You know, I used to spend loads of money on dumb things like CDs and beer between 15 and 23. I wouldn't say it was because I was weak minded and didn't get it though. Rather, I was attempting to deal with parents that created a toxic home environment by seeking short term happiness and validation with purchases. I wasn't able to stop this sort of self medication until I got the hell away from them.
Based on the tenor of this thread, do you think this is a possibility with your daughter?
Well she is between 15 and 23. I'm pretty sure the home environment isn't toxic as she hasn't lived at home for 4 years and she has lots of emotional support from mom. I'm sure that the validation thing, instantaneous gratification and short term happiness comes into play. She really doesn't drink that much alcohol typically.
I'm kinda sorry I mentioned my daughters beverage spending vs. mine. Seems like we are brushing on psychodynamics here. I guess that is the most observable person that I have.
My intent of the post was to show how something as small as beverage purchases can super ad up.
So I just little curious and did a little Google. It appears that we in the US spend around 300+ Billion a year on beverages. Some of the categories are: Beer 96B, Spirits, 72B, Wine 29 B, Soft drinks 65 B, Coffee 11 B, Bottled water 11 B, Milk 6 B.
So I'm estimating around $1,000 per person per year for beverages.
So someone who spends $3,500 is well above average and someone who spends $100 is well below.
Funny that we spend almost 200 billion on booze though. That is almost 65% of our beverage spending! Since about 50% of adults drink, that means us drinkers are averaging $1,500 per year on booze. That's a lot of booze. At a dollar a drink, we're talking 4 drinks per day for every drinker in the US.
I feel much better about my Saturday night imbibing knowing that I am way, way below the average. lol
Really, thanks to everyone for taking the time to read this thread.
Bob