ZombieAttack

I looked in my wallet today, and was surprised to find that I still had most of the money in it which I had taken out the bank on the 20th.

That was a novelty, let me tell you!

So, it got me thinking. To put a positive spin on all this, I was considering putting all the money I would have spent daily on drink, in a box, everyday, and then using this for something good.

One of my dear friends is suffering a bit financially at the moment, so I thought I would give it to her instead of throwing it down my neck. I always considered booze to be a completely valid monthly expense (which I now realise is insane), so have always accounted for it.

I never really skinted myself with alcohol, as I am a bit of a wheeler-dealer who makes his own money, and my quitting the booze is purely health / sanity / well-being motivated, so thought having something else that I absolutely must pay for each month would further keep me off it.

Anyone else done anything like this?

MycoolFitz

I think I saved enough to buy a new computer, overall a good trade off.

Thepatman

Totally relate. I did my budget sober. Monthly cost betwwen smokes and beer was 800$. Yikes!!! I don't even see it cause I have debts from hell. Manged to keep my house.

2 years and I'm out of this mess. Future looks awsome!

Grimes

ya i was thinking of doing something similar, all that wasted money . figure i should be able to save around 700 per month.

DoubleBarrel

Isn't that amazing? I spent $600 a month on the credit card at liquor stores alone.
That doesnt include cash, restaurants, bars, or grocery stores.
I screwed myself financially, and have a ways to climb out of that hole, but I think your idea of doing some good with the money is a wonderful one.

Fandy

i remodeled my bathroom.. was able to pay for all the tile and fixtures cash...and i've been making double mortgage payments since May 2010....shaving 12 years off the mortgage.

MycoolFitz

And I serious about a new computer. Between paying off my ex and spending the rest on booze I've probably saved 1,200 a month though I'll send a lot to my mom who is 92 and in a senior place plus I donate to Make a Wish, Jimmy V Foundation and a wounded vets org but I can save some for me.

thirtybubba

$600/month saved here. I was not a bar drinker and did not care about "quality," just "permanently drunk." Money was not a problem for me back then either, I quit for health reasons.

Nowadays, I am much worse off financially and am extremely glad I don't have the extra expense.

One of these days, I will get back ahead and it will be nice. I don't know what I'll spend the extra money on yet, but I think I'm going to start with some nice headphones.

soberlicious

Yeah it's boggling when you look at the money spent. I didn't do this when I quit drinking, but I recently quit the smokes and I have a phone app that tracks my savings. I'm using my cigarette money to fund my ridiculous shoe habit and also a half-sleeve tattoo is in the planning. When I get past this selfish stage, I'll start some regular donations to the autism society. Maybe in some tiny way someone else besides me can benefit from my decision to stop sucking toxins into my lungs several times a day.

MycoolFitz

So now I'm googling for a really good computer I deserve it

ZombieAttack

I am on a train now, with 50000yen in an envelope, ready to put in my friends letter box. That is almost how much I was spending a month on booze so I figure if I spend it now, that means I literally can not buy alcohol.

MycoolFitz

I don't know how much that is. I have a yen to know

soberlicious

Fitz, if google is correct that's $607.46 US dollars.
Zombie, that is waaay cool. She will be so happy. Win/win. I like it.

ZombieAttack

About 600 us$

Scolova

I was able to do some repairs around our old house this year and probably didn't even make a dent in my old beer budget. Glad I was able to save some of that money as I 'really' need it now. I am looking for a full time job and have to move on from here, the sanity and money that sobriety saves me is a must have from now on.

Fitz: Newegg is the place I use to compare computers and electronic stuff.. sometimes Amazon will beat their prices, but I think the reviews are better at the egg.

MycoolFitz

I am sending 1,000 $ to my mom for Christmas really about 2 months of drinking. This is so much better.

ZombieAttack

Yeah she needs it more than I do. In fact it is double that- I not only dont need it but shouldnt ******* have it.

She is almost doing ME a favour.

MycoolFitz

She is like 92 and she sends me 50$ at xmas which I dont't cash. I used to and bougt booze. No mas

MidnightBlue

I spent "wine money" to buy some stuff for an orphan asylum.

BackToSquareOne

Booze and cigars came to about $800.00 a month for me. That was just the raw materials tho, the intangible costs, the bad decisions, the things that could have been that never came to pass, God only knows what the price tag on all that stuff would be.