thought the same thing about cutting it from my social life but it hasnt really been any issue.
     a. Had a dinner party with friends - didnt drink - didnt change the fun we had.
     b. Hosted my family for New Year's - didn't drink - didnt change the fun we had
     c. Visited my wife's family - didn't drink - didnt change the fun we had.

3. I've never woken up after a day of not drinking and regretted not drinking the night before.  i have however had the opposite occur many times. 

You should try it for a month and see how it affects your life. 


monstermonster

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Re: Slashing My Alcohol Spend by 75% starting now.
« Reply #143 on: February 02, 2017, 09:56:42 AM »
7 weeks no booze ... have been semi tempted but the next day when i wake up its quite funny how i dont miss not having them.
That! Me too! Both on the weeks & the feeling of "oh yea, awesome, I'm glad I didn't drink last night" the night before.

Metric Mouse

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Re: Slashing My Alcohol Spend by 75% starting now.
« Reply #144 on: February 02, 2017, 10:29:37 PM »
Progress! Our January spending on alcohol was 55% of what it was in December!
Nice!  I could probably drop to zero if I stocked up quite during a sale and bought enough to last for a few months. Would even be impressive, numbers wise... May have to see about that...

renata ricotta

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Re: Slashing My Alcohol Spend by 75% starting now.
« Reply #145 on: February 03, 2017, 11:11:57 AM »
7 weeks no booze ... have been semi tempted but the next day when i wake up its quite funny how i dont miss not having them.
That! Me too! Both on the weeks & the feeling of "oh yea, awesome, I'm glad I didn't drink last night" the night before.

Agreed with the next morning feeling.  It's the social anxiety/awkwardness the night OF that makes it feel very stressful to not have some social lubricant.

Maybe I should just become an anti-social hermit.  Seems easier.

Metric Mouse

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Re: Slashing My Alcohol Spend by 75% starting now.
« Reply #146 on: February 03, 2017, 11:29:40 AM »
7 weeks no booze ... have been semi tempted but the next day when i wake up its quite funny how i dont miss not having them.
That! Me too! Both on the weeks & the feeling of "oh yea, awesome, I'm glad I didn't drink last night" the night before.

Agreed with the next morning feeling.  It's the social anxiety/awkwardness the night OF that makes it feel very stressful to not have some social lubricant.

Maybe I should just become an anti-social hermit.  Seems easier.
There is definitely a balance between zero drinks, properly lubricated and awfully sorry in the morning. Sometimes I wind up further on one side than the other, but I am learning.

monstermonster

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Re: Slashing My Alcohol Spend by 75% starting now.
« Reply #147 on: February 03, 2017, 12:21:43 PM »
7 weeks no booze ... have been semi tempted but the next day when i wake up its quite funny how i dont miss not having them.
That! Me too! Both on the weeks & the feeling of "oh yea, awesome, I'm glad I didn't drink last night" the night before.

Agreed with the next morning feeling.  It's the social anxiety/awkwardness the night OF that makes it feel very stressful to not have some social lubricant.
I'm getting so much better at socializing without a social lubricant, which was my hardest part, too, and I'm loving the feeling of accomplishment that comes from a sober social gathering. It's been a learning curve though.

 For me having something in my hand that isn't obviously non-alcoholic helps (like a kombucha that looks like beer or sparkling water & bitters than looks like a cocktail) so the conversation doesn't revolve around "why are you not drinking?" - which is the worst way to start a night I feel (either I have to explain I'm not pregnant or people look at me like I must be an alcoholic or want to have a conversation about how they are a functional alcoholic).

I also try to get to parties early when I'm on the same level as other people and leave early before everyone's a drunk fool. I try to host at my house more, where I feel more comfortable, and socialize with folks one-on-one or a small group instead of large groups.

At networking events, I find someone who is outgoing early in the evening, bite the bullet in talking to them, and if I choose well, the conversation turns into other conversations helping me avoid the "i am sober and sad in the corner and afraid to have any conversation".

At fundraisers, I prefer to have a job anyway, and I have a liquor license, so I volunteer to be the bartender, which means I get to see everyone over the course of the evening as they come to the bar, have quick conversations, and I can't legally drink.  Best of all worlds.

DailyGrindFree

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Re: Slashing My Alcohol Spend by 75% starting now.
« Reply #148 on: February 03, 2017, 05:16:10 PM »
Well, this year's 30-Day-Liver-Cleanse experiment is completed and it took it 40 days this time around. Last year about this time, I did the same thing and it was 33 days without booze. Now I get to sip my bourbon with my wifey.

I am still committed to drinking way less than usual. Now, back to my Bulleit. Cheers.

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Re: Slashing My Alcohol Spend by 75% starting now.
« Reply #149 on: February 03, 2017, 09:50:52 PM »