What's your method for saving money when buying alcohol? Do you buy it less? Do you buy it at the store and only drink alcohol at your own home? Do you get the lower shelf brand? I'm looking for ways to cut down on our alcohol bills!
As someone who staunchly supports pubs I would not suggest buying alcohol from a supermarket and drinking it at home. I just limit how often I drink and how much I drink. I now only go out once a week.
LOL. I was going to get smart and say "don't buy it at all." I'll stick to what deansaliba said. It just helps a lot to limit it. That is extremely easy for me to do because I'm not a big drinker. I have a friend that brings me alcohol every once in a while and there is the rare occasion when I get it myself. Maybe two times max in a month I'll have some kind of alcohol. Sometimes I don't get any at all. Though I do prefer to take it home over being at the bar. Something about those places make you spend more...
Well where are your current alcohol expenses coming from mostly? Is it because you're going to bars or fancy restaurants and splurging there primarily? If so, then yes, simply cutting back might be your best bet. You could also specifically go during happy hours! You'll get half-priced drinks without having to feel like you're going without. And yes, buying from a store and having some nights in instead of out is definitely an option.
Ha, it's so funny you posted this. I actually just bought a bottle of clearance vodka (cookie dough flavor), and I would not recommend the clearance shelf at a liquor store! Ha. When it comes to booze, I save money by buying bottles with a high alcohol content. It takes less to feel the effects, and good mixers can mask any strong taste you might not like. Also, when it comes to wine, I always buy cheap. I have no problem with cheap wine!
Not all bottom shelf liquors are bad at all - with a little trial and error you can likely find a perfectly good substitute for the top shelf stuff you were perhaps normally buying, and at nearly half the price. Plus you can always keep some old "Grey Goose" or "Jack Daniels" bottles around and fill them with the cheap stuff, if you've got guests coming over. They will probably never even know the difference. A couple of my friends have been doing this for years - buying Castillo rum for example and pouring it into the Bacardi bottles. Some of the bottom shelf ones that I've found to be good are: - Meiers Light Rum, great substitute for Bacardi. I prefer it over Castillo even though Castillo is actually made by the same company that makes Bacardi. - Korski Vodka, I prefer this over the more popular Kamchatka, since the later isn't really 100% vodka any more, it's a blend of vodka and "spirits", and it tastes strangely sweet.
Lol! I actually happen to love clearance shelf liquor! Don't get me wrong... I have had some HORRIBLE experiences with the alcohol. Some of it is soooo bad, lol!! But I have also found some very interesting alcohols, too! I love trying new foods, so it was natural that I would want to try new drinks. I don't really like sweet drinks and I pretty much never buy flavored alcohols.... and yet, if they're on clearance, it gives me a great excuse to try out some new ones. And I always finish the bottles, even if I'm not a big fan of it, which encourages me to try out new combinations. It adds an extra element of entertainment.
I do not purchase a lot of alcohol any more, when I do get alcohol I try to get only what I will drink and it will take me about 3 months to drink it. I also get a bottle of wine once a month.
You have to know a thing or two about certain alcohols in order to confidently purchase from a discount shelf. It's not always the worst place to shop. I got a beautiful pinot noir for five bucks at a local store that ended up having a value that appreciated with time so it was pretty pricey. They sold it as clearance due to dust. Imagine that. If you intend on stocking a bar you should always buy in bulk. Why buy a pint for 10 when a fifth is 17 at the grocer? Usually, as are most things, bulk = cheaper. Other than that I don't have many suggestions on the matter. Don't buy cheap brands of alcohol unless you are making a long island every other day of the week. The quality of alcohol makes the drink a quality one.
There has been a flood of different "flavored" vodkas and other liquors in recent years - from what I've heard it's been a push to appeal to younger drinkers and a younger demographic overall. I personally avoid all of these like the plague. Every time I've tried any of them, I could barely finish the glass - and I'm a big drinker, so that's saying a lot. One of the worst ones I had was a cotton candy flavored vodka, as well as a whipped cream one, gross. We also tried Bacardi cinnamon, which was like eating a tablespoon of cinnamon powder. There were 5 of us that evening splitting the bottle, and none of us could finish our drinks off. You can always get a neutral bottom shelf liquor and flavor it up any way you like with mixers - no sense buying a "lime" flavored this or a "grapefruit" flavored that, even if it's on the clearance rack. If you're big drinkers and you're drinking regularly, then you may as well just start buying the large 1/2 gallon bottles of the bottom shelf stuff. It will save you trips to the store vs. buying smaller bottles more frequently, plus you'll save a few bucks on the booze itself. A regular bottle of bottom shelf vodka typically costs around $8.50 here, but I can get the half gallon of the same brand for like $14, so it's $2-3 cheaper to buy the bigger bottle. For wine, you can't get much cheaper than the "two buck chuck" at places like Trader Joe's and Marc's. It's a little more expensive depending on where you live though, they're more like $3 a bottle here in Ohio. But you can get a whole case of Wine for under $30.
Even back when online shopping wasn't as standard as it is now, I've always found cheaper alcohol through individual sellers, but back then I had to rely on word of mouth and being referred by friends. The discount wasn't that much but it was fairly substantial especially for when you plan on buying multiple bottles to give away as gifts. Nowadays I'm sure there are some out there who are selling less than retail priced alcohol online if you are fortunate enough to find a good seller online and preferably one that lives nearby.
Not drink as much. lol. Or drink at home! I am a big fan or cooking at home and drinking at home. A bottle of wine is $10 at the store and $30 in a restaurant! Date night can be a well prepared meal, a good bottle of wine and a movie. That can be had for less then you might spend on drinks when you go out.
I suppose the obvious answer to this is to cut down on drinking or not drink at all. I usually look for offers at the supermarket. My partner also used to make homemade wine and that saved some money. Unfortunately, I had to initially drink a lot of wine to provide him with empty bottles to use!
Make guys buy you drinks! Just kidding. Clearance shelves aren't always bad - I would look up reviews of what you're going to buy off of it and decide from there. Otherwise, comparing prices is a good practice, and drinking other people's alcohol works too of course
Brewing your own is way cheap. Expensive at first but the per bottle cost is way lower than anything in a store or bar. There are some places that will even brew for you so your only cost is the kit and bottles not the equipment.
If you are a wine drinker then making your own wine is easy and pretty inexpensive. It tastes great too and you can make whatever flavour you prefer. The Liquor Outlets always have sales on and you can get some really good deals for a fraction of the cost. Drinking at home is much cheaper then drinking in bars or at clubs.
