Money spent drinking..
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Boston
Posts: 123
Money spent drinking..
I know this has been done before, but I thought it would help me to calculate how much my husband and I spent on drinking over a 2 month period. We were nearly daily drinkers and typically drank about a 6 pack of beer each. I know this isn't a huge amount, but I was blacking out pretty much every time. I used the bank account record and added it up best I could including convenience stores and expensive nights out. I got about $830!! IN 2 MONTHS! At $400 a month, that's right around $5000 a year (though I know it must be more when you factor in holidays and vacation. Unbelievable!
Have any of you added up your drinking's financial costs? I found it helpful to know we can at least be saving half that $ with me not drinking.
Have any of you added up your drinking's financial costs? I found it helpful to know we can at least be saving half that $ with me not drinking.
Hillbilly Girl
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: In my Garden
Posts: 3,953
My DUI alone last year was a grand total of about $7000. When I went to pay the balance of $2300.00 to the court, the lady said "isn't that a great feeling", I said no, taking all three of my Sons to Disneyland twice & a trip to an island by myself would have been a great feeling.
Member
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Ireland
Posts: 25,826
Yeah mine when I worked it out was about $100 a week, so $5200 per year minimum, this is only based on my regular drinking each week, so it excludes social events, Xmas, New Years, birthdays, weddings, St Patrick's day etc!!
But add in cost of cabs, damaged phones etc etc, the cost of my drinking starts to increase even further.
But add in cost of cabs, damaged phones etc etc, the cost of my drinking starts to increase even further.
Member
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Midwestern U.S.
Posts: 33
I've done the math in my head. Probably came out to a minimum of $1K/year on the conservative end...$1.5K is actually more likely, and if I hadn't come to my senses and quit I'd probably be headed toward $2K or more each year, easily. And it only would be that low because I tended to buy the cheapest low-end stuff imaginable. Those are just the direct costs of actually purchasing the alcohol. If you factor in the indirect costs such as medical care, dental care, and other health-related needs....well, it gets a whole lot higher.
Member
Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 8,637
one of the exercises in the 'first step' workbook that my sponsor gave me is a financial analysis.... how much you spent on booze, how much on 'collateral damage' - like the fees associated with my two DUIs (upwards of ten grand), medical costs associated with screwing oneself up while drinking.... then of course considering things like opportunity cost (costs of things paid for but missed because of drinking, replacement costs of breaking **** while drinking... etc). Over a 25+ year drinking career - it's hundreds of thousands of dollars. It's staggering.
Not to mention the dumb things you spend money on when drinking - lousy food at bars, purchases of crap you didn't need, buying others rounds.... SO much spent buying others rounds. For some of us, really dumb expenditures like strip clubs... gambling... cigarettes.... all crap that were it not for booze, would not even have been in my life. Hell.... I'll bet the reality of all direct and indirect costs is close to a million bucks. Or at least COULD have been a million bucks if it had all been invested in a diversified long term porfolio instead of poured down my throat.
It's ridiculous.
Not to mention the dumb things you spend money on when drinking - lousy food at bars, purchases of crap you didn't need, buying others rounds.... SO much spent buying others rounds. For some of us, really dumb expenditures like strip clubs... gambling... cigarettes.... all crap that were it not for booze, would not even have been in my life. Hell.... I'll bet the reality of all direct and indirect costs is close to a million bucks. Or at least COULD have been a million bucks if it had all been invested in a diversified long term porfolio instead of poured down my throat.
It's ridiculous.
Member
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: PA
Posts: 12,000
I never did strip clubs or gambling, but I too am in the hundreds of thousands over the years. The worst part is how much I lost in future earnings - based on the job I lost. A LOT!
The best part is, I don't have to worry about it anymore. I'm happy with what I've got.
The best part is, I don't have to worry about it anymore. I'm happy with what I've got.
Gl@ss Artist & Cat Lady
Join Date: May 2014
Location: Milwaukee, WI
Posts: 880
I think I was at about $100-$120 a week. 3-4 bottles of decent Scotch. I've been thinking about saving an extra $100 a week now. That would be $5200 a year! I can think of a million things I could do with that money much more fun and useful than getting wasted every night.
Member
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Somewhere on the East Coast
Posts: 579
I haven't truly done the math yet...but quick, back of the envelope calculation -- $200/week is probably conservative. If I add up 2 bottles of wine or the bottle of vodka, that's about $20/day...and that's when I drank at home. Going out, a night would easily be $100 alone (not counting dinner), not to mention $40+ on cabs.
The other day I felt like I was spending more money since I stopped drinking on things like movies, plays, sparkling water, actually grocery shopping....and then I realized it still wasn't as much as I whatever poison I picked for the day/night.
The other day I felt like I was spending more money since I stopped drinking on things like movies, plays, sparkling water, actually grocery shopping....and then I realized it still wasn't as much as I whatever poison I picked for the day/night.
Member
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: uk
Posts: 163
Im so enjoying spending the money I would have spent on booze and take aways, and taxis , I think I spent £200 to £300 a month this is now being spent on catching up with friends, girlie lunches, new clothes, even had my car serviced and cleaned. life's good without booze
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