Author Topic: Drynuary  (Read 7508 times)

boy_bye

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Drynuary
« on: January 02, 2013, 05:21:12 PM »
Drynuary is upon us! Is anyone else abstaining from alcohol this month? I'm taking part for sure. Honestly, I don't even love drinking or anything, it just ends up being a default activity for me. So I will save some money, give my liver a break, and see what it's like. I am guessing it will be a little easier to drop weight, and I will likely sleep better ...

TLV

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Re: Drynuary
« Reply #1 on: January 02, 2013, 05:27:05 PM »
I will be abstaining, but then I've always been a teetotaler so it won't be ending in February.

kudy

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Re: Drynuary
« Reply #2 on: January 02, 2013, 06:27:53 PM »
Might be a worthwhile challenge for me in February - I still have 3 holiday parties to go to this month!

dragoncar

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Re: Drynuary
« Reply #3 on: January 02, 2013, 06:47:56 PM »
Too late for me, so I'm going to have a binge month.

Will

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Re: Drynuary
« Reply #4 on: January 02, 2013, 09:12:10 PM »
I will be abstaining, but then I've always been a teetotaler so it won't be ending in February.

Same here.  Well, not always.  But for many years now.

yomimono

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Re: Drynuary
« Reply #5 on: January 02, 2013, 09:23:07 PM »
A new nanobrewery started up in my neighborhood in August.  Shockingly, beer expenses went way up in Q4 of 2012...

So yeah, Drynuary for me too, primarily for wallet reasons.

chicagomeg

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Re: Drynuary
« Reply #6 on: January 02, 2013, 10:39:15 PM »
I'll drink what's in my house already or what's given to me for free, but I've decided not to buy any this month, or for the forthcoming ones until we get our grocery bills under control.

anastrophe

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Re: Drynuary
« Reply #7 on: January 03, 2013, 12:02:57 PM »
In my area there are a few good microbreweries and I live right around the corner from a little local shop that carries a vast assortment of small-batch beers. I like beer. Especially seasonal flavors. There's one clerk that doesn't even card me anymore (and she really should, I look way younger than 35).

Next step is making my own but for now, yeah. I had enough on the 31st, let's abstain for a month.

jrhampt

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Re: Drynuary
« Reply #8 on: January 10, 2013, 07:19:43 AM »
I'm participating.  I was on antibiotics anyway the first week or so, so it gave me a jumpstart.  I figure if I can abstain all month I should be able to lose the holiday poundage.  Also, we noticed recently that our average spending on alcohol has crept up to around $70/mo, which is too high IMO.

lauren_knows

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Re: Drynuary
« Reply #9 on: January 10, 2013, 07:21:24 AM »
My New Years resolution involves a diet of no grains, no dairy, no eggs, no nightshade veggies, and no alcohol... in an attempt to figure out a medical issue.  I wasn't planning on adding back alcohol until the beginning of March when my homemade apple-wine was ready. Yum.

kolorado

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Re: Drynuary
« Reply #10 on: January 10, 2013, 07:53:50 AM »
I abstain on school nights since I teach the kids. The one drink I would usually have doesn't affect me at all in the morning, I just feel that abstinance puts me into the "work" zone, not the weekend zone. So when the weekend comes, I really enjoy those few drinks I allow myself. AND we don't pay for alcohol out of the regular budget. It's an extra so we have to use our personal fun money allowance to buy it and the ingredients for homebrew so that's additional motivation to just have a couple a week.
I did have a drink every single night on our three week winter break, mostly organic egg nog with spiced rum at $1 a pop, and even though it was completely awesome, I'm glad that won't be an expense now that school is back in session.

Kriegsspiel

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Re: Drynuary
« Reply #11 on: January 10, 2013, 04:29:14 PM »

I did have a drink every single night on our three week winter break, mostly organic egg nog with spiced rum at $1 a pop, and even though it was completely awesome, I'm glad that won't be an expense now that school is back in session.

Ahhhh, love the nog.

grantmeaname

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Re: Drynuary
« Reply #12 on: January 13, 2013, 10:46:16 AM »
Especially if it's served hot and/or there's alcohol in it (bourbon is terrific in nog), you can cut it 50-50 with milk and you can't really tell the difference. File that one away for your next drinking spree, December 2013.

Kriegsspiel

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Re: Drynuary
« Reply #13 on: January 13, 2013, 12:44:30 PM »
It's so sad that nog is only popular for about a month out of the year.

*tear*

atlantalee

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Re: Drynuary
« Reply #14 on: January 29, 2013, 08:27:27 AM »
Just found this thread.  After too many holiday hangovers I decided to go dry in January also.  My sister and I made a deal that we'd pay each other $20 for every drink as an incentive to stay on the wagon.  I've saved a ton of money since I was a daily wine drinker before.  I've been going to bed earlier and sleeping better.  I hate that I feel so good... I loved my daily glass (or 2) of wine.

I found out last weekend that my sister broke two weeks ago and hasn't even kept track of how many drinks she's had.  She probably owes my $200+, but I settled for her buying me dinner (a cheap Mexican dinner with no alcohol = total value of $10?).  She got off easy.

Anyhow, how is everyone else doing?  I'm thinking of implementing another month-long challenge in February... any ideas?

boy_bye

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Re: Drynuary
« Reply #15 on: January 29, 2013, 09:16:20 AM »
my drynuary hasn't been as dry as i planned. lots of hard stuff has been going on in my life this month and i have been having the odd glass of wine. but my consumption hasn't been mindless, and it hasn't been nearly as much as it usually was. so, not a total failure.

adam

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Re: Drynuary
« Reply #16 on: January 29, 2013, 11:03:23 AM »
I quit during the week, and only have drank on the weekend when appropriate (neighbor's party, out on the boat, trivia, etc).  Combine that with the exercise we've kickstarted the last three weeks and I've lost about 7lbs and my blood sugars have been spectacular.

Will

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Re: Drynuary
« Reply #17 on: January 29, 2013, 08:58:14 PM »
Anyhow, how is everyone else doing?  I'm thinking of implementing another month-long challenge in February... any ideas?

I'm still just as dry as ever.

jrhampt

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Re: Drynuary
« Reply #18 on: January 30, 2013, 06:54:35 AM »
I've done pretty well...but I did have a funeral to go to this month and had two drinks related to that (I know it's not good to stress drink, but I did anyway).  I feel good, not bloated, and have lost this year's holiday weight.  If I can moderate similarly next month, maybe I can lose last year's holiday weight ;-)

Midwest

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Re: Drynuary
« Reply #19 on: January 30, 2013, 08:52:10 AM »
I quit during the week, and only have drank on the weekend when appropriate (neighbor's party, out on the boat, trivia, etc).  Combine that with the exercise we've kickstarted the last three weeks and I've lost about 7lbs and my blood sugars have been spectacular.

Slightly off topic, but I've always found for me, a policy of generally not drinking during the week to be a good one (with the exception of vacations).  It keeps me from drinking every time there is a stressful situation and from drinking becoming too ingrained a habit.  May not work for everybody, but for me I think its a good policy. 

yomimono

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Re: Drynuary
« Reply #20 on: January 31, 2013, 03:58:40 PM »
I made it all month, and I'm throwing a beer-and-board-games party tomorrow to celebrate.

I saved a lot of money this month by not buying drinks.  (I generally don't keep booze in the house, and so most of my drinkin' happens down at the pub for $4 or $5 a pop.)  What surprised me, though, was the knock on-effect that getting out of the paradigm of "I'm going to go somewhere and pay for something that I'll consume there" had.  I've been eating out a lot less, and going out for coffee less frequently too.

anastrophe

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Re: Drynuary
« Reply #21 on: February 02, 2013, 01:21:29 PM »
I did it! Not a single drink of any kind all month. Even better, the future spouse and I actually managed to cook every single meal at home also and not eat out.

Total saved: $85 (estimated)