Alcohol

[kreyno4]

I've seen alcohol mentioned in several threads lately and thought it deserved its own

Obviously the most frugal option for saving money on alcohol is not to drink it! But for those who do consume it, how do you save money? Does anyone find homebrew a reasonable alternative? If you stock up when things are on sale, how do you keep yourself from going it faster than you would if you bought it bit by bit?

[ChampagneBlossom]

I think there's really two sides of the issue. One is that you have self control and you enjoy drinking responsibly. My parents had a bar that they maybe bought a couple of bottles of liquor for twice a year and they enjoyed a nightcap now and again, or my dad would buy a case of beer and it would last him a month.

With my husband, who is a dry drunk more or less, I can't even have a bottle of wine for my own enjoyment because he will drink it immediately. I have to resort to buying four packs of those girly beers, if I ever get one. Maybe once every couple of months, and I will have maybe one of those a week, two nights if it's crazy. I actually have some in my fridge that I forgot about, I might break some open.

So basically, I think you can consume a little at a time here and there, but if you have trouble staying away from it once it's in the house, I dunno, that would be a red flag for me. But I have tons of alcohol issues so I'm borderline prude about that sort of thing.

[Hazelnut]

I buy my two buck chuck from TJs weekly and that's pretty much it in the alcohol dept. So I get my wine, but am not spending much. I'm pretty happy with just that right now.

[enkmom]

I like to keep alcohol around, but I seldom drink. Luckily for me, I don't mind cheap beer . When I am in the mood for beer, I buy a quart size bottle of Lite or Busch, drink my 2 glasses, then don't buy it again until I am in the mood.

For mixed drinks, we have just scaled down. We don't buy premium liquors anymore. Instead of Grey Goose we keep Skyy. My husband uses Wild Turkey. We drink so seldom that our Gin evaporated before we used it all. I would watch for sales if we were planning a party or had cocktails on a more regular basis.

[kreyno4]

Originally Posted by ChampagneBlossom

So basically, I think you can consume a little at a time here and there, but if you have trouble staying away from it once it's in the house, I dunno, that would be a red flag for me. But I have tons of alcohol issues so I'm borderline prude about that sort of thing.

No, I don't think you are a prude. That is a very real issue that goes along with this topic, and I'm glad you brought it up.

[ChampagneBlossom]

Incidentally, you know I've *never* made the association with my screenname and alcohol? :rofl It *just* clicked, and I've had this name for MONTHS! I thought of the color champagne, not the drink. That's how little appeal alcohol has for me.

[Amila]

My dad makes homemade wine with whatever grapes or berries are growing on his mountain, and gives it to me Mmmmmmmm

[Emmeline II]

I have a big problem with sweets, but not with stocking up with alcohol.

But I don't see any "red flags". If beer is in the house dh might have one or two a week. If we didn't have it in the house neither of us could be bothered to go and get it. So if we had a stock we would drink more overall but not on a binge; that ability left us at 21 or 22 .

[kreyno4]

Originally Posted by Emmeline II

I have a big problem with sweets, but not with stocking up with alcohol.

But I don't see any "red flags". If beer is in the house dh might have one or two a week. If we didn't have it in the house neither of us could be bothered to go and get it. So if we had a stock we would drink more overall but not on a binge; that ability left us at 21 or 22 .

Yes, I guess this is how I feel. So, assuming there are not "red flags" involved (which I realize is not always the case), does anyone have any money-saving ideas?

[Vancouver Mommy]

I drink the same quality, but less frequently.

[Drummer's Wife]

DH doesn't mind the cheap beer (ie Budweiser in a can, or bottles if it's on sale) and Albertsons often has the huge bottles of Bacardi Rum on sale so we make sure and grab some when that happens. Otherwise, we drink different things depending on our mood or what we are having for dinner. I like to keep ingredients on hand for margaritas and mojitos.

But I could give up alcohol in a heartbeat. I don't miss it if we are out, or when I am pregnant it's not something I even think about DH, however, misses at least having a beer every once in a while if we haven't had any long for any length of time.

Having it in the house or not doesn't really matter, though. We don't tend to binge drink anyway and living in New Mexico, you can buy alcohol at any gas station, grocery store, drug store, etc... it's everywhere here.

[WC_hapamama]

For us, a large part of money we spend on alcohol is for sake and mirin that we use for cooking.

[leximom]

we have a set amount of $$ for beer every month as part of our food budget. I pretty much always want the higher end beers so I only drink a couple of times a month since I use my budgeted amount quickly. My dh will opt for keystyone which is far less expensive (umm and far less tasty ) so he can drink more often, but once it's gone, it's gone!

I shop at grocery outlet and I see inexpensive wine there and sometimes a good deal on beer. Also, Costco has decent prices if you don't mind having a ton in your home at once.

[beansmama]

I'm currently prego - so yanno....

but when we get wine we do so from Grocery Outlet - GREAT deals on wine and a huge selection

Otherwise, drinking is a "treat"...we didn't do it often, and definitely don't waste your money at bars :P

[Carley]

I am, in general, a quality over quantity person. There are exceptions, of course. There is magic in Pabst on a hot day (especially with lemonade! Don't hate!).

Have you seen those wine stoppers? They seal wine bottles so you can have them open longer. I use them for quality Trappist beers (my favourite), but they'll seal any beer (or anything) that comes with a bottle neck. I also love them for sparkling wines. They'll stay bubbly for quite a while, so when I do feel like a delicious fermented beverage, I can have A glass of enjoyment & save the rest for another time.

I also love port. A good bottle of port lasts me months and months. Delicious.

Irish Creme & the likes... yeah, they don't last around here. We don't buy that unless it's Christmas!

Cheers to moderation in all things! (um... most of the time... with most things... you know... time and a place and all )

[dogmom327]

Around here, Grocery Outlet has good prices on wine and the other day they ran a 20% off sale so it was time to stock up!

[lolar2]

Our Ralphs (Kroger) sometimes sells wine and beer in the clearance rack, especially after holidays.

I don't buy alcohol unless I am giving a party. Otherwise, I only drink when someone else is buying.

[LilyGrace]

This is one reason I'm glad we live where we do. A really good bottle of wine is anything over $5. A decent bottle will cost around $3-4. We get one a week for our Wed. night "date" (sit on the couch, watch Top Chef or Hell's Kitchen and make a platter of cheese and crackers to go with).

As far as other kinds, we inherited a full liquor cabinet from friends who were moving and couldn't take open bottles with them.

The thing I learned is not to trust price or what others deem as good. My palate is slowly expanding, but at the moment I'm willing to try everything and anything in all price ranges. My favorite is currently a wine from the next island that costs around $3.

[mightymoo]

See for us, alcohol is less about our consumption and more about being good hosts, etc. since my family comes over a lot and they are big drinkers. If I didn't have a plentiful supply, I would have a hard time getting them to be willing to hang out at my house for family events and football games (also a family event), rather than my moms, since my mom will have all that stuff. But its significantly more convenient for me to have things here since we can put the kids to bed, etc. So for me I feel like its part of that cost.

DH likes his beer, but he gets a beer of the month as a gift from his parents and generally doesn't consume more than that, if that much (12 bottles a month) on his own. But my brothers and parents will come over and consume quite a bit. Also, I try to buy reasonable $8-10 wines to bring with me to events and parties to contribute, or when I just don't have anything else to bring (since wine keeps easy). I'm leary of resorting to the 2 buck chuck for that, since I don't want to seem like I am being cheap when the hostess is going to significant effort to put the event on.

I don't have great tips though, I buy beer at BJs by the case in the summer when it gets drunk the most. Otherwise, I don't have a real plan.

[Smithie]

I've been pg forever (or so it seems), but I buy beer and a bottle of hard liquor both from Costco when not. I can drink (with help from dh) the 36 beers in a month. The liquor lasts longer. If I finish the beers AND the liquor, even with his help, then that's too much and I start paying attention my my consumption, because alcoholism runs rampant in my family.

keynote, I saw in the monthly thread that your dh likes to buy beer at the corner store! Aaaargh! That is financial ruin in 6-pack form!

Seriously, do you think you can try buying him one Costco case this week, saying "this is it, Buster, I really mean it!" and then see if he can ration it out over the month?