A few weeks ago I wrote about why I don’t drink. Among all the reasons I mentioned, I didn’t even touch on how much money you can save if you don’t drink alcohol.
I spent the last four days in Las Vegas for a bachelor party and I saved a lot of money by not drinking.
I already had to pay for a plane ticket, my share of the ridiculous suite on the 15th floor of the Mandalay Bay hotel (which was definitely worth it), a couple cab rides, a lot of meals at restaurants, and little bit of gambling money. I had a freaking awesome time, and I think every dollar was well spent.
But the total cost of my weekend pales in comparison to it cost for people who had the exact same weekend as I did with the minor addition of alcohol.
Drinking at Home is Expensive
Out of the 8 people present for the bachelor party, I was the only one who doesn’t drink. One of those seven people was the groom who you all affectionately know as The Hoff.
Some people might just buy all their drinks at bars and restaurants, but The Hoff is just as frugal as I am and made sure to find a liquor store to purchase some drinks for reasonable prices.
That one trip to the store probably cost about $200 total.
That comes to about $30 a person, which isn’t so bad for 4 days in Vegas. Sure it’s more than the $0 I spent on tap water, but $30 is pretty reasonable. Unfortunately that was just for the in-room beverages.
Drinking Out is Freaking Ridiculous
I don’t even like spending $2.50 on a refillable soda at a restaurant because I know I can get two liters of that exact same drink for $0.99 at the grocery store.
It wasn’t even my money but I died a little inside every time I saw someone spend $12 or so on a single drink that would cost a fraction of that much at the store.
Whenever we weren’t in the hotel room, we were at the pool, a bar, or a restaurant where drink prices were ridiculously inflated. And when you’re in Vegas for a bachelor party, most people just pay whatever it takes to have a good time.
I’m wildly guessing here, but when you account for the purchase price and tips, I bet the average member of our bachelor party spent a minimum of $50 each day on drinks outside of the hotel room. That’s at least $150 for each person just for beverages.
Spend Your Money on Things You Want
By my calculations, each person in our bachelor party spent at least $180 on drinks this weekend. Some people probably spent well over $300.
And I’m pretty sure each one of them is happy with their purchase.
I look at $180 and see money I could use to pay off student loans, buy furniture or decorations for my apartment, or invest. Other people see it as a reasonable amount to enhance their vacation with drinks.
Good for them.
They know what they want, they have the money, and they are willing to pay for it. That’s the point of working hard to earn money: so you can spend it on things you want.
Readers: How do you save money on eating/drinking out on a vacation weekend with friends?
Kevin McKee is an entrepreneur, IT guru, and personal finance leader. In addition to his writing, Kevin is the head of IT at Buildingstars, Co-Founder of Padmission, and organizer of Laravel STL. He is also the creator of www.contributetoopensource.com. When he’s not working, Kevin enjoys podcasting about movies and spending time with his wife and four children.
$1 pitchers… the frugal way to drink.
Just looking at those numbers is sobering enough to stop drinking.
I got drunk when I was 21, to find out what that was all about.
That was such an awful experience that I can’t understand why anybody would want to do it more than once.
Like you I do not drink. Well thats not entirely true, but I think I can count on one hand how many drinks I have a year. This saves probably an average of $10 for every meal that we eat out. Its not really about the money savings for me though, I’m kind of paranoid of getting pulled over and being charged with a DUI, even if it was only one drink. I know the chances of that happening are slim but I’d rather not take the chance. I have nothing against people who drink, its their money and if thats what they want to spend it on its fine with me.
I love your posts about not drinking! I’m a drinker, undeniably– But right now I’m on an indefinite alcohol-free cleanse. It’s only been a week, it could end up a month, who knows? (I do an alcohol-free cleanse every couple of months to give my liver a break.)
What I’ve really noticed this past week is (1) I can eat a lot more, calorie-wise, and (2) I can eat a lot better, cost-wise. I’m a drinker, but I’m also a big foodie, so these are FANTASTIC benefits to not drinking, for me.
This post came at a really great I-can-relate time. I know I’ll be drinking again, but it’s healthy and important to keep the cost (financially and healthfully, in particular) in mind.
My bar bill from happy hour last Friday was $23.38, including dinner.
I went to a bachelorette party recently with no drinking and I definitely think that was an awesome way to do it, but I may also be a bit biased 😉
I save money by eating/drinking out by ordering portions that I can actually finish – I’ll often order two appetizers instead of a full meal – and by only ordering one drink, during happy hour, if any.
Some of my friends used to tell me that I spent too much on housing. Let’s say I spent $1000 on housing. I would counter that they’re spending $400 on housing and $600 in the month on alcohol for a total of $1000 when I’m spending nothing on alcohol, so it all evens out. I value living by myself in a nice place more than I do in spending a ton on drinking.
Drinking in Vegas is one of the most expensive things to do, ever! We filled up water bottles and ordered zero drinks in bars. At one show, the drinks were $25. FOR ONE DRINK. Absurd.
I rarely drink for a different reason. I hate that feeling you get when you have a couple of drinks. I definitely do not need it to relax or have a good time.
ummm….. if you are gambling either at a table or at a slot machine… gambling at all in any casino in Vegas, drinks are free. But you have to gamble. And tip the waitress.
You said you gambled, drinks while gambling would be free. You failed to mention that in your post. I’m sure your friends got some on the house.
We did very little gambling. I bet each of my friends got a maximum of three drinks while gambling, and that’s being very generous. And it’s also beside the point.
They each spent $30 a person at the liquor store, and $150 a person on drinks they paid for. Whether or not they got additional doesn’t change the $180 minimum for each of them.
That seems to be the best way to go broke, hanging out in bars buying expensive drinks. I was out on a whiskey-and-cigar night recently, with a friend picking up the tab on his expense account (we talked business, so it qualified). I about fell out of my chair when I saw the massive bill.
I do mystery shops. Last night I did a mystery shop at a bar. I had two Sam Adams Summer Ale. The cost per beer was $7. Add a $1 tip and I paid $16 for two drinks. Freakin ridiculous. I will only go to places on my own dime that have great drink specials like dollar drafts.
We just stopped drinking. Literally. We drank a lot more in our younger years and we can honestly say now we don’t even think of it most of the time. Our liquor cabinet stays in tact. We really have to make an effort to have a drink. I guess this is a good thing health wise and with money.
I refuse to buy a drink out because $8 on a shot is the same $8 that I can get the whole plate of nachos for, lol. My addiction and ridiculous spending is definitely on food…
“I died a little inside every time I saw someone spend $12 or so on a single drink.”
Nicely put. I felt the same way when I was in Vegas. I actually stayed in the same hotel as you and probably had a similar experience, but I did drink one night and had some drinks by the pool (luckily I’m a cheap drunk and some drinks were purchased by others), but I still spent about $50 on drinks. Then the last night, I went out completely sober and still had a great time.
Since I track all these things, my total Girls Vegas trip ended up costing $673. That’s a lot for 3 nights! We did go see a show, but we split 2 hotel rooms between 8 girls and I didn’t gamble or spend money on much else other than food and airfare — we even got into the bars for free! (being with a giant group of girls is definitely a bonus when in Vegas)
I’m giving up drinking for problematic reasons but I’m excited to see the side effect of money saved.
I’ve been a non-drinker for life and can hardly imagine how much less money I would have if that weren’t the case! I’m really glad I made the decision not to drink early in life. I’ve still gone to parties and had a good time all the while. I even got used to being around a bunch of other drunk people while still having fun and not letting them annoy me too much!