It’s Difficult Drinking on a Budget

Drinking on a budget can be difficult. I feel like every time I go out these days, a good cocktail is at least $18. Not sure about you, but I can’t afford that! Happy hour is always a good strategy, but often times happy hour ends at 5:30 and at that point most people are just getting off of work. A 40 oz beer is always an option. At 7-11 you can get a 40 for less than $8 (Hawaii Prices) and usually they have a lot higher alcohol content. But I’m an adult, and I don’t want to drink Old English anymore. There are some other strategies to drinking pretty good alcohol without breaking the bank.

Costco

When thinking about drinking on a budget, the first thing that always comes to mind is Costco. I must admit, I am a die hard Costco fan. I have friends that work for them. My favorite meal is the hot dog (cheapest meal in Hawaii $1.57 for hot dog and a coke plus tax). I can also find so much there that I will never need, but always want. There are so many reasons why Costco is amazing, but one of the things about them that I love best is there alcohol department.

In certain states, you don’t even need a membership to purchase alcohol. This website tells you which states don’t require a membership. It also tells you what other products you can purchase at Costco without being a member.

The markup on alcohol is one of the biggest reasons why I believe Costco is one of the best places for budget drinking. At about an average of 14% markup on their alcohol. Costco beats other retailers that have an average of about 25-30% markup. This saves a bit of money. Considering their Kirkland brand is sometimes produced by name brands, you’re getting a great deal on what could be Gordon Biersch Beers or Jim Beam!

I will mention that I wrote about Costco because that’s where I have a membership, but I do know that Sam’s Club is similar to Costco. They don’t require a membership and have a lower markup on their alcohol. If you’re a Sam’s Club member go have fun checking out their excellent selection.

Plymouth Gin: Navy Strength

Drinking on a budget can also include drinking higher alcohol content products. One of those that I’ve been introduced to recently is navy strength gin. A navy strength gin is a gin that has over 57.15% ABV, this was done for practical reasons and where the name comes from. When barrels of gin and rum were stored on ships near gunpowder, there as a possibility of them leaking. With the gunpowder soaked in gin or rum, it wouldn’t burn if the alcohol content was less than 57.15%, thus the gin needed to be higher than that.

Plymouth Gin is an example of a company who produces navy strength gins. While it is a stronger version of gin, that just means you get a bit more bang for your buck! When I was taking a gin making class in Scotland, we tried navy strength and it was a hit. The gin I ended up producing was 52% ABV so not quite navy strength, but still quite strong. Some people don’t like the taste of the stronger gins, but I think it really depends what you mix it with. Some ideas for navy strength gin cocktails could be a French 75 or a Negroni. Also if you stir your martini a bit longer to dilute it a bit more you can still make an excellent martini.

Black Box: Not Your Old School Franzia Anymore

As a kid I remember my parents drinking Franzia with the neighbors. It was easy, there was a lot of it, and it was inexpensive. My parents weren’t known for having high brow tastes. I tried Franzia as an adult and while it’ll do in a pinch, there are so many other options out there!

Boxed wines are usually less expensive than buying bottled ones and they stay fresh longer! The packaging keeps the oxygen out of the container, keeping it fresher. I’m also a huge fan of the packaging. It’s better for the environment and when I was in college the kids used to take the empty wine bags inside, blow them up with air and use them as pillows when camping.  Because of the durability of the packaging, shipping is easier and less expensive. This causes the savings to be passed down to the consumer.

There are many boxed wines to choose from and just like bottled wines there are some boxed wines that include more details including grape variety and appellation. Appellation is where the fruit is grown, but also indicates that the wine meets production requirements. You can find some high quality wines for less than you would find in a bottle.

These are just a few ways to drink on a budge. If you have any ideas reach out to me on Instagram with your ideas!