Stoogy

Hi guys,

Was just thinking today about my sobriety and all the benefits it brings health wise which we all know and post about, one of my main targets to keep me on track is to save the money I would normally pour down my neck every day, and treat myself to something nice as a treat for being disciplined.
So are any of you guys doing the same? And if so what's your plans?

matt4x4

Money never kept me sober. lack of or abundence of.

Hope4Life

I figured I would save about $4000 a year by giving up beer and another $5000 by giving up Pot. My goal was to reduce my spending so I would not have to sell my house, so I am just keeping the money.

I did buy myself a new dishwasher though!

queenofheartz09

Booze and cigarettes here in Canada are ridiculously priced so not drinking these last two weekends I've saved like $200!

topspin

Those were my numbers too !!!

One drunk night 7 years ago I thought it was a good idea to wash some big dusty candles in the dishwasher !?! .,,,,.......last time I ever used that baby

...With the savings

,,,Replaced my leaky old fridge at about 4 months, then my 40 year old stove at about a year, ( wiring finally shorted out ) ....finally found the dishwasher I wanted at 16 months.

Eyeing a pot rack for the summer ,,

Lorax1981

I occasionally think about having a drink, a cig, or a puff but I say "I'd rather use that money for something useful". It has helped a lot and I am able to afford things I used to skip. I quit cigs first and when I did I would buy something everyday instead of a pack and it helped. I still have some of those things today, whereas beer, smokes, and drugs are a total waste of money. I put a picture of a Porsche 911 on my computer desktop as a reminder cuz I bet I spent enough to buy one on beer, cigs, and weed! Always wanted one of those things:-)
-Ted

matt4x4

The problem is, most likely, like many people you might just swap addictions. Its very common, for people to lay off the booze, but start gambling. Thats a huge one. In their brain they do not correlate stopping drinking with a thinking problem, as I see most in here dont either. Our whole entire thinking process has to change, or the addiction will just be something else. Another common one is working out all the time, or working at work waaaay too much and they justify it by Oh Im not drinking. Like that is the end-all be-all.

topspin

Matt,
If my work ethic was a stock, when I was addicted to booze, ...it was plummeting.

And many, many people, .right here on SR; realize health improvements beyond their wildest imagination once they've closed the door on drinking !
Go on to live fructifying lives with the absence of drugs and alcohol, ...not stultifying lives with the absence of vital activities

As long as you're taking our inventory, you may very well be underestimating some folks, ,,,,,,,

Gambling ? ...the lottery, ....I hope some of that money goes to improving math skills in our schools. Because it's sure as hell a tax on people who missed the course on probabilities and statistics in school.

I think we both agree, once the alcohol is gone, our chances to sort our lives out goes wa.aaay up !

....talkin' bout my man paying for his damn house out in Cali !?!
...an addiction !??

crazy talk

matt4x4

We need balance in life, addiction is unbalance. So stopping drinking then working 16 hour days and not seeing your family then justifying it because "Hey Im not drinking", or going to the gym everyday for hours on end and justifying it saying "Hey Im not drinking", is not balance. It is not as destructive as drinking I agree, but the thinking has not changed. The thinking is still skewed. Its all the same in the end. Every addiction boils down to one common denominator.

PhaseTwo

This sounds like me. I work out all the time and I've also been a bit of a workaholic. I'm not sure whats wrong with that though. I understand it's trading addictions but its definitely an upgrade. If I knew how to change myself to be a normal person I would, but I have an addictive personality I can't help it.

PhaseTwo

The savings financially have been more than I imagined, but yes we do need other reasons to stay sober in the long run

Bilr44

Matt,

The OP was talking about paying off his house. Nowhere was it mentioned that he was gambling or swapping addictions. The last time I read, working out is good for your health. Me working out one hour a day is not an addiction. Not every thread should be your own opportunity to promote your own agenda.

JustODAAT

Hi Stoogy. Good for you for finding another positive in sobriety.

Fandy

When I first stopped drinking, the $$ saved was enough to pay the utilities and cable bill monthly. For the last 3 years I made double principal payments on my mortgage.
I work out regularly for my health.
I think all of these substitutions for spending $$ instead of booze are fine enough reasons to stay sober, along with losing 20#.
I've never spent $$ on gambling other then the odd $20. On nickel slots while on vacation.
when I work extra hours I get paid very well.
I feel well, look well, have a happy outlook and am sober, that's fine with me for balance.
congrats Stoogy, good topic too.

Nevertheless

I have been sober a few days over 5 years.
As a conservative number,I was spending at least 85 bucks a week on booze.
That comes to somewhere in the neighborhood of $22,000.00 dollars. Not counting various "impulse buys" that drinking might cause.
Retirement is in sight in the next 10 years or so. So I am hoarding as much as I can.

Of course, the couple hundred thousand I figure I blew while I was drinking would have been nice to have. But we can't cry over spilt milk can we.

Fred

BikerAcct

I started putting away 35 bucks a week when I quit almost a year ago (A conservative estimate of my spend). I just recently bought myself a GoPro Camera with accessories, and still have a nice sum left over.

neferkamichael

Stoogy, having all that money and thinking about what to spend it on is a powerful diversion tool to not use, go for it. Rootin for ya.

Westy2

Joined crossfit and bought a nice bike.

Stoogy

Me too Westy, one of the first things I bought was some exercise gear, bike etc and renewed my golf membership.
Sober days = happy days.

gaffo

I'll pass the $20k mark this year. I survived a recession with my house and business intact. I just made a down payment on a big truck that I've been needing so I guess I won't be buying beer any time soon...

The money savings for me is icing on the cake. The motivation is being able to figure out what to do with it. That is priceless.