This is just crazy...how much is spent on beer???

[dfchelbay]

Had to pass along this conversation I had this evening with my girlfriend. She told me she sat down and figured out how much money her household spent per month on beer...I was SHOCKED She said she buys the cheaper stuff too, but never thought about how much was spent per month on it. She said she buys a case of 18 bottles of lite beer each time, which is approximately $18.99, plus deposit and tax. Her husband drinks three bottles per evening, with dinner and shortly after. So, she added it up to find that the 18 bottles cost $18.86, and with drinking 3 per evening that came to $3.15 per day multiplied by 365 days per year, which came out to $1,149.75 per year.

I was shocked. That's about $95.81 per month of their grocery money going toward beer. That's just for one person. What if she also drank beer with dinner too...OMG. Is three beers per night excessive? I rarely drink, so I have no idea. I cant even begin to imagine how much it costs to drink out at a club.

Just thought all you budget minded people would get a kick out of this...

 

[Madison'smommy]

Had to pass along this conversation I had this evening with my girlfriend. She told me she sat down and figured out how much money her household spent per month on beer...I was SHOCKED She said she buys the cheaper stuff too, but never thought about how much was spent per month on it. She said she buys a case of 18 bottles of lite beer each time, which is approximately $18.99, plus deposit and tax. Her husband drinks three bottles per evening, with dinner and shortly after. So, she added it up to find that the 18 bottles cost $18.86, and with drinking 3 per evening that came to $3.15 per day multiplied by 365 days per year, which came out to $1,149.75 per year.

I was shocked. That's about $95.81 per month of their grocery money going toward beer. That's just for one person. What if she also drank beer with dinner too...OMG. Is three beers per night excessive? I rarely drink, so I have no idea. I cant even begin to imagine how much it costs to drink out at a club.

Just thought all you budget minded people would get a kick out of this...

I have a friend whose husband probably spends that much. He has a kegerator, so buys kegs for it. I dunno... he is from Germany, and drinking beer is just what they do. While, he doenst get drunk, I wouldnt like that in my house. It is not even about the money to me.... BUT, that is alot of wasted money!

 

[DisneyScraps]

We are wine drinkers and we drink good wine usually. I know how much I spopend a month and it's a lot more than that. It's all about perspective. To us it's an important part of a meal.

Lisa

 

[descovy]

Just curious, OP, don't you have any vices?

Scrapbooking, coffeeshops, shoes, greeting cards, gadgets, travel, purses, smartphones, golf, photography, video games, getting nails done, etc., etc.,

none are ESSENTIALS but most of us (barring a financial setback of course) blow a good $1000 a year on a little something that makes us happy.

So his vice is totaled weekly in THE "grocery bill." Sure, it is high, but if it keeps the restaurant bill low, lets the guy chill after a hard day work, for $3/day that's not so bad.

I'm a thrifty gal myself... clip coupons, buy on clearance, etc., etc., but you know what, sometimes I'm in the mood for a Starbucks. If I can afford a little luxury that will make me happy, so be it. Yes, the coffee at home is cheaper, no I really don't need a fun nail polish, but we all deserve to lighten up once in awhile.

What budget (if not THE GROCERY BILL) do your little luxuries/vices come from?

 

[BubMunkeyBles]

My husband probably spends about that much a year. It's his hobby though, he's not just downing Bud Lights every night. He also spends money on weekend trips traveling to beer festivals and breweries. It's his hobby and its not as expensive as other hobbies he could take up (video games would cost way more I would think). Not like he's drinking to get drunk every night. It's just his thing and it makes him happy, so it makes me happy.

 

[RitaE]

sorry but $3 a day doesn't seem all that excessive to me if they household bills are being met. I know plenty of people sink more than that just into the vending machines at work.

Or they have a premium cable channel.

Or they go out and see a movie twice a week.

Does he not work or help pay the bills somehow that we need to nitpick at the guy for spending $3 a day on something.

 

[Disneybuckeye]

I agree. Everyone needs something fun in life. Not everyone thinks $3000 for a week at Disney is a smart thing on which to spend money, but people on this board do that once or twice a year and nobody thinks that is a waste of money.

 

[Marionnette]

Had to pass along this conversation I had this evening with my girlfriend. She told me she sat down and figured out how much money her household spent per month on beer...I was SHOCKED She said she buys the cheaper stuff too, but never thought about how much was spent per month on it. She said she buys a case of 18 bottles of lite beer each time, which is approximately $18.99, plus deposit and tax. Her husband drinks three bottles per evening, with dinner and shortly after. So, she added it up to find that the 18 bottles cost $18.86, and with drinking 3 per evening that came to $3.15 per day multiplied by 365 days per year, which came out to $1,149.75 per year.

I was shocked. That's about $95.81 per month of their grocery money going toward beer. That's just for one person. What if she also drank beer with dinner too...OMG. Is three beers per night excessive? I rarely drink, so I have no idea. I cant even begin to imagine how much it costs to drink out at a club.

Just thought all you budget minded people would get a kick out of this...

I dont see where this is a problem unless the kids are going shoeless and the heat has been turned off. Really. This isnt part of there grocery budget. Its part of there beer budget. I spend more than than each month for my phone/internet/cable bundle. Different choices for different people.

 

[bettyann29]

Im sure I spend that much on DH for beer for him.. He also smokes.. Sure, Id rather he stop both, but those are his vices and he works every day and brings home the money that provides for our family.. if thats what he wants, thats what he'll get.. If it means that I have to budget in other areas, than thats what I'll do..

He doesnt complain when I go shopping for shoes, purses, etc.. so I cant complain either..

 

[Swimalie]

Well, I swim on a swim team and I just figured out that I spend just over $19 per practice to swim. So to me, $3 a day on beer doesn't seem that much at all. Of course swimming is a bit healthier than drinking beer but to each their own.

 

[crisi]

We are a wine house as well and spend that easily. And there are plenty of people who spend $3 a day on Starbucks coffee. We are also a MMORG house (i.e. World of Warcraft et.al.) at one point $90 a month was going out just for game subscriptions - and that doesn't include new games, internet connection, etc - that's just the subscription. I'm getting my nails back into shape after a few years of ignoring them - $150 a month in manicures.

The question is, can they afford to spend $3 a day on a non-necessity? If he's drinking $3 a day in beer and their kid's shoes have holes in them and they can't buy milk - that's a problem. If he's drinking $3 a day in beer and the rest of the budget is balanced and no one is going without - then no big.

The other question is if three beers a day is impacting his health or his relationships. But that's a different question. For most people - especially men - no that isn't enough to cross into dependency. (It would be enough for SOME women).

 

[mrodgers]

$3 per day X 7 days per week (if every day, not just work days) is $21 per week. Much cheaper than most folks I know at work who will stop at the bar the last day of work and drop $50-100 at once ever week....

Much cheaper than smoking a pack of cigarettes per day and probably better for the health too.

 

[leadfootlevi]

If she wanted to save money, she could switch to cans. Or try a different brand?

It does seem like a lot when you add it all up, but, like someone else said - it doesn't have to be limited to beer. How about soda, coffee, television, chocolate, etc.

 

[marie1203]

Alcohol in general is expensive and taxed higher. I think that is a lot of money in beer. It really does pay not to drink DH doesn't drink and I am not much of a drinker either. I can't say we have any "hobbies" that we spend that much money a year not even half. The only thing I could think is rescuing dogs and taking care of our own we spend about $8,000 a year on vet bills, flea/tick control and heartworm medication. But is see that as being responsible dog owner.

 

[descovy]

Alcohol in general is expensive and taxed higher. I think that is a lot of money in beer. It really does pay not to drink DH doesn't drink and I am not much of a drinker either. I can't say we have any "hobbies" that we spend that much money a year not even half. The only thing I could think is rescuing dogs and taking care of our own we spend about $8,000 a year on vet bills, flea/tick control and heartworm medication. But is see that as being responsible dog owner.

You also like to travel, I can see by your siggy.

And that's fine, but my point, and many others is that $3/day doesn't seem like a lot to make someone happy.

My family goes away on vacation every-other-year (if we're lucky). And we've only been to DISNEY ONCE!!!

But I'd never call your travel extravegent... I assume you can afford it. And I'd never call a $3/night beer extravegent either, as I assume he can afford it.

We all choose our indulgences. Don't fool yourself into thinking you don't even spend "half that much" (as you call it) while you are planning a Disney vacay.

 

[mom2val]

I rarely drink - maybe 3 drinks a year at most. So it ticks me off that dh in my opinion wastes money on beer. Until 4 months ago he was spending $300 a month on beer. Do the math- his beer costs more than what we spend on a trip to WDW! ( AND you do not even want to know how much money WDW has gotten from him buying beer at the resorts!) I finally got fed up and I showed him how he was spending as much on beer as I spend in 3 weeks of grocery shopping. He has now switched to a cheaper brand, cut back on how much he drinks and no longer buys at convience stores. He is now spending $60 a month on beer.

 

[LIFERBABE]

Of all the things her Dh could be spending money on, I think she's getting off cheap!

My Dh rarely drinks, but we dabble in bartending and I like to try different wines in the $8-$25 a bottle range.

 

[akcire]

I am much younger than my cousin, she is more than 15 years older than me. When my cousin was just married 2 years she pointed out to her husband the actual costs of his beer consumption and put him on a beer budget.

At the time they lived in Ohio, and he found a crazy cheap beer 6 small glass bottles of "wheat-er-mans" (sp) for less than $2.00 (I think $1.59). It sort of backfired as he now had a set amount to spend, he became the king of the beer budget-he would drive 20 miles to save a buck. I think his budget was $25 per week, and he would spend every penny. The fridge in the garage was teeming full. I am not one to judge, but he became a pretty heavy drinker for a few years until nature punished him--he ended up getting gout.

If we are together for a family event he still tries to get me to order a beer, so he can have a few sips. He can not even tolerate a full glass, but he loves beer. After being family for more than 20 years he knows I don't like beer, so he can drink mine. Even as a teenager he would offer me beer, and it just was not for me. I like tequila, bourbon, and a little wine, but mostly really high end tequila.

I have no problem pointing out to someone how much they spend on a particular category. Did the math for a heavy smoker friend (3 packs a day), and showed him over 20 years his cigarettes could finance a Harvard education--wife was pregnant at the time. Also showed the wife that keeping her Talbot's clothes one extra season could have their house paid off 10 years early--she was a heavy shopper. I know they cut back in both categories. However I would be careful about nagging anyone or putting them on too strict of a budget, or they may end up drinking cheaper but in greater quantity like my cousin's husband. I would rather someone I know drink one "good" beer every day, than 3-4 cheap beers.

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

WOW!

Do people REALLY go around telling people "you are spending too much" on things. Lucky for me my friends aren't that judgemental.

 

[RitaE]

WOW!

Do people REALLY go around telling people "you are spending too much" on things. Lucky for me my friends aren't that judgemental.

Not in my world.