The Money Mustache Community
General Discussion => Welcome and General Discussion => Topic started by: MrsTuxedocat on March 20, 2016, 09:21:20 PM
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Last year, Hubby and I tried to stick to a booze budget of 50 per month. Each month we pretty much failed with December being much higher. I'd like to know what people spend on alcohol. This year we are doing better mainly because MrTuxedocat is on a health kick.
We live in Canada, where booze prices are quite high. The cheapest bottle of wine that I like is about $12 and a 12 pack of beer is about $24.
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Well, I don't drink much. I almost never buy alcohol to bring home -- perhaps four bottles of wine per year at around $10 to $15 per bottle. Otherwise, I go to one or two happy hours per month where my work picks up the tab. I may pay for one glass of wine per month out of my own pocket, so like $7 to $15, including tip on the glass.
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I'm happy to say this year I've got it down to ZERO. I did have one beer this year at the super bowl because the host offered and I didn't want to offend him because he opened it already, but I babied that thing for literally two hours.
Prior to that I would say maybe $40-60 a month, which was mostly boxed wine and a six pack or two. When I went out for drinks which was once every two or three months that would be $20-$30 an outing.
My wife still buys wine for herself, but in my mind that doesn't count.
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I usually fail horribly if I try to stick to a booze budget. What has helped the most, though, is making a rule not to drink alone! I drink much less now :-D.
The last time I went to a bar (St. Patty's Day) I brought only $23 with me. For a reason. And it was a good one, because I could have spent much much more.
I'm hoping to spend less than $50 per month, but I'll bet it will be more like $75 ish. This month I'm at $42 already, and it's the 20th of the month.
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I'm happy to say this year I've got it down to ZERO. I did have one beer this year at the super bowl because the host offered and I didn't want to offend him because he opened it already, but I babied that thing for literally two hours.
Prior to that I would say maybe $40-60 a month, which was mostly boxed wine and a six pack or two. When I went out for drinks which was once every two or three months that would be $20-$30 an outing.
My wife still buys wine for herself, but in my mind that doesn't count.
I'm confused, do you just not enjoy alcohol?
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What province? Comparisons are less helpful between higher and lower-cost areas/countries. (Point of reference: $39 for 24 bottles of domestic craft brew, $49 for 24 bottles of imported beer. Wine $8-14 for okay-ish 750ml bottle. I don't think you can actually buy a bottle of wine at the LCBO for less that $7-8, nowadays.)
I'm in Ontario. During our most stressful months, I guesstimated we were in the ~$200 range. <insert incredibly ashamed face> Thankfully, this phase did not last too long, as self-medicating with booze is not a long-term plan. (That figure excludes restaurant/pub purchases.)
We have had a stretch of months at or near $0 (gone dry/nearly dry for some health goals.) This won't continue indefinitely. I'm a bit concerned we'll easily get into the $100+ range again (that's two cases of beer and one bottle of wine - not a vast quantity. Works out to less than one drink per adult per day.) Not willing to drink plonk just to save money, so I'm wondering if the solution is having more dry periods (or requesting all-booze Christmas gifts. "Look, Mommy got a 2-4!")
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ZERO for me too.
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I spend a grand total of $0/month. I like alcohol, but it's at least twice as expensive as soda (or pop if you're one of those people) even here in alcohol consumer-friendly Wisconsin and I like Mountain Dew just as much. That said, I pay at least $25/month on soda which I'm slightly embarrassed by. It's literally all I drink, though, so it could be far worse on the financial side of things, dental is another story...
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Probably too much...
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I'm confused, do you just not enjoy alcohol?
Oh, I dooo enjoy alcohol. Just like I enjoy gambling, binge watching shows, playing video games, eating junk food, and most any other vice you can throw out there. However, what I don't like is being dependent on something, I know I'm dependent on food, but the things I know I won't die without I try to cut or limit. Also it does not align with my long term goals and values. I used to drink a lot of coffee, but looking at the costs and the physical effects it had on me. I decided to quit three years ago. Same with alcohol now, I was never a big drinker but due to advertising and social gatherings over time I have associated alcohol to having a good time with friends and family. I then find myself having beer, wine, ect when I was alone and feeling lonely to recreate the atmosphere of being around company and having fun.
So when I achieve FI and have a healthy social life again, we just had a new born and live away from family , I might start drinking again as long as I'm not dependent on it and use it as a crutch.
The thing is after three months, I don't even think about it anymore and it doesn't bother me to hangout at a bar as long as I'm with good company.
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Me: nothing. Between pregnancy and breast feeding I discovered that I just don't have a taste for alcohol any more.
Husband: maybe $15 a month for a couple of glasses of cider when we go out for dinner.
Amongst my 30ish aged friends there are a large proportion who either don't drink at all or only in very small amounts. Generally there's no particular reason, they just dont really care for it
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Last year, Hubby and I tried to stick to a booze budget of 50 per month. Each month we pretty much failed with December being much higher. I'd like to know what people spend on alcohol. This year we are doing better mainly because MrTuxedocat is on a health kick.
We live in Canada, where booze prices are quite high. The cheapest bottle of wine that I like is about $12 and a 12 pack of beer is about $24.
I have a bottle of wine that has been in the bottom of the fridge for two years. I keep meaning to drink it, but I always find something else to do.
You might find this interesting.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2014/09/25/think-you-drink-a-lot-this-chart-will-tell-you/
A small percentage (about 10%) of the population does the large majority of the drinking. To someone in that top 10 percent, a heavy drinking lifestyle seems normal. It isn't.
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Last year, Hubby and I tried to stick to a booze budget of 50 per month. Each month we pretty much failed with December being much higher. I'd like to know what people spend on alcohol. This year we are doing better mainly because MrTuxedocat is on a health kick.
We live in Canada, where booze prices are quite high. The cheapest bottle of wine that I like is about $12 and a 12 pack of beer is about $24.
I have a bottle of wine that has been in the bottom of the fridge for two years. I keep meaning to drink it, but I always find something else to do.
You might find this interesting.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2014/09/25/think-you-drink-a-lot-this-chart-will-tell-you/
A small percentage (about 10%) of the population does the large majority of the drinking. To someone in that top 10 percent, a heavy drinking lifestyle seems normal. It isn't.
I thought I started drinking a lot after I moved to the east coast - then I read your link and the top 10% consumes 74 drinks a week.
Whoa.
I'm safe! :P
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Zero. Alcohol is the second nastiest shit I've ever tasted. The worst was some sort of hot drink I got handed in a natural foods restaurant in Paris, which almost made me puke my guts out. I have no idea what it actually was. Ah, tangent...
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What province? Comparisons are less helpful between higher and lower-cost areas/countries. (Point of reference: $39 for 24 bottles of domestic craft brew, $49 for 24 bottles of imported beer. Wine $8-14 for okay-ish 750ml bottle. I don't think you can actually buy a bottle of wine at the LCBO for less that $7-8, nowadays.)
I'm in Ontario. During our most stressful months, I guesstimated we were in the ~$200 range. <insert incredibly ashamed face> Thankfully, this phase did not last too long, as self-medicating with booze is not a long-term plan. (That figure excludes restaurant/pub purchases.)
We have had a stretch of months at or near $0 (gone dry/nearly dry for some health goals.) This won't continue indefinitely. I'm a bit concerned we'll easily get into the $100+ range again (that's two cases of beer and one bottle of wine - not a vast quantity. Works out to less than one drink per adult per day.) Not willing to drink plonk just to save money, so I'm wondering if the solution is having more dry periods (or requesting all-booze Christmas gifts. "Look, Mommy got a 2-4!")
That's amazing, I had no idea wine was so affordable in Ontario. I live in British Columbia and there is nothing under $10 range (for wine) that I would enjoy drinking. I am including tax too.
I think I will steal your idea for requesting all-booze Christmas gifts! So awesome :)
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Looking at YNAB, I average about $80 a month.
Generally equals a couple of beers with a friend on a Friday or Saturday and maybe a drink with my wife if we eat out.
It's quite a bit I suppose but I extract quite a lot of enjoyment out of nice beers and being sociable in this way, so I don't mind that figure too much. I spend very little in general so it's one of my larger budget areas.
Also, Shanghai isn't renowned for outdoors activities, hopefully when I move in the future, outdoor activities will overtake trips to the pub as forms of entertainment!
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According to our credit card statements, last year I spent 30$ on booze . . . so about 2.50$ a month. While I enjoy a drink now and again, it's not something that I need to have regularly. My wife doesn't drink at all.
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I am around $24 s $30 dollars a month. This is one those questions I wanted to avoid, but need to tackle head on.
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I don't regularly drink. My wife occasionally gets a glass of wine if we go out to dinner. Sometimes we bring a bottle of wine to someone's house. I probably buy a bottle of liquor a year. Probably estimate <$15 a month in total
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Typically at home I would have 1 or 2 beers over the weekend. If at client site for work then might have ~5 beers in the week instead (usually all on expenses).
Then every few months I meet up with friends and have ~10 beers over an afternoon/evening (I don't claim this is really very sensible but neither do I claim to be perfect...).
So probably £250 a year at £5 a week plus 3 or 4 splurges at £50 each, so ~£400 a year in total. I'm fine with that figure in terms of expenditure.
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All of it. Reading all of these posts makes me suspect I might be an outlier.
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I've spent $120 so far this year...or about $11/week. Last year it was probably double to triple that. This only includes actual liquor store purchases...i include getting drinks at a restaurant in my dining line item (although i have quit buying drinks out when eating for the most part).
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Average about $100/month between wife and I.
A lot. Way too much. And that doesn't count what I get for free.
Looks like the Washington Post would put me in the 9th decile. 15 drinks sounds about normal for a week, some weeks maybe slightly more when multiple social events happen in the same week.
74 drinks a week makes me sad though. Alcohol is great fun, to a point. That point is not 74 drinks a week.
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I usually drink about 3-4 glasses of wine per weekend, nothing during the week (so average less than $10 per week for me). Husband drinks more wine and several nice craft beers 3-4 times a week, and the occasional glass of scotch. I was shocked at how much this comes up to when we started using Mint (roughly $200 per month, all at home). But we make decent money and are frugal in other ways so I am not willing to ask him to cut back on this as he truly enjoys it.
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Probably $100-200 a month, depending on the month. I figure it cuts down my ultimate stash need because it has an inverse impact on my life expectancy, so it comes out in the wash.
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$0
I haven't had a drink in years. And before that I only had one or two a year on vacation. Just haven't been interested in drinking since I left college.
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Last year, Hubby and I tried to stick to a booze budget of 50 per month. Each month we pretty much failed with December being much higher. I'd like to know what people spend on alcohol. This year we are doing better mainly because MrTuxedocat is on a health kick.
We live in Canada, where booze prices are quite high. The cheapest bottle of wine that I like is about $12 and a 12 pack of beer is about $24.
I have a bottle of wine that has been in the bottom of the fridge for two years. I keep meaning to drink it, but I always find something else to do.
You might find this interesting.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2014/09/25/think-you-drink-a-lot-this-chart-will-tell-you/
A small percentage (about 10%) of the population does the large majority of the drinking. To someone in that top 10 percent, a heavy drinking lifestyle seems normal. It isn't.
That sounds kind of like our tax system.
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Zero. Alcohol is the second nastiest shit I've ever tasted. The worst was some sort of hot drink I got handed in a natural foods restaurant in Paris, which almost made me puke my guts out. I have no idea what it actually was. Ah, tangent...
I used to think that. Turns out I had experienced shitty alcohol.
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Zero. Alcohol is the second nastiest shit I've ever tasted. The worst was some sort of hot drink I got handed in a natural foods restaurant in Paris, which almost made me puke my guts out. I have no idea what it actually was. Ah, tangent...
I used to think that. Turns out I had experienced shitty alcohol.
I've tasted a pretty big variety - wine, champagne, beer, rum, and I think vodka. Every one had me running to the bathroom to go wash my mouth out. I have a hard time believing every person gave me shitty alcohol.
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We had a couple of parties this year where people brought wine as hostess gifts. Our clown house has a wine fridge, so people think we drink it. We have more than we will ever consume. My plan is to donate it to a local non-profit. They will use the good stuff as a Silent Auction Item and the lesser stuff for events. Win-win. Tax deduction far greater than dollars spent on booze, score!
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One six pack of craft light beer for $15 including tax and one bottle of wine in he $15-20 range. So say $33 a week, maybe $130 a month? That is for wife and I... total alcohol units around 9-10 per week for me, six-seven for wife. Just cannot drink more, it makes me sick to drink more than 3-4 300ml bottles of light (4%) beer, normally try to stop at two. Always on social occasions, never by myself. no liquor (what they call "spirits" in the UK)... I thought I was being quite frugal and abstemious until I came on here!
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Zero. Alcohol is the second nastiest shit I've ever tasted. The worst was some sort of hot drink I got handed in a natural foods restaurant in Paris, which almost made me puke my guts out. I have no idea what it actually was. Ah, tangent...
I used to think that. Turns out I had experienced shitty alcohol.
I've tasted a pretty big variety - wine, champagne, beer, rum, and I think vodka. Every one had me running to the bathroom to go wash my mouth out. I have a hard time believing every person gave me shitty alcohol.
There's a huge variance within each type - for example, New Amsterdam gin is terrible (~$20 / 1.75l) and Barr Hill is fantastic (albeit at $35.99 / 750ml).
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Perhaps 25 to 40$ for the two of us per month (we are also in Canada - Québec to be exact). I don't care much for the taste of alcohol, but I enjoy the occasional glass of wine or cider or even a beer. My BF is a fan of good beer. We only really drink on the weekends if we're having dinner with friends, and will always bring either a bottle of something or a case of beer when invited to others' place. It comes out of our very modest grocery budget though. And whenever I go visit my family in the states, I always bring back two bottles of wine (or 4 if we're both in the car), since wine is about 50% of the price in the states. These bottles will last us at least a few months.
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0 here too. It does nothing to improve my life, so I don't partake. It blows my mind how expensive it is
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Zero. Alcohol is the second nastiest shit I've ever tasted. The worst was some sort of hot drink I got handed in a natural foods restaurant in Paris, which almost made me puke my guts out. I have no idea what it actually was. Ah, tangent...
I used to think that. Turns out I had experienced shitty alcohol.
It really is an acquired taste. I'm not interested in bothering to acquire it. It saves me a lot of money otherwise. (And I've had access to really excellent alcohol. It all tastes horrible to my palate.)
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Zero. Alcohol is the second nastiest shit I've ever tasted. The worst was some sort of hot drink I got handed in a natural foods restaurant in Paris, which almost made me puke my guts out. I have no idea what it actually was. Ah, tangent...
I used to think that. Turns out I had experienced shitty alcohol.
It really is an acquired taste. I'm not interested in bothering to acquire it. It saves me a lot of money otherwise. (And I've had access to really excellent alcohol. It all tastes horrible to my palate.)
I am ever so slightly envious, haha. It's well worth the cost for me, though, so I suppose I can't complain. My roommates and I have a quality beverage selection, but I very rarely have a drink if I go out somewhere - the cost differential between home and 'out' is excessive.
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Zero. Alcohol is the second nastiest shit I've ever tasted. The worst was some sort of hot drink I got handed in a natural foods restaurant in Paris, which almost made me puke my guts out. I have no idea what it actually was. Ah, tangent...
I used to think that. Turns out I had experienced shitty alcohol.
It really is an acquired taste. I'm not interested in bothering to acquire it. It saves me a lot of money otherwise. (And I've had access to really excellent alcohol. It all tastes horrible to my palate.)
This was me about two years ago. All of it by and large tasted like acetone to me. I have, however, acquired a very slight taste for some cocktails via sips from my husband's drinks at restaurants. The ones I get are mostly froo-froo girly drinks, though, so the alcohol content and flavor is fairly low. I have developed a liking for a good old fashioned though. Also shandy, which sounds disgusting in theory but is really refreshing in practice (I otherwise hate beer). I could quit drinking alcohol forever today and not miss it a bit.
We don't have an alcohol budget. The vast majority of our (albeit minimal) drinking is facepunchable $12 cocktails at restaurants, so it goes in the restaurant budget. My husband likes some rum from time to time, or during the summer we'll get some bottles of something to sip around the balcony firepit, but those go into groceries because we get them at the grocery store. Annualized, it's probably about $20/mo, maybe?
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I'm confused, do you just not enjoy alcohol?
Oh, I dooo enjoy alcohol. Just like I enjoy gambling, binge watching shows, playing video games, eating junk food, and most any other vice you can throw out there. However, what I don't like is being dependent on something, I know I'm dependent on food, but the things I know I won't die without I try to cut or limit. Also it does not align with my long term goals and values. I used to drink a lot of coffee, but looking at the costs and the physical effects it had on me. I decided to quit three years ago. Same with alcohol now, I was never a big drinker but due to advertising and social gatherings over time I have associated alcohol to having a good time with friends and family. I then find myself having beer, wine, ect when I was alone and feeling lonely to recreate the atmosphere of being around company and having fun.
So when I achieve FI and have a healthy social life again, we just had a new born and live away from family , I might start drinking again as long as I'm not dependent on it and use it as a crutch.
The thing is after three months, I don't even think about it anymore and it doesn't bother me to hangout at a bar as long as I'm with good company.
Alcohol consumption of 1-2 drinks per day should not be considered a vice. It should actually be considered a part of a healthy lifestyle. Now for those who drink 4 or more at a time. That is a vice, for sure. I try to stop at 2 but every now and then have 3. I spend in the range of $50 per month on alcohol and would gladly give up meat, air conditioning and travel before I cut down on alcohol purchases.
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Zero. Alcohol is the second nastiest shit I've ever tasted. The worst was some sort of hot drink I got handed in a natural foods restaurant in Paris, which almost made me puke my guts out. I have no idea what it actually was. Ah, tangent...
Clearly you've never tried a 12 year single malt scotch on the rocks!
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I'm confused, do you just not enjoy alcohol?
Oh, I dooo enjoy alcohol. Just like I enjoy gambling, binge watching shows, playing video games, eating junk food, and most any other vice you can throw out there. However, what I don't like is being dependent on something, I know I'm dependent on food, but the things I know I won't die without I try to cut or limit. Also it does not align with my long term goals and values. I used to drink a lot of coffee, but looking at the costs and the physical effects it had on me. I decided to quit three years ago. Same with alcohol now, I was never a big drinker but due to advertising and social gatherings over time I have associated alcohol to having a good time with friends and family. I then find myself having beer, wine, ect when I was alone and feeling lonely to recreate the atmosphere of being around company and having fun.
So when I achieve FI and have a healthy social life again, we just had a new born and live away from family , I might start drinking again as long as I'm not dependent on it and use it as a crutch.
The thing is after three months, I don't even think about it anymore and it doesn't bother me to hangout at a bar as long as I'm with good company.
Alcohol consumption of 1-2 drinks per day should not be considered a vice. It should actually be considered a part of a healthy lifestyle. Now for those who drink 4 or more at a time. That is a vice, for sure. I try to stop at 2 but every now and then have 3. I spend in the range of $50 per month on alcohol and would gladly give up meat, air conditioning and travel before I cut down on alcohol purchases.
Not exactly.
http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/alcohol/art-20044551 (http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/alcohol/art-20044551)
If you choose to drink alcohol, do so only in moderation. For healthy adults, that means up to one drink a day for women of all ages and men older than age 65, and up to two drinks a day for men age 65 and younger.
If you're a middle-aged or younger adult, some evidence shows that even moderate alcohol use may cause more harm than good. You can take other steps to benefit your cardiovascular health besides drinking — eating a healthy diet and exercising, for example.
The latest dietary guidelines make it clear that no one should begin drinking or drink more frequently on the basis of potential health benefits.
Many people have trouble keeping themselves to healthy drinking practices. You even gave yourself as an example of someone who is often unable to control his alcohol consumption and limit himself to safe ranges, and strongly indicated how dependent you are on the drug.
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Zero. Alcohol is the second nastiest shit I've ever tasted. The worst was some sort of hot drink I got handed in a natural foods restaurant in Paris, which almost made me puke my guts out. I have no idea what it actually was. Ah, tangent...
Clearly you've never tried a 12 year single malt scotch on the rocks!
Or a Lagevulin 16....
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Sometimes it is an embarrassingly large sum, and sometimes it is zero.
I would like to make it closer to zero all the time.
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I refuse to answer this question on the grounds it may incriminate me. :)
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Most months of mine it is $0, although I have been looking at brewing as a fun low cost hobby that at worst would generate cheap drink and at best maybe even can recoup the cost by letting friends have it if they are willing to pay for ingredient costs or trade for something of similar value.
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Ours is way too high, about $200/month for two people. I drink usually one per night and four on one weekend night every week. My husband drinks somewhat more, but generally similar.
I sometimes feel bad about how much money we're spending on it, but we're naturally trending downward as we leave our twenties. It will never be $0 but I think it will continue to reduce. Plus there's this: http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2017200,00.html
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Way too much lol. Working on cutting that down big time.
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I rarely drink, and never alone. I have a (dad's) family history of alcoholism - grandmother, uncle, and a cousin all have/had problems that I know of. There's some family I simply don't see, so no idea on them. My dad would, except my mom does the grocery shopping and doesn't buy beer. It's the kind of problem where it sneaks up slowly and isn't obvious to people. No getting drunk all the time, no throwing up, etc. Just ALWAYS having a cocktail. I choose to skip the problem and just drink very rarely.
Most of my alcohol purchases fall under the gifts category. I do like St. Julien's sparkling juice though - non-alcoholic, and yummy.
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Average over the past two years is about $1-1.50 per month. One bottle of wine and one bottle of vodka that I can think of over that time. I think someone also bought us a bottle of wine once.
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I rarely drink, and never alone. I have a (dad's) family history of alcoholism - grandmother, uncle, and a cousin all have/had problems that I know of. There's some family I simply don't see, so no idea on them. My dad would, except my mom does the grocery shopping and doesn't buy beer. It's the kind of problem where it sneaks up slowly and isn't obvious to people. No getting drunk all the time, no throwing up, etc. Just ALWAYS having a cocktail. I choose to skip the problem and just drink very rarely.
Most of my alcohol purchases fall under the gifts category. I do like St. Julien's sparkling juice though - non-alcoholic, and yummy.
This is very close to me too, I drink some at social occasions, but my father and most of his side of the family all struggling with alcohol has made me very sober in how I deal with alcohol. Moderate and only in social occasions, never alone.
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I'm confused, do you just not enjoy alcohol?
Oh, I dooo enjoy alcohol. Just like I enjoy gambling, binge watching shows, playing video games, eating junk food, and most any other vice you can throw out there. However, what I don't like is being dependent on something, I know I'm dependent on food, but the things I know I won't die without I try to cut or limit. Also it does not align with my long term goals and values. I used to drink a lot of coffee, but looking at the costs and the physical effects it had on me. I decided to quit three years ago. Same with alcohol now, I was never a big drinker but due to advertising and social gatherings over time I have associated alcohol to having a good time with friends and family. I then find myself having beer, wine, ect when I was alone and feeling lonely to recreate the atmosphere of being around company and having fun.
So when I achieve FI and have a healthy social life again, we just had a new born and live away from family , I might start drinking again as long as I'm not dependent on it and use it as a crutch.
The thing is after three months, I don't even think about it anymore and it doesn't bother me to hangout at a bar as long as I'm with good company.
Alcohol consumption of 1-2 drinks per day should not be considered a vice. It should actually be considered a part of a healthy lifestyle. Now for those who drink 4 or more at a time. That is a vice, for sure. I try to stop at 2 but every now and then have 3. I spend in the range of $50 per month on alcohol and would gladly give up meat, air conditioning and travel before I cut down on alcohol purchases.
Not exactly.
http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/alcohol/art-20044551 (http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/alcohol/art-20044551)
If you choose to drink alcohol, do so only in moderation. For healthy adults, that means up to one drink a day for women of all ages and men older than age 65, and up to two drinks a day for men age 65 and younger.
If you're a middle-aged or younger adult, some evidence shows that even moderate alcohol use may cause more harm than good. You can take other steps to benefit your cardiovascular health besides drinking — eating a healthy diet and exercising, for example.
The latest dietary guidelines make it clear that no one should begin drinking or drink more frequently on the basis of potential health benefits.
Many people have trouble keeping themselves to healthy drinking practices. You even gave yourself as an example of someone who is often unable to control his alcohol consumption and limit himself to safe ranges, and strongly indicated how dependent you are on the drug.
LOL. A third drink every few weeks makes me alcohol dependent. Get real.
Just because you have a problem with alcohol, don't push your bias on others, please. From your link.
Health benefits of moderate alcohol use
Moderate alcohol consumption may provide some health benefits. It may:
Reduce your risk of developing and dying from heart disease
Possibly reduce your risk of ischemic stroke (when the arteries to your brain become narrowed or blocked, causing severely reduced blood flow)
Possibly reduce your risk of diabetes
Even so, the evidence about the possible health benefits of alcohol isn't certain, and alcohol may not benefit everyone who drinks.
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Mint tells me we've spent $120/month on average in 2014 and 2015 on "Alcohol and Bars". Of course, this doesn't count drinks purchased during restaurant meals or along with groceries. It's just drink-only bar tabs, liquor stores, and grocery store/convenience store trips for alcohol only.
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Clearly you've never tried a 12 year single malt scotch on the rocks!
I've been forced to try a few (and a few 18 year). My father really likes fine scotch and has quite a collection. Tastes like rubbing alcohol.
Since I hear the scotch is running out, I'll continue not drinking it and save it for those who enjoy it.
http://www.grubstreet.com/2016/03/15-year-scotch-shortage.html
I've never understood why people who drink really think people who don't should. Someone's got to drive :)
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My alcohol spending habits have changed a bit, I can't pull a number out of the air (because I don't care to look yet), but since I've been shopping at Costco liquor store with their 11.99 vodka handles and 15$ handles of rum I have saved a TON of money.
To shave some sugar out of my diet I've been drinking straight kirkland rum instead of making mixed drinks, its cheap and it tastes just fine with some nice vanilla and spice flavor.
Whatever I'm spending now its certainly better than my 60$ bottle of 120+ proof bourbon habit I used to coddle.
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Clearly you've never tried a 12 year single malt scotch on the rocks!
I've been forced to try a few (and a few 18 year). My father really likes fine scotch and has quite a collection. Tastes like rubbing alcohol.
Since I hear the scotch is running out, I'll continue not drinking it and save it for those who enjoy it.
http://www.grubstreet.com/2016/03/15-year-scotch-shortage.html
I've never understood why people who drink really think people who don't should. Someone's got to drive :)
Do you take it with ice? A good one is so smooth, sweet, smokey etc that I don't get the rubbing alcohol comparison.
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Too much! I have a craft beer habit, and regularly pay $14-$16 a FOUR-pack. Yep, 4-pack. But I love the beer, and believe me, the beer I drink (locally produced, fresh -- for any fellow Massholes out there, Tree House and Night Shift) is well worth the price. I would say I go through two 4-packs a week, not including any beers I have out at bars, so that's about $120/month. Beers out? Probably another $80-$100/month.
Hmm, I may have a problem . . .
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Do you take it with ice? A good one is so smooth, sweet, smokey etc that I don't get the rubbing alcohol comparison.
I don't take it any way. I don't drink.
If it comes from my Dad, it has ice in it. My husband, it's neat, or with a few drops of water.
But people keep insisting that I sip things. Half the time I can barely stomach to SMELL scotch it's so strong.
I don't see the need to accustom myself to the taste of something that is $100+ for 750 mL. I'll stick with water.
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Barely anything in the grand scheme of things -- maybe a equivalent of a couple of 6-packs per season. It's certainly not enough to warrant its own category in my spending tracking; I bet I spend significantly more money on bread!
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I probably spend somewhere around $30-40/mo on lower end stuff from the store for myself. My wife drinks midgrade, but less of it, so her tab is probably closer to $20-30/mo. We don't eat out much (1-2x/mo), and if we do we might have a drink each, so even at worst we are well under $100/mo.
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I refuse to answer this question on the grounds it may incriminate me. :)
Too funny! I literally laughed out loud at your comment.
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Barely anything in the grand scheme of things -- maybe a equivalent of a couple of 6-packs per season. It's certainly not enough to warrant its own category in my spending tracking; I bet I spend significantly more money on bread!
I just consider beer to be liquid bread.
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Last year, Hubby and I tried to stick to a booze budget of 50 per month. Each month we pretty much failed with December being much higher. I'd like to know what people spend on alcohol. This year we are doing better mainly because MrTuxedocat is on a health kick.
We live in Canada, where booze prices are quite high. The cheapest bottle of wine that I like is about $12 and a 12 pack of beer is about $24.
I have a bottle of wine that has been in the bottom of the fridge for two years. I keep meaning to drink it, but I always find something else to do.
You might find this interesting.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2014/09/25/think-you-drink-a-lot-this-chart-will-tell-you/
A small percentage (about 10%) of the population does the large majority of the drinking. To someone in that top 10 percent, a heavy drinking lifestyle seems normal. It isn't.
I thought I started drinking a lot after I moved to the east coast - then I read your link and the top 10% consumes 74 drinks a week.
Whoa.
I'm safe! :P
Wow! Per the article, alcoholics account for 60% of booze sales.
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Very little. Maybe $20 or so when we go out to eat a couple times a month on some good craft beers. Every few months we'll go "out" and spend maybe $50. We almost never drink at home at all. I don't care for drinking at home.
If we're staying near a beach we'll spend some for drinks at the beach. That's pretty rare as well.
Now that I'm married and not out socializing at bars looking to meet women, drinking lost most its appeal.
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...would gladly give up meat, air conditioning and travel before I cut down on alcohol purchases.
Absolutely. I guess I spend about $45 a month between what I have at home and what I have when out with friends/dates. I'd have totally been willing to work an extra two months to pay for this habit into perpetuity. One of the great joys in life is a cold beverage while playing guitar around the fire, or an afternoon game of beer darts in the lawn with friends, or a cocktail on the balcony overlooking the city/ocean or a perfect pairing with a great meal to enhance great conversation. There are many things in life I'd give up before I'd sign away those experiences.
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For the two of us we probably spend about $80/month, mostly on wine. Usually it's in chunks, like when we buy a couple bottles for a party (ie. I hosted a friend's b-day party at our house a couple weeks ago and bought a couple bottles). That and the occasional box wine, and the very occasional 6 pack.
Beer goes up in the summer usually.
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Last year, Hubby and I tried to stick to a booze budget of 50 per month. Each month we pretty much failed with December being much higher. I'd like to know what people spend on alcohol. This year we are doing better mainly because MrTuxedocat is on a health kick.
We live in Canada, where booze prices are quite high. The cheapest bottle of wine that I like is about $12 and a 12 pack of beer is about $24.
I have a bottle of wine that has been in the bottom of the fridge for two years. I keep meaning to drink it, but I always find something else to do.
You might find this interesting.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2014/09/25/think-you-drink-a-lot-this-chart-will-tell-you/
A small percentage (about 10%) of the population does the large majority of the drinking. To someone in that top 10 percent, a heavy drinking lifestyle seems normal. It isn't.
I thought I started drinking a lot after I moved to the east coast - then I read your link and the top 10% consumes 74 drinks a week.
Whoa.
I'm safe! :P
Wow! Per the article, alcoholics account for 60% of booze sales.
Much like the rich and the percentage of our country's tax bill that they pay. But I bet this type of distribution occurs all over the place. People who are addicted to porn probably watch 60% of the porn. People who are addicted to fast food, coffee, donuts, the internet, etc., probably consume 60+% of whatever it is they're addicted to.
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Too much! I have a craft beer habit, and regularly pay $14-$16 a FOUR-pack. Yep, 4-pack. But I love the beer, and believe me, the beer I drink (locally produced, fresh -- for any fellow Massholes out there, Tree House and Night Shift) is well worth the price. I would say I go through two 4-packs a week, not including any beers I have out at bars, so that's about $120/month. Beers out? Probably another $80-$100/month.
Hmm, I may have a problem . . .
I've been meaning to try Night Shift; I have heard great things. I've never even heard of Tree House (add it to the list!)
If you're looking for a new local craft brew, try Castle Island Brewing. Their 'Keeper' is one of the best IPAs I've had in awhile.
I probably spend $30-$35/month on alcohol. Usually a couple nicer 6-packs that I'll bring to a friend's house or split with the SO.
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Zero for personal consumption. I spend about $80.00 a year on gifts for a few particular friends that enjoy high quality alcohol but won't spend money on it themselves.
I enjoy being drunk but don't actually like the taste or enjoy the act of drinking, so that's why I don't personally partake. If I could find a really cheap way to feel that way without having to taste the alcohol or suffer the after effects I would. But that's not the world I live in so...
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Came here to see people who don't drink post that they don't drink, instead of just not bothering to post.
Was not disappointed.
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Came here to see people who don't drink post that they don't drink, instead of just not bothering to post.
Was not disappointed.
It's hard not to take the opportunity to show you hold the moral high ground.
I'm not ashamed (not particularly proud either) to say that the two of us spend $150 a month...all on wine. It's one of my greatest pleasures.
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Before I fully embraced mustachianism, it was around $100/mo. Mostly craft beer and happy hour drinks. I had a lot of fun co-workers who loved to drink and I loved to partake with them.
Now it's under $25/mo unless it's the holidays. During my dry Jan/Feb it was $0.
Also, having a keg at work sure helps.
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About $50?
Maybe 4 $5 glasses of wine or beer while out a month.
Maybe a few $4 bottles of wine, and a $12 box of wine.
Maybe a $8 6-pick of beer.
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Came here to see people who don't drink post that they don't drink, instead of just not bothering to post.
Was not disappointed.
The question was 'How much do you spend on alcohol per month?'. Zero is as valid a response to that question as a billion dollars.
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For a family of one, I probably average $6/ month in Ontario. Obviously, months that I have a drink, I have a few, but they are balanced out by the others. My friends and I all bus, and none of us like being alone on a bus inebriated. So most of the drinks happen when I'm staying over somewhere, or have wine early in a visit.
I probably spend $20/ month on pop and $25/ month on Tim Norton's etc
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Came here to see people who don't drink post that they don't drink, instead of just not bothering to post.
Was not disappointed.
The question was 'How much do you spend on alcohol per month?'. Zero is as valid a response to that question as a billion dollars.
Meh. Maybe. But if the question had been, "How much do you spend on golf per month?" it never would have occurred to me -- or probably to most people -- to hit reply and say, "I don't golf!!! And also, I think golf is nasty."
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About $125/month, for the two of us. We have wine with dinner most nights. We very occasionally buy an expensive bottle, but mostly we're happy with an assorted case from Trader Joe's, or what dh makes.
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Big Bottle of Kirkland Pinot Grigio = $7.89 for 8 glasses
Craft Beer = $24.99 for 24 bottles
Kirkland Whiskey = $20 for 1.75 liter (39 shots)
Kirkland Vodka = $20 for 1.75 liter (39 shots)
Ginger Ale & Soda = 30 cents a can
We consume beer & wine more often than a mixed drink. Our alcohol habit costs us about $1/per drink. We probably average 2 drinks/day for each person. That is $4/day and about $120/month.
It's a little high. I think we should try to lower our consumption to $100/month.
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Came here to see people who don't drink post that they don't drink, instead of just not bothering to post.
Was not disappointed.
:)
I'd like to buy you a drink! Maybe a Belikin!
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There's a huge variance within each type - for example, New Amsterdam gin is terrible (~$20 / 1.75l) and Barr Hill is fantastic (albeit at $35.99 / 750ml).
I'm literally LOL'ing. Just last night my wife and I were discussing who we weren't going to buy New Amsterdam anymore, because life is just too short.
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There's a huge variance within each type - for example, New Amsterdam gin is terrible (~$20 / 1.75l) and Barr Hill is fantastic (albeit at $35.99 / 750ml).
I'm literally LOL'ing. Just last night my wife and I were discussing who we weren't going to buy New Amsterdam anymore, because life is just too short.
Lmao...yeah, roommates and I have also had that discussion. Our go-to is Bombay or Bombay Sapphire, depending on which is on sale.
If you like Scotch, I've found that Black Grouse is really good for the price (found it on sale in NH for $40/1.75l). Not as good as a Lagevulin 16...but it's also not $74 for 750ml, heh.
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In 2014 I averaged about $126/month and 2015 was about $122/month. I definitely spend a lot on booze, but it's something I enjoy and for better or worse (admittedly probably worse) a lot of my social interactions involve drinks. I don't often go out for drinks anymore, but often have an after work drink and our place is set up for hosting (2 bars in the basement, billiards/table tennis, "hammer-nail" station, darts, and bomb-shelter-party-foul-room).
As I get older, we don't have parties like we used to, but a few people talking about stupid things and drinking good scotch or fancy beer seems to add up just as quickly.
I'm planning to get back into home brewing to bring the costs down; up here a 24 pack of mid range beer is about $50 with taxes and the cheap stuff is about $42.
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I'm not sure because it's rolled into my grocery and restaurant budget. However, I've been working on reducing it.
MMM got me into Bota Box wine, which I actually like (Redvolution and their Malbec are my favorites, but I just discovered Nighthawk Black on their website and want to give it a try). My bf likes them, too. So thanks to that, we're saving on wine at home. I limit my drinking to two nights per week, and I typically have 2 drinks on each of those two nights. I realized a while ago that since my work schedule is all over the place, I don't have "normal" weekends to tell me when it's acceptable to drink, and if I don't pay attention, I'll end up drinking more than twice a week. So now I pay attention! (Not that it's not acceptable for a M-F worker to have a drink on Tuesday, but for me, I wanted some parameters.)
I've been cutting back on ordering drinks when I go out to eat (we go out once a week, and I typically order one drink while we're out), both because I'm reducing my sugar intake and because they're ridiculously expensive. My goal, starting in April, is to order zero drinks when out at restaurants. That leaves a glass of wine to look forward to when we get home!
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Came here to see people who don't drink post that they don't drink, instead of just not bothering to post.
Was not disappointed.
:)
I'd like to buy you a drink! Maybe a Belikin!
:) I'd happily drink a Belikin right now!
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Fuck, I spent like $400 this month on booze. On one hand, I am annoyed at myself. On the other hand, really fantastic booze.
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Not sure if we can "Bota Box" in the Great White North but for the winos here (I'm proud to be a member of that club) that live in Ontario, you can always try Magnotta boxes.
The Sauvignon Blanc Riserva in 8 L boxes is very passable as a quaffing wine. At 8L for $65 it is very good value.
My buddy swears by the Bianco Leggero - 16L for $75 - equivalent of $3.60 a bottle (caveat, I've only tried it at the store's tasting bar...it seemed drinkable).
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Boxed shiraz at trader joes is 3 liters for about $12 and keeps well (in refrigerator after opening) for about a month. That's like $3 bottle for a decent Australian Shiraz. If you like Stout beers a lot of grocery stores are clearing out their Irish Stouts left over from St Paddy's day. I scored a 10 pack of Murphy's (easiest drinking stout on earth) for $1.29 per beer when it's regularly $2 each.
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Fuck, I spent like $400 this month on booze. On one hand, I am annoyed at myself. On the other hand, really fantastic booze.
What do you drink? A bottle of Scotch every few days?
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Too much! I have a craft beer habit, and regularly pay $14-$16 a FOUR-pack. Yep, 4-pack. But I love the beer, and believe me, the beer I drink (locally produced, fresh -- for any fellow Massholes out there, Tree House and Night Shift) is well worth the price. I would say I go through two 4-packs a week, not including any beers I have out at bars, so that's about $120/month. Beers out? Probably another $80-$100/month.
Hmm, I may have a problem . . .
I've been meaning to try Night Shift; I have heard great things. I've never even heard of Tree House (add it to the list!)
If you're looking for a new local craft brew, try Castle Island Brewing. Their 'Keeper' is one of the best IPAs I've had in awhile.
I probably spend $30-$35/month on alcohol. Usually a couple nicer 6-packs that I'll bring to a friend's house or split with the SO.
Amen, mrteacher, I've had the Keeper, and it is indeed a keeper!
Tree House can only be gotten at the brewery Wed-Sat. They have can sales only days, and can & growler sales days. Their beers, especially their IPAs, DIPAs, and Pale Ale, are sublime. They tend toward the citrusy, and are nothing but cloudy, unfiltered goodness. Night Shift is fantastic as well, and unlike Tree House, you can actually find their cans in some local packies. But the brewery (w/taproom) is worth the visit. Located in Everett, MA, in an industrial area.
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Came here to see people who don't drink post that they don't drink, instead of just not bothering to post.
Was not disappointed.
LOL!!!!!!!!!
I'll admit I was pretty shocked by the number of teetotalers here on MMM!
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It varies on whether or not we are hosting any events for our friends. But about $50. I might have three glasses of wine in a month, whereas my husband might have a beer four times a week, when he buys a six-pack, and then not buy beer for the rest of the month.
But ask me what I spend on chocolate. About $50 a month.
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Came here to see people who don't drink post that they don't drink, instead of just not bothering to post.
Was not disappointed.
Next: "How much do you spend on meat per month?" :)
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I probably spend about $25 out (bars/restaurants) and $10 for liquor store purchases per month. I ditched beer a while ago as a part of a paleo/healthy eating kick and mostly do a glass of red wine at dinner or a bottle of cider at home. Probably comes to 1-2 drinks a week on average. Some months are drier than others. After being an idiot in college, I'm happy to drink only what I enjoy now.
If I were to reduce spending in the frivolous drinks category, it would have to be by buying cheaper coffee beans! I do spend a lot on nice beans/blends.
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Probably $100-200 a month, depending on the month. I figure it cuts down my ultimate stash need because it has an inverse impact on my life expectancy, so it comes out in the wash.
LOL!!! This is me!!! Lots and lots of social events in my neighborhood.
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Maybe $10 per month or so? (A couple of times a year I will occasionally attend after work outings with coworkers, and typically consume two beers or so. That can be $8-10 on those occasions.)
I get the $3.99 Winking Owl Cabernet Sauvignon at Aldi, and typically drink Keystone light or Burger Classic lager, which run $6-6.50 per 12 pack on sale. I like the fancy beers but don't think they are worth the price.
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Started drinking in college and i have to say, probably not the best place to "learn" to drink...
when newly graduated and fresh out of school, friends and I still drank a lot. Now that I'm newly 30 y/o, married and seriously making the push for FIRE, we've Stopped drinking while out and that has saved us so much money. We still buy some booze to enjoy at home, but less often do we drink to excess, and even if we do at home/camping/cabining with friends, it costs max $15 a person as opposed to some crazy $50 or more night out at a bar twice a weekend like the old days
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I'd say we average $1-2 a month on alcohol as it's probably only $10-20 a year... My wife quit drinking back in college. I was never a big drinker myself. I enjoy it, but quality alcohol is just so expensive. I might splurge on one halfway decent drink a year.
I've got a number of friends that enjoy drinking. I'd probably do more drinking with them, but they mostly go to bars & clubs to drink, which bores me no end, so I don't go on those trips.
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$15/month. That doesn't include if I buy a bottle of wine to use in cooking, which I'd categorize under groceries.
We live near a Costco and a Trader Joe's, both of which have decently priced alcohol. With our budget that averages out to 1-2 bottles every couple months. I like to experiment with making cocktails so most of the budget goes towards hard liquor, lol. We grow our own mint and I make a lot of mojitos in the summer, for example.
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I spend $0/month now, and the times I have tried to drink I end up immediately feeling awful. I miss having zero inhibitions now and then, but I definitely don't miss the hangovers!
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It's highly dependent on the season (more booze in the summer during soccer season/camping season/bike riding season). I'm on the very high end of the range, as we're a big fan of craft cocktails in my house (and have the barbot to prove it). So while we don't *drink* a ton, just stocking the liquor cabinet with novelty liquors is pricey. I'm in the range of 6-8 drinks/week for a <30 year old female.
I spend on average: $35/month on alcohol at bars when not traveling (traveling is much higher depending on location, but it is usually DC where alcohol prices are high); $40/month on stocking the liquor cabinet for home (including beer or wine). I'd much rather spend $$ on a nice cocktail out than a meal out.
This month I'm happy to say I'm at $0 for liquor at home and $6 for bars. That's because I'm not drinking booze this month :-P
My replacement sparkling water habit has come to $9 this month thus far.
I didn't drink for about 1 year because I was on a medication that didn't allow it, and while it helped my budget, I sorely missed the ritual and taste. There's no taste replacement for good whiskey (if you know of one, let me know!) And I hated having meetings at bars (part of my job) and spending just $2.50 on a credit card.
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I'm afraid to even try to add it all up...way too much I'm sure, $300 - $500 a month maybe between the two of us? It's our only vice. We eat very well, don't smoke, no drugs, exercise regularly, get our annual physicals (all good numbers), etc. That's how we justify it, anyway :-). Mostly beer (macro brews...not really into the whole micro thing, except for a good Wheat), a lot of wine (we like chardonnay...usually Black Box, but like to buy different bottles at World Market), and rum...really good rum (kind of part and parcel to the whole beachbum thing).
And for those who choose not to drink, kudos! Your choice, don't let people give you a bad time about it.
Cheers all!
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Probably around $50 a month unless I'm traveling. I don't drink very much in restaurants because liquor stores are so much cheaper. Maybe 1-2 drinks a month out.
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The only really honest people here (other than the insufferable tea-totallers).
Good on ya'.
I'm afraid to even try to add it all up...way too much I'm sure, $300 - $500 a month maybe between the two of us? It's our only vice. We eat very well, don't smoke, no drugs, exercise regularly, get our annual physicals (all good numbers), etc. That's how we justify it, anyway :-). Mostly beer (macro brews...not really into the whole micro thing, except for a good Wheat), a lot of wine (we like chardonnay...usually Black Box, but like to buy different bottles at World Market), and rum...really good rum (kind of part and parcel to the whole beachbum thing).
And for those who choose not to drink, kudos! Your choice, don't let people give you a bad time about it.
Cheers all!
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Clearly you've never tried a 12 year single malt scotch on the rocks!
Or a Lagevulin 16....
People! Single malt scotch should never be ruined with ice!!
Whew. Ok, chiming in to support the original poster, as we're also in BC, land of super-expensive booze, which we love and are not giving up. I actually don't drink all that much; I aim for that 1 per day max for healthy women. Anyone ever look at the serving sizes for what those really mean? Tiny! So I aim for 1 small glass of wine or I just sip away at hubby's super-tasty microbrews. He does drink more, a beer a night most days and sometimes a scotch. Yummm...
Mrs Tuxedocat, given our fancy booze tastes, we do a few things to try to keep our costs reasonable. We make cider from our apples down at the local u-brew, and I mostly get decent quality box wine. I budget about $150/mo; that's WAY low from what it used to be, especially when we socialized more. But it's still enough to have a few good, pricey beers each week, supplemented by the wine and cider. We also accept gifts in the form of scotch to keep our costs down there!
(But we might have returned from Scotland one year with 14 bottles of scotch in our luggage...don't ask about the duty we paid when we got to customs...)
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Clearly you've never tried a 12 year single malt scotch on the rocks!
Or a Lagevulin 16....
People! Single malt scotch should never be ruined with ice!!
Whew. Ok, chiming in to support the original poster, as we're also in BC, land of super-expensive booze, which we love and are not giving up. I actually don't drink all that much; I aim for that 1 per day max for healthy women. Anyone ever look at the serving sizes for what those really mean? Tiny! So I aim for 1 small glass of wine or I just sip away at hubby's super-tasty microbrews. He does drink more, a beer a night most days and sometimes a scotch. Yummm...
Mrs Tuxedocat, given our fancy booze tastes, we do a few things to try to keep our costs reasonable. We make cider from our apples down at the local u-brew, and I mostly get decent quality box wine. I budget about $150/mo; that's WAY low from what it used to be, especially when we socialized more. But it's still enough to have a few good, pricey beers each week, supplemented by the wine and cider. We also accept gifts in the form of scotch to keep our costs down there!
(But we might have returned from Scotland one year with 14 bottles of scotch in our luggage...don't ask about the duty we paid when we got to customs...)
Who're you calling people!? I drink mine straight!
Gin & tonic gets lots of ice, though. Trader Joe's tonic is excellent.
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I spend about $25 - $30 per month on alcohol. We usually get one bottle of red wine per weekend.
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40$ between me and my husband, in Quebec. Averaging a bottle of wine and maybe 2 cocktails per week.
We get our wine made (4$/bottle, instead of 14$/bottle in store - thanks for the tip, MMM!) and once a year we do a huuuuge SAQ depot run for liquor (my husband likes mixing cocktails, and this gets us schmancy cocktails for 15% off.)
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Mint says about $90/month on alcohol/bars which is mostly wine these days with the odd craft beer or scotch mixed in. I'm careful about categorizing each transaction, but that wouldn't include drinks during restaurant meals (maybe 2-3/month). I didn't realize so many Mustachians were teetotalers. Good on ya if that works for you.
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This fascinating thread led me to add up the numbers for this year. Comes to right at $100 a month. This includes DH's homebrew supplies.
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Maybe $10.
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Interesting responses on where people put alcohol on their budget (and how much they spend too!). I don't include drinks from pubs/restaurants on my alcohol budget as that's more entertainment from my viewpoint. But it would be at least double :)
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$30-40 dollars on red wine (4 oz/ day). Not much of a drinker.
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Clearly you've never tried a 12 year single malt scotch on the rocks!
Or a Lagevulin 16....
People! Single malt scotch should never be ruined with ice!!
Whew. Ok, chiming in to support the original poster, as we're also in BC, land of super-expensive booze, which we love and are not giving up. I actually don't drink all that much; I aim for that 1 per day max for healthy women. Anyone ever look at the serving sizes for what those really mean? Tiny! So I aim for 1 small glass of wine or I just sip away at hubby's super-tasty microbrews. He does drink more, a beer a night most days and sometimes a scotch. Yummm...
Mrs Tuxedocat, given our fancy booze tastes, we do a few things to try to keep our costs reasonable. We make cider from our apples down at the local u-brew, and I mostly get decent quality box wine. I budget about $150/mo; that's WAY low from what it used to be, especially when we socialized more. But it's still enough to have a few good, pricey beers each week, supplemented by the wine and cider. We also accept gifts in the form of scotch to keep our costs down there!
(But we might have returned from Scotland one year with 14 bottles of scotch in our luggage...don't ask about the duty we paid when we got to customs...)
Who're you calling people!? I drink mine straight!
Gin & tonic gets lots of ice, though. Trader Joe's tonic is excellent.
Not me. A tiny bit of ice for this weakling. I need my drinks cold. I'm extremely American in that I need cold drinks with ice. I've been to Europe and watched them drink nearly warm coke. Gross.
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Not much at the moment - probably £10-25 a month - from two to five glasses of wine out.
I have a stache at home of booze-cruised wine from France...
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Clearly you've never tried a 12 year single malt scotch on the rocks!
Or a Lagevulin 16....
People! Single malt scotch should never be ruined with ice!!
Whew. Ok, chiming in to support the original poster, as we're also in BC, land of super-expensive booze, which we love and are not giving up. I actually don't drink all that much; I aim for that 1 per day max for healthy women. Anyone ever look at the serving sizes for what those really mean? Tiny! So I aim for 1 small glass of wine or I just sip away at hubby's super-tasty microbrews. He does drink more, a beer a night most days and sometimes a scotch. Yummm...
Mrs Tuxedocat, given our fancy booze tastes, we do a few things to try to keep our costs reasonable. We make cider from our apples down at the local u-brew, and I mostly get decent quality box wine. I budget about $150/mo; that's WAY low from what it used to be, especially when we socialized more. But it's still enough to have a few good, pricey beers each week, supplemented by the wine and cider. We also accept gifts in the form of scotch to keep our costs down there!
(But we might have returned from Scotland one year with 14 bottles of scotch in our luggage...don't ask about the duty we paid when we got to customs...)
Who're you calling people!? I drink mine straight!
Gin & tonic gets lots of ice, though. Trader Joe's tonic is excellent.
Not me. A tiny bit of ice for this weakling. I need my drinks cold. I'm extremely American in that I need cold drinks with ice. I've been to Europe and watched them drink nearly warm coke. Gross.
Not so much to cool it, but a bit of water floated in really makes it bloom. I usually take mine with a bit of ice. Depends on if it's a peaty Lagavulin or a much smoother Glenlivet.
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$100 for wine --- recently about $8 per bottle mail order -- wine with most dinners
$20 for beer
$20 for hard stuff --- gin, vodka, rum, scotch, tequila, liquors
That's for two adults (mostly just me), plus occasional beer consumption by adult son
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Meh I'll be the weirdo here I guess. I love alcohol. Its my vice, and I'm healthy in most every other regard so I happily imbibe. We prbably spend around $200/mo. Like eating out, its our weak spot in the budget
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Wife has never drank alcohol in her life. I love good wine and beer, tequila, etc. But over the past 3 years our monthly alcohol spending has been a solid $0. On 3 or 4 occasions over this period, I accepted a free pour (of wine) at cocktail parties/receptions. With regard to total beverage consumption, our family of 4 primarily drinks water so beverages as a class has a tiny monthly budget for us (milk & homemade coffee only).
gizmonte
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Clearly you've never tried a 12 year single malt scotch on the rocks!
Or a Lagevulin 16....
People! Single malt scotch should never be ruined with ice!!
Whew. Ok, chiming in to support the original poster, as we're also in BC, land of super-expensive booze, which we love and are not giving up. I actually don't drink all that much; I aim for that 1 per day max for healthy women. Anyone ever look at the serving sizes for what those really mean? Tiny! So I aim for 1 small glass of wine or I just sip away at hubby's super-tasty microbrews. He does drink more, a beer a night most days and sometimes a scotch. Yummm...
Mrs Tuxedocat, given our fancy booze tastes, we do a few things to try to keep our costs reasonable. We make cider from our apples down at the local u-brew, and I mostly get decent quality box wine. I budget about $150/mo; that's WAY low from what it used to be, especially when we socialized more. But it's still enough to have a few good, pricey beers each week, supplemented by the wine and cider. We also accept gifts in the form of scotch to keep our costs down there!
(But we might have returned from Scotland one year with 14 bottles of scotch in our luggage...don't ask about the duty we paid when we got to customs...)
Who're you calling people!? I drink mine straight!
Gin & tonic gets lots of ice, though. Trader Joe's tonic is excellent.
Not me. A tiny bit of ice for this weakling. I need my drinks cold. I'm extremely American in that I need cold drinks with ice. I've been to Europe and watched them drink nearly warm coke. Gross.
Not so much to cool it, but a bit of water floated in really makes it bloom. I usually take mine with a bit of ice. Depends on if it's a peaty Lagavulin or a much smoother Glenlivet.
I do sometimes as well depending on the scotch or how I'm feeling and sometimes use whiskey stones. For good rum or other good whiskey like bourbon I almost always have it with ice. Nothing with good tequila though. Just personal taste.
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Came here to see people who don't drink post that they don't drink, instead of just not bothering to post.
Was not disappointed.
This kinda reminds me of a defensive car clown 😄
Question was hpw much do you spend on alcohol a month? This is a blog about cutting out unnecessary expenses, it seems natural that those who spend 0 on booze pipe up?
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Came here to see people who don't drink post that they don't drink, instead of just not bothering to post.
Was not disappointed.
LOL!!!!!!!!!
I'll admit I was pretty shocked by the number of teetotalers here on MMM!
Really? I was kind of shocked the other way- after all - alcohol could be classified as "shit we don't need"... 🤓
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We spend more on alcohol than eating out, and eating out includes any alcohol also ordered at the restaurant. An outing involving just a brewery (or cidery or meadery etc) gets counted as alcohol. There are a lot of those around here and we enjoy that as a fairly cheap date ($7 each for a pint and no gas if we ride bikes).
Alcohol total is a bit under $200/mo but trying to work this down to more like $150. I could easily do that by skipping the glass of wine some days, but DH definitely likes a beer or glass of wine or two each evening. He also brews, the supplies for which count in the alcohol category. Mostly craft beer and boxed wine, generally a drink per evening for me and two for him. Obviously we could cut way more down but we expect to drink alcohol in FIRE so may as well figure out now what level we're comfortable with. To me, FIRE is not about cutting every last thing down to the bone (if it were, I'd be FIREd now).
Generally not much of a fan of hard liquor-scotch or otherwise.
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Really? I was kind of shocked the other way- after all - alcohol could be classified as "shit we don't need"... 🤓
Speak for yourself... :D
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Per month? I dunno...$20-$30 maybe? Some months $0.
The only alcohol I buy nowadays is beer. Once upon a time, I used to buy an occasional bottle of wine.
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$0
I've never acquired a taste for it:-)
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$0.
I do love reds, just not a priority these days.
NDQ
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Really? I was kind of shocked the other way- after all - alcohol could be classified as "shit we don't need"... 🤓
Speak for yourself... :D
Haha I got no problem with that! I think the thing that irks me a little is when people equate drinking alcohol with coolness or as some kind of strange status symbol. It's not cool or amazing in any way- you're lifting an arm and you're drinking a beverage. Advertising has got people convinced however- very similar to how cigarettes used to be cool. If you like the beverage and it gives you something that you need, or want great! I just get a little needled when people act like I'm crazy or high and mighty or whatever other silly projection because I don't drink. It doesn't make sense to me, gives me nothing I need so I don't do it. And now I sound defensive. WELL I AM 😅
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Maybe $5 average?
I don't really drink that much, but will have something on occasion (every 3-4 months maybe). So over the course of a year maybe it adds up to about $50.
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Really? I was kind of shocked the other way- after all - alcohol could be classified as "shit we don't need"... 🤓
Speak for yourself... :D
Haha I got no problem with that! I think the thing that irks me a little is when people equate drinking alcohol with coolness or as some kind of strange status symbol. It's not cool or amazing in any way- you're lifting an arm and you're drinking a beverage. Advertising has got people convinced however- very similar to how cigarettes used to be cool. If you like the beverage and it gives you something that you need, or want great! I just get a little needled when people act like I'm crazy or high and mighty or whatever other silly projection because I don't drink. It doesn't make sense to me, gives me nothing I need so I don't do it. And now I sound defensive. WELL I AM 😅
Fair enough. Although I don't think anyone here equates it with the "cool lifestyle". I equate it more with a slightly shameful money drain, but something that I truly enjoy and don't want to give up. Probably in the same boat as a few folks. I don't drink to be cool (no longer an option for me), but to have fun -- responsibly usually, unresponsively sometimes.
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Maybe $20/mo. I'll have about 3 drinks on average in a six week period. I work out to sea for three weeks, where I do not drink, then I am home for three weeks when I maybe have 1 drink per week. Add the very occasional drink at a restaurant and the 4-5 I have when we have guests, and I would say $20 is a reasonable estimate.
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$100-$200 per month.
I recognise this is quite high.
My biggest concern about our alcohol consumption isn't so much that we spend a reasonable amount of money on it but that we tend to drink more during periods of higher stress. I do not like falling to the habit of relying on a glass of wine after work to unwind as I believe this be an unhealthy sign.
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$100-$200 per month.
I recognise this is quite high.
My biggest concern about our alcohol consumption isn't so much that we spend a reasonable amount of money on it but that we tend to drink more during periods of higher stress. I do not like falling to the habit of relying on a glass of wine after work to unwind as I believe this be an unhealthy sign.
Ditto all of this. DH just had a conversation about this last night. Too many consecutive nights of drinking (not binge drinking but that doesn't matter). Directly related to stress (FIL illness, hospital, hospice, death, funeral, mil aftermath).
Anyway, we are cutting back.
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$12. Four bottles of Aldi wine.
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I goes under our grocery budget. I'd guess around 10€ / month.
The bf will buy 1-2 sixpacks of Aldi beer. We also like to drink wine, maybe 2 bottles a month. As nearly every guest that comes to our place brings a bottle of wine as present, we always have more than we drink :-)
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Nothing. Never have understood the appeal of drinking alcohol. One experience of getting drunk in college was enough aversion therapy to convince me to leave the stuff alone.
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Essentially $0/month for myself. If I buy alcohol, it is as a gift for people that do like it.
Like many others here, I don't care for the taste of it. Even the "good stuff" tastes bad to me. I also don't care for feeling buzzed or drunk. I tried drinking when I was 21-22. I gave up on it after about 5 months because it seemed like everything I tried made me sleepy and or nauseous.
I have no regrets about swearing it off. My urge to avoid discomfort has always overruled my urge to fit in socially. It tastes bad and makes me feel bad, so I feel no obligation to drink it even if it makes people around me uncomfortable.
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$20-$30 a month. Usually a 1-2 12 pack of bottles will be fine. We tend to only drink on weekends.
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Fuck, I spent like $400 this month on booze. On one hand, I am annoyed at myself. On the other hand, really fantastic booze.
What do you drink? A bottle of Scotch every few days?
I don't have a drinking problem, I have a buying problem.
I bought:
- Stagg Jr
- Elijah Craig barrel proof release #10
- Elijah Craig 12 (1.75L)
- Old Weller Antique
- Corazon Blanco (375ml)
- Corazon Reposado (375ml)
- Lunazul Reposado
- Maestro Dobel Diamante
- Maestro Dobel Diamante as thanks
- Beer for people as thanks for favors
- Five bottles of wine that were pretty reduced
I might be missing something.
I bought a bunch for other people, some for myself. I actually consume (for myself and guests) at most a half bottle of hard liquor a month, usually less... a few beers, maybe a bottle of wine but only once in a while.
I just really like having good liquor.
I am strongly considering going back and buying like two cases of two of my favorite bourbons. Why? Because fuck me, that's why.
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I choose not to drink for health reasons and I personally have never really cared for the cost or the taste. Never seemed worth it to me. I do really enjoy coffee though and probably spend 25 bucks a month average
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Just for comparison:
http://blondeonabudget.ca/2016/03/28/the-true-cost-of-wasting-money-on-getting-wasted/
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About $30/month. That's for a $25 bottle of made in Texas whiskey and enough ginger beer to make Kentucky Mules. Occasionally beer or a bottle of red wine.
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About $40-50 in Aussie wine. Yellowtail Big Bold Red. I decided to stop drinking during the week so we'll see what happens. It's been a few days
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About $200/month. About a case of wine a month (12) for an average of about 150, a bottle of good scotch every 2 months, and a six pack maybe every 6 weeks. That is for two people; puts us in the 65 drinks per month per person minus whatever we share...
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Just for comparison:
http://blondeonabudget.ca/2016/03/28/the-true-cost-of-wasting-money-on-getting-wasted/
Holy fuck, that's a lot of drinking...
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$150 a month...
My husband plays rugby which pretty much translates into hit people really hard and then drink beer with them. He also has a taste for sipping nice whiskey and scotch. I love a good margarita/mimosa on occasion but generally have a few glasses a week of bota box wine.
We are trying to spend less here and have actually come along way from about $400/month (drank at bars a lot more, pretentious wine instead of box wine, etc.).
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No one makes moonshine here? Seems like the frugal way to go, I'm surprised. Even if you did you couldn't say anything, I see.
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No one makes moonshine here? Seems like the frugal way to go, I'm surprised. Even if you did you couldn't say anything, I see.
It's hard to type on an internet forum when you've gone blind from home made moonshine. :P
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No one makes moonshine here? Seems like the frugal way to go, I'm surprised. Even if you did you couldn't say anything, I see.
It's hard to type on an internet forum when you've gone blind from home made moonshine. :P
Nah, most people making 'shine these days know what they're doing. The best vodka you'll ever have will come from a guy with his own still, I guarantee it.
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Zero
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In 2015, $200/month.
This is for a couple whose home life and socializing revolves around cooking, eating, and drinking wine with friends at our place and theirs.
Not guzzling, just enjoying--and there's definitely a level of hedonic adaptation because we go to France for a few months yearly (!), know wine and food writers, and somehow got "discerning" (snobby) enough not to enjoy the very cheapest stuff.
(When that's what's on offer, we have a little sip and just don't drink any more, which is fine too. Snobby?)
Sadly Canada doesn't have some of the cheaper good wine options the US offers, yet. France, OTOH, is full of great cheap stuff straight from the enthusiastic people who make it.
We reflect on the costs and pleasures involved and are totally happy with this. A nice part of life that we only discovered once we could truly afford it!
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No one makes moonshine here? Seems like the frugal way to go, I'm surprised. Even if you did you couldn't say anything, I see.
It's hard to type on an internet forum when you've gone blind from home made moonshine. :P
You would have to go out of your way to actually become blind from sipping 'shine. Actually, you would probably die from EthOH poisoning before any of that happened.
In addition, Commercial grade spirits and wines actually contain more MethOH (what makes you go blind) than properly done 'shine. MethOH is a natural by-product of yeast fermentation.
The stories of people going blind actually stem from the prohibition era when some people drank distilled rubbing alcohol or other such substances.
I know all of this because I like reading about history and I did lots of classes in microbial biology. NOTHING MORE!
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We spend about $500 a month for booze. Lucky enough to live on a canal in Florida (when market dropped) and have a pontoon on lift out back. About every weekend we float on the river with friends. Going out to eat is not our thing, maybe once a month. We've designed our backyard to be welcoming and always have friends over.
With the kids grown up and out of the house we are enjoying our freedom (late 40s). I can understand some of you with young kids who have other priorities to worry about, such as baseball/football practice. But thank goodness our time is done. ;)
Pick and choose what you find fun and don't forget to live it along the way rather than some abstract date where your mobility is limited. We do however manage to save 75% of our income so not totally out of control.
Cheers,
FLJoel
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No one makes moonshine here? Seems like the frugal way to go, I'm surprised. Even if you did you couldn't say anything, I see.
Don't make moonshine, but I do make mead -- costs me around $1.5/bottle, which is quite a bit better than the $10 entry point for a drinkable wine around here, or the $25 you'd need to spend to get pretty much ANY mead. Also makes a nice gift and I've found that mead is an excellent currency for barter with other hobbyist food/drink makers.
Nah, most people making 'shine these days know what they're doing. The best vodka you'll ever have will come from a guy with his own still, I guarantee it.
You've got that right! I have a family member who makes his own vodka, it's so smooth you barely know it's alcoholic. And my eastern-European neighbours make one hell of a plum brandy.
Since I'm responding anyway, I'll answer the original question. I spend about $50-100/mo, depending on whether I'm buying honey or a wine kit. It's a hobby, so it keeps me entertained, and it reduces costs on alcohol. Win/Win!
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We spend about $500 a month for booze. Lucky enough to live on a canal in Florida...
Whew...someone else finally came in with an estimate like mine! What part of FL are you in? We are moving there next year (Sarasota/SKB).
Cheers!
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Whew...someone else finally came in with an estimate like mine! What part of FL are you in? We are moving there next year (Sarasota/SKB).
Ha! We're over in Brevard County, south of NASA. Sarasota is a nice area.
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Soo, how much did everyone spend on alcohol in 2016?
We spent $1,106.41 on total alcohol purchases including bars, gifts, lounges and drinks at home. I like drinking, as you can see, but I do want spend less. My goal for 2017 will be $750.
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Pre-Fire: $300 - 400
Post-Fire: $50-ish
I'm a healthier human now. :)
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$125. It's shameful.
All beer from the store. I will say that I avoid buying beer out. That runs up a bill fast!
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$0. We don't drink. DH might have an occasional beverage but that ends up being less than once a year (in fact, I don't even remember the last time he had any alcohol).
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I spent about $6 buying a bottle of cheap champagne a few months ago. So my average was fifty cents per month in 2016.
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I make my own apple cider, ginger beer, wine, etc. A 3 gallon batch of cider or ginger beer costs about $20 to make; wine is a bit more if you buy concentrated wine grape juice. I probably spend $100/yr on ingredients, but give a lot of it away.
I was in France this summer and you can get decent wine for 3-5 euros a bottle. Americans are conditioned to spend a lot on alcohol as a luxury good.
Years ago, I researched the health implications of alcohol and concluded that I really should drink more. The optimal intake is half a serving per day for women and one serving per day for men.
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My budget category is showing $504.71 for 2016 (that's just me) - mostly big bottles of Jim Beam from Costco. I budget $35/month, so that's definitely over what I *want* to spend, at an actual cost of $42/month. I think a few drinks snuck their way into the restaurant budget when out to eat as well.
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$250/mo for 2 of us. Probably too much, and may reduce it some this year, but it's kind of our down time. Put the kids to bed, then share drinks & watch our favorite shows ( @midnight, daily show, various cooking shows). Every night is date night.
Seriously, we never eat dinner out, we never hire a baby sitter (never paid anyone to watch our kids before, and our oldest is 10).
So I don't feel bad, but should probably cut back just a bit for health, even though this is the only vice.
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Zero, alcohol just doesn't agree with me. I spend about $15 a month on medical marijuana instead though, which is legal here.
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If there was a thread that asked 'How much do you spend on dog food a month', I would ignore the thread as my answer is $0, as I don't own a dog. I find it odd that people who don't drink go out of their way to reply to threads that aren't related to them!
Not criticising... just a Friday afternoon observation as it's 2pm here and as I'm looking forward to my Friday evening beer, this thread caught my attention!
I can't remember if I replied to this thread previously but I averaged about $85 a month in 2016. It's one of my higher budget points but I'm not looking to cut it down drastically. I love beer and I love socialising with others over a beer.
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We spend a lot. We may drink 8 -10 bottles out of the wine cellar a month - and that cost (already sunk) would be on the order of $500 - $3000 depending on which bottles we drink. And we each like a gin or vodka drink each night as a nightcap. We don't scrimp on the brands. So I imagine our nightcaps run us at least $100 per month. We are unusual I guess.
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mmm..... I should probably plead the 5th here but...
We average about 50 bottles of wine a month. Just 2 of us but we entertain quite heavily. Decent quality wine is reasonably priced here on the southern tip of Africa so this works out around $500-600 per month. I think our "habit" would cost a lot more to maintain in the USA, where drinkable quality wine is quite pricey.
We keep a healthy (large) wine cellar so a lot of these bottles are replacement for older matured wines we have stored for a few years.
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We just broke 30$ over 2016 . . .
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According to Mint, we spent $1,449 on Alcohol & Bars in 2016, or $121/mo for 2 people, or $60/mo/person. Definitely too high. Going to try and lower it in 2017.
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$180 a month, including my homebrewing supplies. Down from $600 a month a few years ago when I was in the dating game.
My wife and I both like to get a little drunk a few times a month and we have wine or good beer with dinner a few times a week. Our booze expense is a little under 1.5% of our combined take-home, so I don't mind.
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Recently, it has been probably around $20/mo. About a year ago, it would have been much, much more than that. I'm pretty proud of that, and my overall health seems better too.
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mmm..... I should probably plead the 5th here but...
We average about 50 bottles of wine a month. Just 2 of us but we entertain quite heavily. Decent quality wine is reasonably priced here on the southern tip of Africa so this works out around $500-600 per month. I think our "habit" would cost a lot more to maintain in the USA, where drinkable quality wine is quite pricey.
We keep a healthy (large) wine cellar so a lot of these bottles are replacement for older matured wines we have stored for a few years.
Holy moly
I'm working on dropping my wine intake (total) to 20 bottles per year. As I've made friends who are in the wine industry (Santa Barbara County), my taste in wine has gotten more expensive. So my average bottle is probably $25-30, and the full range is $10 to $60.
I guess that means $600 a year.
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Last year, it probably came out to about $30-50 a month, including what we drink at home and out in restaurants. Girlfriend and I are still young enough to do shots when we want to get drunk, and mostly buy hard liquor and cheap wine on sale and make our own drinks at home. We do enjoy the occasional beer or cocktail out, but I just can't justify the 5x markup unless it's for a special occasion or I'm washing down an excellent burger with one (1) excellent fancy beer or something.
This year's goal is cutting down to about $15 a month, which equals one bottle of absolut on sale and maybe a single beer or something. She's not on the MMM bandwagon at all, but we're both endeavoring to slim down and lose the beer belly so she's on board with drinking less. We also only drink when we're hanging out with each other (or with company), and on Friday and Saturday nights.
More than just the savings and weight loss benefits, though, last year, I noticed in myself a tendency to start thinking things like "Oh, I'm so stressed out, bet I'd feel better if I had a beer," or "Ugh, I might be able to power through this better if I had some whiskey," and I do not like that feeling. I personally don't want to feel dependent on drinking to have a good time, to relax, or to do my daily tasks, tedious as they might be, and I felt like I was starting to associate booze with ~relaxing~ and feeling refreshed, when I want to be able to achieve both feelings without alcohol in the mix. So, one more reason to cut it out-- I want alcohol to be a fun luxury treat that I can do with or without, not an everyday requirement to winding down after stressful days.
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I make my own apple cider, ginger beer, wine, etc. A 3 gallon batch of cider or ginger beer costs about $20 to make; wine is a bit more if you buy concentrated wine grape juice. I probably spend $100/yr on ingredients, but give a lot of it away.
I was in France this summer and you can get decent wine for 3-5 euros a bottle. Americans are conditioned to spend a lot on alcohol as a luxury good.
Years ago, I researched the health implications of alcohol and concluded that I really should drink more. The optimal intake is half a serving per day for women and one serving per day for men.
I loooove cider, and have been tentatively interested in learning to make my own. It's probably not feasible in my current living situation, but do you happen to have any tips or tricks to offer on that? :)
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We spend very little. I'd say it's about $10 a month. A good portion of that is if we're visiting friends and decide we want to take them a bottle of wine or if we're having company over.
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About $75 per month for two, though that includes supplies for home brewing and mead making. We do drink a wide variety of things from craft beer to wine to my personal vice, single malt Scotch. The Scotch collection seems to keep growing, too, so the figure is really just what's spent, not consumed. I've been working to keep new acquisitions down lately.
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Varies. This month, it looks like zero because we have plenty left over from the holidays.
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The amount I spent was higher than I liked, but was too terrified to try making beer at home. I ended up finding a local shop in Toronto where I could just phone in, tell the owner what kind of beer I wanted and then bottle it in two weeks. The shop also made excellent wine. I got the equivalent of 60 bottles of beer for less than what I would spend in a month. And it tasted much better than anything else I could buy.
It was also great as the shop owner really knew his stuff and knew pretty much every beer and wine that I couldn't get in Ontario. So I got copies of all my favorites from Quebec and BC!
I am toying with the idea of making alcoholic ginger beer, before I try making beer at home.
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I make my own apple cider, ginger beer, wine, etc. A 3 gallon batch of cider or ginger beer costs about $20 to make; wine is a bit more if you buy concentrated wine grape juice. I probably spend $100/yr on ingredients, but give a lot of it away.
I was in France this summer and you can get decent wine for 3-5 euros a bottle. Americans are conditioned to spend a lot on alcohol as a luxury good.
Years ago, I researched the health implications of alcohol and concluded that I really should drink more. The optimal intake is half a serving per day for women and one serving per day for men.
I loooove cider, and have been tentatively interested in learning to make my own. It's probably not feasible in my current living situation, but do you happen to have any tips or tricks to offer on that? :)
It's actually pretty easy. Buy a large bottle of apple juice (not the cider in the produce section, which has preservatives, but the pasteurized stuff like this: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Mott-s-100-Apple-Juice-1-Gal/10535477). That way you can do the fermentation in the bottle that it comes in.
You will also need wine yeast. I use Lalvin EC-1118 for cider. It is "hardy" yeast that won't die if the room gets a bit cold. https://www.amazon.com/Lalvin-Dried-Wine-Yeast-1118/dp/B003TOEEFG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1484349279&sr=8-1&keywords=ec-1118
Oxygen will turn your cider into vinegar, so you need an airlock to let CO2 out while preventing oxygen from coming in. You can make an airlock by putting a balloon across the mouth of the bottle and make a tiny pinhole in the top of the balloon. As it ferments, CO2 puffs up the balloon and goes out the hole, but when it's done fermenting, the balloon collapses blocking the hole. Or you can buy a stopper and a real airlock. I like this style for ease of cleaning and a low profile to fit in the fridge: https://www.amazon.com/SocalHomeBrew-Plastic-Piece-Airlock-Pack/dp/B000E60G2W/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1484349504&sr=8-7&keywords=airlock. The tricky part is finding a stopper with a hole that fits your bottle, but you can buy kits like this: https://www.amazon.com/Home-Brew-Ohio-Fermenter-Capacity/dp/B00KQN9OSK/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1484349504&sr=8-9&keywords=airlock
So you put the yeast in the apple juice, put the airlock on the top, put the whole thing on your kitchen counter, and wait. It will bubble and get cloudy as the yeast grow, then eventually settle to the bottom. You can add bentonite fining agent at the beginning (basically clay that binds to the dead yeast and makes it settle faster) but it's not necessary. Bentonite makes cider settle within a few days of finishing the fermentation; otherwise it takes a week or two. There is not enough alcohol for it to stay preserved on your counter forever, so I transfer it to my fridge (the whole thing with the airlock) once it stops bubbling. But if you don't have room in your fridge it will probably be fine to wait until bottling.
Once the dead yeast have settled, you can either pour off the clear cider into another container or use tubing as a siphon to transfer it. At this point you have dry, flat cider. If you want to sweeten it, add potassium sorbate to prevent further yeast growth and then add simple syrup (2 cups sugar to 1 cup water, boil to dissolve, cool in fridge) to taste. If you want to carbonate it, skip the potassium sorbate, and add a *pinch* of sugar to each bottle and the yeast will revive and make bubbles. But if you want it sweetened AND fizzy, you will need some sort of CO2 tank. The sodastream things will work, but in the long run it's a lot cheaper to buy a 5 lb CO2 tank and carbonate it by shaking under pressure. But the easiest first try would be either without sugar or without carbonation. I bottle mine in old Perrier bottles, which are designed to take pressure, and they look cool. It should be stored in the fridge once bottled.
If a one gallon batch works well and you want to scale up, walmart sells 3 gallon empty water bottles in the water filter section. At that point, you'd want to invest in tubing and a racking wand so that you don't have to pour from such a heavy bottle.
If you run into problems feel free to PM me.
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Looks like this month it is going to be ZERO. I decided to take a break from drinking a few days before last Christmas.
That means I will have a few more dollars to invest this month. ;-)
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It's actually pretty easy.
If you run into problems feel free to PM me.
Where in TN are you located at?
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We spend maybe $30 a year.
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Anywhere from 3-4 bottles of Jameson a month. Straight on the rocks... mmmmmm love it. Also love blantons and Noah's mill. Ahhh yeah!
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I make my own apple cider, ginger beer, wine, etc. A 3 gallon batch of cider or ginger beer costs about $20 to make; wine is a bit more if you buy concentrated wine grape juice. I probably spend $100/yr on ingredients, but give a lot of it away.
I was in France this summer and you can get decent wine for 3-5 euros a bottle. Americans are conditioned to spend a lot on alcohol as a luxury good.
Years ago, I researched the health implications of alcohol and concluded that I really should drink more. The optimal intake is half a serving per day for women and one serving per day for men.
I loooove cider, and have been tentatively interested in learning to make my own. It's probably not feasible in my current living situation, but do you happen to have any tips or tricks to offer on that? :)
It's actually pretty easy. [cut for length]
If you run into problems feel free to PM me.
Oh WOW, thank you so much for the detailed step-by-step. Here I was thinking I'd need some big contraption to turn the apples into cider myself (not very easy in small apartment living), but this sounds very doable and I'll definitely give it a shot.
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It's actually pretty easy.
If you run into problems feel free to PM me.
Where in TN are you located at?
Jackson, between Memphis and Nashville
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Oh WOW, thank you so much for the detailed step-by-step. Here I was thinking I'd need some big contraption to turn the apples into cider myself (not very easy in small apartment living), but this sounds very doable and I'll definitely give it a shot.
Happy to help!
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0. Never liked alcohol.
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Zero dollars on alcohol, but I just spent $5 for a package of oyster mushrooms at a organic farmer's conference. (-:
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zero dollars.
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Zero dollars on alcohol, but I just spent $5 for a package of oyster mushrooms at a organic farmer's conference. (-:
Be careful to clean them to avoid the pesticides they use.
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Lots- can't trust a man without any vices.
I'm too big of a chicken to actually add it up, but I would guess $200-300/month; 80% craft beer, and 20% red wines. It's kind of our normal to have an IPA or 2 in the evening. I should probably try to cut back, but feel pretty apathetic about it. We are vegetarian, don't smoke, don't use illicit drugs, eat organic, run marathons, don't drink soda, and don't drink juice. All our lab and physical results are excellent. Meh, enjoying a lagunitas before watching some college hockey right now. :)
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Now... I'm in a career where I can't drink unless I have time booked off... sometimes I work 1.5-2 months straight.
But work hard, play hard. If I'm off work I can easily do 1-3 bottles of wine every day or two. I'd expect if i had a normal work schedule.... $150-300... not including any drinks from a pub or restaurant.
I'm in the capital region of Alberta.
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Our alcohol budget will skyrocket beginning this Friday when the unthinkable occurs in the US.
Your prices in Canada are awfully high. ALDI has a very drinkable bottle of merlot for $2.89 (Winking Owl brand).
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Our alcohol budget will skyrocket beginning this Friday when the unthinkable occurs in the US.
Your prices in Canada are awfully high. ALDI has a very drinkable bottle of merlot for $2.89 (Winking Owl brand).
This is why I make my own. Can manage about $2/bottle, cheapest drinkable here is around $10. Really cut back on the spending when I started making my own, though I now may drink slightly more than I used to, which isn't necessarily a good thing.
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My incredible roommates got me a make-your-own gin kit for my birthday this year. Apparently it's not difficult - start with a basic vodka and then add stuff. Vodka is a lot cheaper than gin, and juniper is quite inexpensive. I'm really looking forward to trying it!
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Our alcohol budget will skyrocket beginning this Friday when the unthinkable occurs in the US.
Your prices in Canada are awfully high. ALDI has a very drinkable bottle of merlot for $2.89 (Winking Owl brand).
This is why I make my own. Can manage about $2/bottle, cheapest drinkable here is around $10. Really cut back on the spending when I started making my own, though I now may drink slightly more than I used to, which isn't necessarily a good thing.
We make our own, too, but not merlot or chardonnay. I think I'll choose merlot this Friday.
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Well its been a while since I've been using my Costco liquor store method of keeping my liquor cabinet stocked with vodka and rum, but its coming out to be about 600 dollars a year in spending on liquor! Thats about $50.00 a month, $11.50 a week, $1.64 per day between two people. This includes the occasional bottle of wine at ~$10 every other month or so.
I've been reducing my personal consumption this year by drinking only straight rum, with a cold glass of water to help with the first sip. We'll see if that has any significant impact on my budget.
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Around $150 for 2 of us, 100% wine. Main reason why I've never posted a case study cause I know the face punches. But we're saving 60-65% of our income and we almost never eat dinner out (unless it's a mystery shop and then, who cares, it's reimbursed). Our lab numbers are good, but we're getting older and not as thin as we used to be so should probably cut back. It's pretty much our only vice, except being occasional complainyplants to each other about our sucky jobs.
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I averaged around $30 a month last year. So far this month $3, until today. I picked up a $15 bota box of old vine zin at costco . I've never tried it and hoping it will last me a month or more if I just have a few glasses on the weekends. It's supposed to stay fresh because it's not exposed to oxygen and in a dark box. It will save my wine budget if it lives up to its claim.
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My wife and I used to spend about $100/month. We found out she was pregnant about 3 months ago. I have spent about $25/month on alcohol on myself. This includes restaurants and home consumption. My wife still lets me order one beer if we are out with friends, which is nice.
The longest lifetime expectancy is associated with 2 drinks/day for men and 1 drink/day for women. People who average zero drinks/week have a shorter life expectancy. In moderation, alcohol increases the good cholesterol and decreases the bad cholesterol, which is associated with a reduction of risk for heart attack.
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The longest lifetime expectancy is associated with 2 drinks/day for men and 1 drink/day for women. People who average zero drinks/week have a shorter life expectancy. In moderation, alcohol increases the good cholesterol and decreases the bad cholesterol, which is associated with a reduction of risk for heart attack.
I think that is a correlation not due to the alcohol, but rather that level of alcohol consumption and the longevity are both correlated to different factors (healthy lifestyle) which themselves cause the longevity. In other words, A did not cause B; rather, C caused both A and B.... you'll find this confounding phenomenon in many, many places. That said, I am a man and drink 1-2 per day, gotta hedge my bets!
Not sure how much I spent in 2016 but these days all I generally spend on booze (for me) is whatever money I earn from my tutoring side gig. So not that much because I don't have time for a lot of clients, and usually I don't spend most of it.
We also own a kegerator. My wife primarily drinks it, it usually has some kind of IPA keg inside. I am trying to figure out if that is really worth it, but so far it seems like a decent bargain - <$1/beer; you don't have to pour a full 12oz if you are only a little thirsty; and FAR less waste - one keg will save over 100 cans/bottles and cardboard packaging for the same. Only problem is if you do frugally ration the beer, the keg will last a LONG time; generally won't get skunky, but you might get tired of drinking the same beer all the time.
Sometimes if it's a holiday we might buy a bottle of wine for dinner. Since we know next to nothing about wine, we judge by label and generally go for the best ratio of label coolness to bottle price.
On Christmas or my birthday (in May, conveniently out of phase with Christmas) my wife will usually buy me a bottle of scotch. A cheap one, not more than $50, often less. I try to make it last as long as possible by drinking really, really short pours. Like 1/3 of a shot glass. I would make a shitty bartender.
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On Christmas or my birthday (in May, conveniently out of phase with Christmas) my wife will usually buy me a bottle of scotch. A cheap one, not more than $50, often less. I try to make it last as long as possible by drinking really, really short pours. Like 1/3 of a shot glass. I would make a shitty bartender.
That's nice of your wife! My scotch budget has dropped considerably since I've discovered some good bourbons. But I think there are plenty of fine examples in the $50 range, and with the health benefits, hardly any reason to be so frugal!
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My wife still lets me order one beer if we are out with friends, which is nice.
So nice of her to give you permission to have a beer... :P
We also own a kegerator. My wife primarily drinks it, it usually has some kind of IPA keg inside. I am trying to figure out if that is really worth it, but so far it seems like a decent bargain - <$1/beer; you don't have to pour a full 12oz if you are only a little thirsty; and FAR less waste - one keg will save over 100 cans/bottles and cardboard packaging for the same. Only problem is if you do frugally ration the beer, the keg will last a LONG time; generally won't get skunky, but you might get tired of drinking the same beer all the time.
Doesn't she find that the IPA loses it's hop when left in the keg for a while? I find my own IPA tastes more like a regular PA by the time I get to the last glass. It still tastes good though.
Are you brewing? Because <1$ per beer is a VERY VERY good price for a keg of IPA. For references, a keg has almost 60 beers in it. Around here, I haven't seen a single place that sells a keg for less than 150$ and forget about getting an IPA at that price point. They are seriously giving it away at that price!
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Not brewing (yet; I'd like to get into it) but live in a really LCOL area and buy our kegs at the "Class Six" on the military base, so no tax, and the prices are pretty darn low there overall. I don't know what the store's cost is from their distributor. We usually pay around $140-150 for a half barrel keg.
As for the dollar beers.... are you talking 15.5 gallon (half barrel) kegs, or smaller (pony, 1/4 or 1/6 barrel kegs)? 15.5 gallon is almost 2000 floz, which gets you well north of 100 twelve-oz pours ASSUMING you have adjusted the line length and pressurization so that you don't get a lot of foam waste. (it would be 165 pours IF you could get them perfect, with no waste or pour-off... this is not typically realistic). Also, letting cold air into the "tower" helps keep the line and faucet cool so you don't have to pour off as much warm beer. I removed a baffle in the top of the kegerator so it now allows cold air into there.
But it's been a while since we bought one, so I may want to run an experiment on the next keg to verify my numbers.
Pony kegs are not worth it, IMO. They end up costing only a little less than the half barrel keg, but you get a lot less beer out of it, and I have found it more difficult to tweak the pressurization just right.
Flavor wise, some IPAs do better than others it seems. I don't drink them nearly as much as my wife but she doesn't really complain when the keg has gotten old. I find that keeping the lines clean (and not letting the spout dip into the beer glass during pouring - lets bacteria get in) makes a big difference in the flavor.
One thing I haven't priced out is the cost of running the additional mini refrigerator. I expect it's not that much, because it rarely/never gets opened, and holds a large cold mass inside.
Overall though, one of the biggest benefits I find with the kegerator is the reduced hassle and bottle/paper waste.
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Not brewing (yet; I'd like to get into it) but live in a really LCOL area and buy our kegs at the "Class Six" on the military base, so no tax, and the prices are pretty darn low there overall. I don't know what the store's cost is from their distributor. We usually pay around $140-150 for a half barrel keg.
As for the dollar beers.... are you talking 15.5 gallon (half barrel) kegs, or smaller (pony, 1/4 or 1/6 barrel kegs)? 15.5 gallon is almost 2000 floz, which gets you well north of 100 twelve-oz pours ASSUMING you have adjusted the line length and pressurization so that you don't get a lot of foam waste. (it would be 165 pours IF you could get them perfect, with no waste or pour-off... this is not typically realistic). Also, letting cold air into the "tower" helps keep the line and faucet cool so you don't have to pour off as much warm beer. I removed a baffle in the top of the kegerator so it now allows cold air into there.
This is insane! I was talking 150$ for a CORNY (5 gal) keg. You are paying 1/3 of that! When you mentioned IPA, I automatically assumed craft brewery. Maybe we are comparing apples and oranges?
I don't usually get off flavors in my kegs. I usually just take a shot of "line beer" before pouring a glass. While it's not the greatest sip, I've never had a bad surprise there. All of my lines are refrigerated though.
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I probably average $15 every other month for drinks with friends.
I also typically make about 6 gallons of wine a year, although a lot of this goes to gifts. This costs me anywhere between $50-$150 per 6 gallon batch ($1.5-$5 per bottle) depending on whether I'm crushing fruit or buying a nice concentrate kit.
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Over $1,200 per month, but I'm a semi-professional drinker in that a large part of my job is schmoozing clients so its not all on me and it mostly gets reimbursed. Not all jobs are terrible!
P.S. I'm glad there's not a thread like this about strippers!
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Over $1,200 per month, but I'm a semi-professional drinker in that a large part of my job is schmoozing clients so its not all on me and it mostly gets reimbursed. Not all jobs are terrible!
P.S. I'm glad there's not a thread like this about strippers!
That's different. Supporting low-income young adults is my charitable giving for the year. :D
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Over $1,200 per month, but I'm a semi-professional drinker in that a large part of my job is schmoozing clients so its not all on me and it mostly gets reimbursed. Not all jobs are terrible!
P.S. I'm glad there's not a thread like this about strippers!
While that sounds like a dream, there's price to be paid for drink that much alcohol and eat out with clients. I used to have $1k meals with clients ($300-$400 per person), never really enjoyed it much as I'm not a big spender personally. My colleagues all gained a lot of weight taking clients out to eat. These days I prefer a simple meal at home with family / friends.
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That's different. Supporting low-income young adults is my charitable giving for the year. :D
Since no one else has yet appreciated the hilarity of this comment, I wanted to be the first do so. :-D
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That's different. Supporting low-income young adults is my charitable giving for the year. :D
Since no one else has yet appreciated the hilarity of this comment, I wanted to be the first do so. :-D
Stripping rarely makes you low-income unless you're only working a few shifts a week or you're at a shitty club ;)
Source: former stripper, taught a college class called the "Economics of Stripping" for 4 years.
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Formerly, about $200 - $250 per month. Now, $0.
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Almost $0, let's say $20. having a young kid + one on the way means I don't drink a ton, I can make a 12 pack of beer last a couple months, especially in the winter (I primarily drink while grilling outside, and don't grill much in the winter). And obviously pregnant women no longer drink wine. Might have a couple drinks a month out to eat.
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That's different. Supporting low-income young adults is my charitable giving for the year. :D
Since no one else has yet appreciated the hilarity of this comment, I wanted to be the first do so. :-D
Stripping rarely makes you low-income unless you're only working a few shifts a week or you're at a shitty club ;)
Source: former stripper, taught a college class called the "Economics of Stripping" for 4 years.
Sad. I guess i need to do more research to make sure my charity dollars are having the greatest impact in my community. :)
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So far this year, $0. Hope to stay that way. Alcohol too easily becomes a habit for me rather than an occasional treat, and as a habit it is a drag on both my portfolio and my health.
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Holding steady at $0 per month for over 3 years now. My culinary excesses are focused on fresh seafood as opposed to alcohol (though I graciously accept free bottles of wine as gifts from visitors to our home now and again).
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I spend whatever it takes to keep the beer fridge full.
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That's different. Supporting low-income young adults is my charitable giving for the year. :D
Since no one else has yet appreciated the hilarity of this comment, I wanted to be the first do so. :-D
Stripping rarely makes you low-income unless you're only working a few shifts a week or you're at a shitty club ;)
Source: former stripper, taught a college class called the "Economics of Stripping" for 4 years.
Sad. I guess i need to do more research to make sure my charity dollars are having the greatest impact in my community. :)
Metric Mouse: perhaps you just need to re-frame your goals? I've personally achieved 100% self-acutalization once I switched my focus from "supporting low-income young adults" to "supporting single moms, one dollar at a time". Thank me later!
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I don't buy much anymore, I enjoy bourbon and have a number of bottles but I only have a glass maybe every few weeks. If I do buy a bottle it might be $20-$100 but it will last me 6+ months.
We also have a great brewery scene around my area, every now and then I will stop and drink a beer or two.
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I spend whatever it takes to keep the beer fridge full.
Those beer fridges always seem to have less beer in them than the last time I opened it. And I check it a few times a week, sometimes multiple times a day.
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I spend whatever it takes to keep the beer fridge full.
Those beer fridges always seem to have less beer in them than the last time I opened it. And I check it a few times a week, sometimes multiple times a day.
Me, too. I just make sure it's never empty ;).
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We spend about $50 - $60 per month for the two of us.
I enjoy the flavor of (most) beer. DW hates it, but has an occasional wine or lemonade/ginger drink. Neither of us do hard liquor. We just gave away an unopened bottle of rum that we'd had for five years!
Alcohol cost is noise to our retirement goals. Maybe it affects our health, but (4) drinks a week for me and (2) for her doesn't weigh too heavily on my concern list.
10 a day (if really true for the top 10%!) sounds painful. I'm not sure I could do that for more than a couple days even if there was a lottery prize involved. Yikes!
It may get to the point that we will have to up our alcohol spending drastically just to keep from shooting way past our target :D
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However much it takes.
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Anywhere between 30-$175 a month, depending social engagements. Most months, I have a box of wine or a bottle of scotch for at home. Most of my social activities with friends include drinking or bars, but I don't drink beer so it can get expensive.
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Alcohol too easily becomes a habit for me rather than an occasional treat, and as a habit it is a drag on both my portfolio and my health.
This is how I feel as well, however I still buy alcohol once a week on the weekend or occasional week night. I feel like MMM may have a larger percentage of compulsive personalities when compared with society as a whole. My compensation is so buy in low quantities such as a 6 pack or 1 bottle of wine and manage the frequency in which I do this. If I buy a bottle of bourbon etc. I doubt it will last more than a week cause I'll have 2-3 drinks every night of the week until its gone. There's something about leaving something unfinished that rubs me the wrong way. But I have enough discipline to not get smashed on a Tuesday.
That being said I spend around $60-$75/month
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What province? Comparisons are less helpful between higher and lower-cost areas/countries. (Point of reference: $39 for 24 bottles of domestic craft brew, $49 for 24 bottles of imported beer. Wine $8-14 for okay-ish 750ml bottle. I don't think you can actually buy a bottle of wine at the LCBO for less that $7-8, nowadays.)
I'm in Ontario. During our most stressful months, I guesstimated we were in the ~$200 range. <insert incredibly ashamed face> Thankfully, this phase did not last too long, as self-medicating with booze is not a long-term plan. (That figure excludes restaurant/pub purchases.)
We have had a stretch of months at or near $0 (gone dry/nearly dry for some health goals.) This won't continue indefinitely. I'm a bit concerned we'll easily get into the $100+ range again (that's two cases of beer and one bottle of wine - not a vast quantity. Works out to less than one drink per adult per day.) Not willing to drink plonk just to save money, so I'm wondering if the solution is having more dry periods (or requesting all-booze Christmas gifts. "Look, Mommy got a 2-4!")
That's amazing, I had no idea wine was so affordable in Ontario. I live in British Columbia and there is nothing under $10 range (for wine) that I would enjoy drinking. I am including tax too.
I think I will steal your idea for requesting all-booze Christmas gifts! So awesome :)
Also in BC - cheapest we like to drink is naked grape for wine. Have you thought about a UBrew place? I looked into in the summer when it felt like we were spending way too much on booze and it is cheaper especially if you can go in with a friend or two to get the larger batch rates.
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I'm lucky that I don't like to drink that much. I prob spend like $40 a month in an expensive city
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What province? Comparisons are less helpful between higher and lower-cost areas/countries. (Point of reference: $39 for 24 bottles of domestic craft brew, $49 for 24 bottles of imported beer. Wine $8-14 for okay-ish 750ml bottle. I don't think you can actually buy a bottle of wine at the LCBO for less that $7-8, nowadays.)
I'm in Ontario. During our most stressful months, I guesstimated we were in the ~$200 range. <insert incredibly ashamed face> Thankfully, this phase did not last too long, as self-medicating with booze is not a long-term plan. (That figure excludes restaurant/pub purchases.)
We have had a stretch of months at or near $0 (gone dry/nearly dry for some health goals.) This won't continue indefinitely. I'm a bit concerned we'll easily get into the $100+ range again (that's two cases of beer and one bottle of wine - not a vast quantity. Works out to less than one drink per adult per day.) Not willing to drink plonk just to save money, so I'm wondering if the solution is having more dry periods (or requesting all-booze Christmas gifts. "Look, Mommy got a 2-4!")
That's amazing, I had no idea wine was so affordable in Ontario. I live in British Columbia and there is nothing under $10 range (for wine) that I would enjoy drinking. I am including tax too.
I think I will steal your idea for requesting all-booze Christmas gifts! So awesome :)
Also in BC - cheapest we like to drink is naked grape for wine. Have you thought about a UBrew place? I looked into in the summer when it felt like we were spending way too much on booze and it is cheaper especially if you can go in with a friend or two to get the larger batch rates.
We're in Quebec, and I'm pretty sure I haven't seen a bottle under 10$ in a while. 13-14$ for halfway decent wine. So yeah, we do the local UBrew - paying them to do everything costs 40$/batch, and the total cost per bottle INCLUDING that works out to about 4$/bottle, which I find pretty ok.
The wine is actually decent. Like, decent enough that I've poured it into a fancy decanter for a nice dinner and had wine snobs comment that it was lovely wine and where did I get it? ("Oh, my local person has great suggestions! Thanks, I'm so glad you enjoy it!") It's AT LEAST equal to the 14$ bottles we would otherwise be getting. We find that a batch of wine lasts about a year, for us - 28-30 bottles per batch. Worth the cost.
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We're in Quebec, and I'm pretty sure I haven't seen a bottle under 10$ in a while. 13-14$ for halfway decent wine. So yeah, we do the local UBrew - paying them to do everything costs 40$/batch, and the total cost per bottle INCLUDING that works out to about 4$/bottle, which I find pretty ok.
The wine is actually decent. Like, decent enough that I've poured it into a fancy decanter for a nice dinner and had wine snobs comment that it was lovely wine and where did I get it? ("Oh, my local person has great suggestions! Thanks, I'm so glad you enjoy it!") It's AT LEAST equal to the 14$ bottles we would otherwise be getting. We find that a batch of wine lasts about a year, for us - 28-30 bottles per batch. Worth the cost.
Which kits did you do that cost 4$ per bottle and that compares to store bought?
I tried a wide variety all over the price points (1-6$/per bottle) and have yet to find something that matches a GOOD 14$ bottle of wine. I found that while they have nice aroma and (ok) taste, they usually lack mouth feel (structure) and tannins. I can tell if I am drinking a kit wine.
I haven't looked back since going to real grapes. 3$ per bottle and mouth feel and tannins galore.
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We're in Quebec, and I'm pretty sure I haven't seen a bottle under 10$ in a while. 13-14$ for halfway decent wine. So yeah, we do the local UBrew - paying them to do everything costs 40$/batch, and the total cost per bottle INCLUDING that works out to about 4$/bottle, which I find pretty ok.
The wine is actually decent. Like, decent enough that I've poured it into a fancy decanter for a nice dinner and had wine snobs comment that it was lovely wine and where did I get it? ("Oh, my local person has great suggestions! Thanks, I'm so glad you enjoy it!") It's AT LEAST equal to the 14$ bottles we would otherwise be getting. We find that a batch of wine lasts about a year, for us - 28-30 bottles per batch. Worth the cost.
Which kits did you do that cost 4$ per bottle and that compares to store bought?
I tried a wide variety all over the price points (1-6$/per bottle) and have yet to find something that matches a GOOD 14$ bottle of wine. I found that while they have nice aroma and (ok) taste, they usually lack mouth feel (structure) and tannins. I can tell if I am drinking a kit wine.
I haven't looked back since going to real grapes. 3$ per bottle and mouth feel and tannins galore.
I don't remember, it's been a few months - but I'll make sure to write it down next time we go! :)
The problem with 'real grapes' in high-altitude Quebec is that, um, hahaha. Basically. There's a reason Quebec generally does excellent cider, beer, and mead, but doesn't tend to be well-known for decent wine. We do NOT have the climate for grapes.
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We're in Quebec, and I'm pretty sure I haven't seen a bottle under 10$ in a while. 13-14$ for halfway decent wine. So yeah, we do the local UBrew - paying them to do everything costs 40$/batch, and the total cost per bottle INCLUDING that works out to about 4$/bottle, which I find pretty ok.
The wine is actually decent. Like, decent enough that I've poured it into a fancy decanter for a nice dinner and had wine snobs comment that it was lovely wine and where did I get it? ("Oh, my local person has great suggestions! Thanks, I'm so glad you enjoy it!") It's AT LEAST equal to the 14$ bottles we would otherwise be getting. We find that a batch of wine lasts about a year, for us - 28-30 bottles per batch. Worth the cost.
Which kits did you do that cost 4$ per bottle and that compares to store bought?
I tried a wide variety all over the price points (1-6$/per bottle) and have yet to find something that matches a GOOD 14$ bottle of wine. I found that while they have nice aroma and (ok) taste, they usually lack mouth feel (structure) and tannins. I can tell if I am drinking a kit wine.
I haven't looked back since going to real grapes. 3$ per bottle and mouth feel and tannins galore.
I agree. Around here there are all kinds of fruit trees that get turned into delicious wine every year. Fantastic wine, actually. I wouldn't pay $3 a bottle for it, but it's worth the slightly less than $2 per. I'm probably getting spoiled though.
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I don't remember, it's been a few months - but I'll make sure to write it down next time we go! :)
The problem with 'real grapes' in high-altitude Quebec is that, um, hahaha. Basically. There's a reason Quebec generally does excellent cider, beer, and mead, but doesn't tend to be well-known for decent wine. We do NOT have the climate for grapes.
Expect this to change soon and I don't mean climate change.
I have vines growing in my backyard that are the product of deliberate research programs to palliate to the issues. They are specifically adapted to short growing seasons, very cold temperatures in winter and they make good wine. There are several vineyards in QC being planted with or producing wine from this vine and others like it. Look them up next time you go to the SAQ.
Aside from that, it's also possible to order grapes from other places that grow them.
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I don't remember, it's been a few months - but I'll make sure to write it down next time we go! :)
The problem with 'real grapes' in high-altitude Quebec is that, um, hahaha. Basically. There's a reason Quebec generally does excellent cider, beer, and mead, but doesn't tend to be well-known for decent wine. We do NOT have the climate for grapes.
Expect this to change soon and I don't mean climate change.
I have vines growing in my backyard that are the product of deliberate research programs to palliate to the issues. They are specifically adapted to short growing seasons, very cold temperatures in winter and they make good wine. There are several vineyards in QC being planted with or producing wine from this vine and others like it. Look them up next time you go to the SAQ.
Aside from that, it's also possible to order grapes from other places that grow them.
I will be happy when that's a viable and affordable broader production method. :)
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We're in Quebec, and I'm pretty sure I haven't seen a bottle under 10$ in a while. 13-14$ for halfway decent wine. So yeah, we do the local UBrew - paying them to do everything costs 40$/batch, and the total cost per bottle INCLUDING that works out to about 4$/bottle, which I find pretty ok.
The wine is actually decent. Like, decent enough that I've poured it into a fancy decanter for a nice dinner and had wine snobs comment that it was lovely wine and where did I get it? ("Oh, my local person has great suggestions! Thanks, I'm so glad you enjoy it!") It's AT LEAST equal to the 14$ bottles we would otherwise be getting. We find that a batch of wine lasts about a year, for us - 28-30 bottles per batch. Worth the cost.
Which kits did you do that cost 4$ per bottle and that compares to store bought?
I tried a wide variety all over the price points (1-6$/per bottle) and have yet to find something that matches a GOOD 14$ bottle of wine. I found that while they have nice aroma and (ok) taste, they usually lack mouth feel (structure) and tannins. I can tell if I am drinking a kit wine.
I haven't looked back since going to real grapes. 3$ per bottle and mouth feel and tannins galore.
I remember getting a kit that had Mondavi grapes that turned out pretty good. I don't remember the brand of kit though.
Some of what you're looking for can be adjusted for taste. What you're probably looking for is an acid adjustment and some added tannins. You can get an acid-test kit and some tannin additives for pretty cheap from a brew supply store. I've tried fiddling with these in my fruit wines, but not my kit wines yet. I can't claim to be an expert.
Although if you have a good source of grapes, you probably won't beat that. I really need to find a good source myself.
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If there was a thread that asked 'How much do you spend on dog food a month', I would ignore the thread as my answer is $0, as I don't own a dog. I find it odd that people who don't drink go out of their way to reply to threads that aren't related to them!
As another said, I think an answer of $0 is as valid as any other.
If this was a forum only for "people who drink alcohol" it would be super weird for folks to register, show up, and say they don't drink. But, as a financial forum, it's great when people pipe up with zeros in any category, including alcohol. In any category, a bunch of zeros can inspire a person to move to the same (if they want) or to reduce to a lower number than currently. Across the forum, we do the same with mortgages, rents, child care, internet, etc. A person may subsequently be inspired to slash in that category, to ask how a person released a craving or taste for a given item, to find out how people are enjoying the item but at much lower cost, etc.
I find zeros in any category inspiring, and among the most helpful.
That said, we're all absolutely entitled to our priorities, and if alcohol is a high one—or higher than whatever else—that's totally fair.
I drink on occasion, and spend an average of $3/mo on alcohol.
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I remember getting a kit that had Mondavi grapes that turned out pretty good. I don't remember the brand of kit though.
Some of what you're looking for can be adjusted for taste. What you're probably looking for is an acid adjustment and some added tannins. You can get an acid-test kit and some tannin additives for pretty cheap from a brew supply store. I've tried fiddling with these in my fruit wines, but not my kit wines yet. I can't claim to be an expert.
Although if you have a good source of grapes, you probably won't beat that. I really need to find a good source myself.
I've tried tannins (both fermentation and cellaring), acids, grape packs, adding crushed grapes, oak cubes, raisins, aging in barrels. Most of these improve the kits from "Meh" to "pretty good" but I can still tell I am dinking kit wine.
Perhaps it has to do with the fact that kits don't go through malolactic fermentation? The vast majority of red wines go through it and it profoundly affects their organoleptic characteristics.
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I remember getting a kit that had Mondavi grapes that turned out pretty good. I don't remember the brand of kit though.
Some of what you're looking for can be adjusted for taste. What you're probably looking for is an acid adjustment and some added tannins. You can get an acid-test kit and some tannin additives for pretty cheap from a brew supply store. I've tried fiddling with these in my fruit wines, but not my kit wines yet. I can't claim to be an expert.
Although if you have a good source of grapes, you probably won't beat that. I really need to find a good source myself.
I've tried tannins (both fermentation and cellaring), acids, grape packs, adding crushed grapes, oak cubes, raisins, aging in barrels. Most of these improve the kits from "Meh" to "pretty good" but I can still tell I am dinking kit wine.
Perhaps it has to do with the fact that kits don't go through malolactic fermentation? The vast majority of red wines go through it and it profoundly affects their organoleptic characteristics.
I think most reds are also fermented with the skins and seeds and then pressed, whereas kits are pressed before packaging. You could do MLF on homemade wine, but there isn't really any way to ferment on the skins if you're not starting with whole grapes.
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What's $19 divided by 24 months? lol
I seem to average about 3-5 drinks per year for the last 2-3 years. And it just so happens that I've only paid for one drink ($8) when out with friends and one bottle of wine ($11) in the last 2 years.
The rest have been corporate parties or some wine or something harder when visiting relatives. My dad is always good for shots of something or other, I'd have have to ask.
Almost forgot, I also bought $30 bottle of cognac. But I don't count that since it's been sitting unopened for over 2 years now. I bought it when I parents were flying in for a visit and I got it for my dad. But when they were over, he wasn't in the mood, so we never opened the bottle. And so it sits.
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A lot of freakin money! (Serious)
I try to to limit it to 1 nite a week but if you go to clubs and the like the drinks are very expensive
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My neighbor just gave me a six pack of Ballast Point Red Velvet for no reason. I haven't been buying alcohol but I am glad I didn't say no to free delicious beer :)
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Ha! I was going to say that we don't drink, so nothing except some beer for guests at a couple of Taco Tuesday parties, but then I remembered that I make a lot of vanilla, so, say, six to eight bottles of Costco Vodka at $14 a pop. After that, I remembered that I bought and donated a three liter bottle of Seven Deadly Zins to a library fund raiser, which was another $50+tax. So the surprise answer is "Wow, more than I thought, lol". I'd have to guess about $20/month. It's in my grocery budget, because I don't track it separately. Gosh, that was an interesting exercise; who knew?
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I remember getting a kit that had Mondavi grapes that turned out pretty good. I don't remember the brand of kit though.
Some of what you're looking for can be adjusted for taste. What you're probably looking for is an acid adjustment and some added tannins. You can get an acid-test kit and some tannin additives for pretty cheap from a brew supply store. I've tried fiddling with these in my fruit wines, but not my kit wines yet. I can't claim to be an expert.
Although if you have a good source of grapes, you probably won't beat that. I really need to find a good source myself.
I've tried tannins (both fermentation and cellaring), acids, grape packs, adding crushed grapes, oak cubes, raisins, aging in barrels. Most of these improve the kits from "Meh" to "pretty good" but I can still tell I am dinking kit wine.
Perhaps it has to do with the fact that kits don't go through malolactic fermentation? The vast majority of red wines go through it and it profoundly affects their organoleptic characteristics.
That could be it. My knowledge is a bit rusty, as I've been more focused on my toddler than quality wine-making the last few years.
I've also intentionally avoided learning too much about good wine. I figure that if I can't tell the difference between a "wonderful" and "decent" wine, I'll save myself a ton of money over the long run :-)
My honest favorite of all times is home-crushed cherry wine. It takes a ton of work to pit the cherries, but it's worth it in the end.
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This questions is like when I go to a physical and the doctor asks "how many drinks per week do you have". No way am I going to answer this honestly...
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This questions is like when I go to a physical and the doctor asks "how many drinks per week do you have". No way am I going to answer this honestly...
Could be a guessing game... "More than Donald Trump, but less than Edgar Allen Poe."
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This questions is like when I go to a physical and the doctor asks "how many drinks per week do you have". No way am I going to answer this honestly...
I always answer truthfully. Very few doctors ask how large my wineglass is.
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This questions is like when I go to a physical and the doctor asks "how many drinks per week do you have". No way am I going to answer this honestly...
I put graphs of how many drinks I have on the internet every month. That help keeps me accountable. E.G.
(http://i.imgur.com/0qKWpOW.jpg)
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This questions is like when I go to a physical and the doctor asks "how many drinks per week do you have". No way am I going to answer this honestly...
I naively did answer this honestly the first time. I mean, it is the doctor, he should have all the facts, right?
Now I just lie.
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Don't make me do math when I'm drunk.
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This questions is like when I go to a physical and the doctor asks "how many drinks per week do you have". No way am I going to answer this honestly...
I put graphs of how many drinks I have on the internet every month. That help keeps me accountable. E.G.
(http://i.imgur.com/0qKWpOW.jpg)
Is this an app?
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On my way to Sonoma for work and play. It's going to be hard to resist the siren call of the wine club. Do not want to think about how much I spend on wine.
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This questions is like when I go to a physical and the doctor asks "how many drinks per week do you have". No way am I going to answer this honestly...
I put graphs of how many drinks I have on the internet every month. That help keeps me accountable. E.G.
(http://i.imgur.com/0qKWpOW.jpg)
Is this an app?
No, it's my own reports I design & put out every month.
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This questions is like when I go to a physical and the doctor asks "how many drinks per week do you have". No way am I going to answer this honestly...
I naively did answer this honestly the first time. I mean, it is the doctor, he should have all the facts, right?
Now I just lie.
I feel SO MUCH BETTER knowing I'm not the only one that does this.
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This questions is like when I go to a physical and the doctor asks "how many drinks per week do you have". No way am I going to answer this honestly...
I naively did answer this honestly the first time. I mean, it is the doctor, he should have all the facts, right?
Now I just lie.
I feel SO MUCH BETTER knowing I'm not the only one that does this.
Any doctor worth his/her salt would just assume you were lying and double or triple whatever amount you told them anyway. :-P
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Due to the 40-day-liver-cleanse, January spending was $0. Double Winning! :-)
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Just because you have a problem with alcohol, don't push your bias on others, please. From your link.
Health benefits of moderate alcohol use
Moderate alcohol consumption may provide some health benefits. It may:
Reduce your risk of developing and dying from heart disease
Possibly reduce your risk of ischemic stroke (when the arteries to your brain become narrowed or blocked, causing severely reduced blood flow)
Possibly reduce your risk of diabetes
Even so, the evidence about the possible health benefits of alcohol isn't certain, and alcohol may not benefit everyone who drinks.
Um...it does cause cancer, though...
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/866727
Epidemiologic evidence supports a causal association of alcohol consumption and cancers of the oropharynx, larynx, esophagus, liver, colon, rectum, and female breast, says Jennie Connor, MB, ChB, MPH, from the Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, University of Otago, in Dunedin, New Zealand.
I fully support anyone's right to put whatever they want in their bodies. However, I admit, when I read that headline I was relieved that I had stopped drinking in 2008. Heavy drinking and smoking killed 3/4 of my grandparents (colon cancer, brain aneurism and lung cancer).
That said, I do have a bottle of cooking wine in my kitchen. I think I bought it in 2014 and it's mostly full...so less than $12 USD every 2-3 years would be my spending. My spouse doesn't drink either for medical reasons. I feel uncomfortable around people who are drinking - like I'm spying on them with their pants (inhibitions) down.
Each to one's own. :)
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Too much! I have a craft beer habit, and regularly pay $14-$16 a FOUR-pack. Yep, 4-pack. But I love the beer, and believe me, the beer I drink (locally produced, fresh -- for any fellow Massholes out there, Tree House and Night Shift) is well worth the price. I would say I go through two 4-packs a week, not including any beers I have out at bars, so that's about $120/month. Beers out? Probably another $80-$100/month.
Hmm, I may have a problem . . .
I realize I'm quoting a post from a million years ago, but Tree House is in my hometown. High five!
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This questions is like when I go to a physical and the doctor asks "how many drinks per week do you have". No way am I going to answer this honestly...
I put graphs of how many drinks I have on the internet every month. That help keeps me accountable. E.G.
(http://i.imgur.com/0qKWpOW.jpg)
You average 2.6 tacos per day?
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You average 2.6 tacos per day?
Yup, 3 for breakfast every day, unless I'm out of town and it's not possible. Cheap, costs me about $.11-19 per taco, depending on grocery costs that week. Full of protein, fast.
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5.66$~
I just buy a large bottle of real everclear. Lasts me around 6 months on average. I spend more on coke and gatorade to go with it.
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$0
I am not happy about this. Alcohol is dangerous to consume with the medicine I'll be on for the rest of my life. Now I just smell other people's whisky. :(
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My alcohol purchases were complicated last year due to deciding to make fancy flavored cordials for Christmas presents, but for my own consumption it comes out to <$10/mo.
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$0
I am not happy about this. Alcohol is dangerous to consume with the medicine I'll be on for the rest of my life. Now I just smell other people's whisky. :(
I'm working on DIY home nonalcoholic whiskey right now- cherry juice barrel aged essentially - considering selling some kits online. Would this be of interest to you? I love the taste and smell of whiskey but need to scale back on alcohol, so I have been experimenting with subs.
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I didn't know there was such a thing! That would be a fun hobby. Robert Burns day was tough this year. :)
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I'm an all grain home brewer so beer works out to about 60 cents a long neck if I'm drinking it from my kegs. But I did get into a bad habit of buying 2 craft beers every night on my way home from work at around $4-5 each. (Alcohol tax is high here in Aus). So I was spending around $70 a week on alcohol and more of the wife and I went out on the weekend.
I decided to cut this out 2 weeks ago and only drink on weekends and drink my own beer mostly. The result is my alcohol spending is now around $60 a month and I've lost 2 kgs in that 2 weeks because I don't eat chips anymore either.
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About $180 a month for the both of us. That's a couple of bottles of wine each a week (justification).
Seems excessive in comparison to most of you, but I don't give a hoot. I'm worth it.
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Just because you have a problem with alcohol, don't push your bias on others, please. From your link.
Health benefits of moderate alcohol use
Moderate alcohol consumption may provide some health benefits. It may:
Reduce your risk of developing and dying from heart disease
Possibly reduce your risk of ischemic stroke (when the arteries to your brain become narrowed or blocked, causing severely reduced blood flow)
Possibly reduce your risk of diabetes
Even so, the evidence about the possible health benefits of alcohol isn't certain, and alcohol may not benefit everyone who drinks.
Um...it does cause cancer, though...
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/866727
Epidemiologic evidence supports a causal association of alcohol consumption and cancers of the oropharynx, larynx, esophagus, liver, colon, rectum, and female breast, says Jennie Connor, MB, ChB, MPH, from the Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, University of Otago, in Dunedin, New Zealand.
I fully support anyone's right to put whatever they want in their bodies. However, I admit, when I read that headline I was relieved that I had stopped drinking in 2008. Heavy drinking and smoking killed 3/4 of my grandparents (colon cancer, brain aneurism and lung cancer).
That said, I do have a bottle of cooking wine in my kitchen. I think I bought it in 2014 and it's mostly full...so less than $12 USD every 2-3 years would be my spending. My spouse doesn't drink either for medical reasons. I feel uncomfortable around people who are drinking - like I'm spying on them with their pants (inhibitions) down.
Each to one's own. :)
Alcohol, white flour, canned tomatoes, and steak too. You can also die by drinking too much water.
I'm going to die of something...I'm not remotely worried about the occasional drink. : )
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Protip: pick a workplace with booze.
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Protip: pick a workplace with booze.
Would pre-gaming before one's shift be a sign of 'workplace dedication'?
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Protip: pick a workplace with booze.
Would pre-gaming before one's shift be a sign of 'workplace dedication'?
I tend to imbibe on my way out...
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Protip: pick a workplace with booze.
Would pre-gaming before one's shift be a sign of 'workplace dedication'?
I tend to imbibe on my way out...
Then you could charge over time for working late.
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This questions is like when I go to a physical and the doctor asks "how many drinks per week do you have". No way am I going to answer this honestly...
I put graphs of how many drinks I have on the internet every month. That help keeps me accountable. E.G.
(http://i.imgur.com/0qKWpOW.jpg)
You average 2.6 tacos per day?
I think the 2.6 tacos per day average is the funniest thing I've ever seen on these forums. That is awesome. Who doesn't love tacos?