Thursday, December 1, 2011

Drinking Beer On A Budget


We want to keep this blog as realistic as possible. We are striving to keep it informative, yet practical. So, let’s be practical… Beer.

Sometimes, well… almost always, the daily job rejection or just a bad day at work can really wear you down, and there is nothing quite as rewarding as drinking a beer or two to drown your sorrows. And don’t get me wrong this isn’t depressing, this some real shit. You’d be a liar to say that sometimes you just need a goddamn beer to balance yourself out at the end of the day. And we are here to let you know, we couldn't agree more.  We have all been (or maybe still are) college students with college budgets. So, Here are some really simple, yet sometimes over looked solutions to your thirty livers and empty wallets.

     LEAVE YOU CREDIT CARD AT HOME
There is a thin line between drinking and getting smear-faced drunk. Know your budget and know your limit. It’s a Tuesday afternoon happy hour, not a Friday night out at Club Fire and Ice! Leave your credit card at home and don’t invite your whole BFF crew to roll out with you. Don't worry about the fact you might just look and feel like Steven Glansberg. You're saving money, not winning a popularity contest. Bring only what you want to spend, don’t even consider starting a tab and never forget to always budget what has to go towards tipping the bartender.

HAPPY HOURS
This just kind of smells like you have a drinking problem, but I promise you, this is not a problem at all, this is why they were created. Happy Hours are the best. Do your research and hunt out local bars that have the best deals. Typically you can snag a dollar draft somewhere or even a really cheap food/drink combo and lets be honest… that’s just awesome.

DRINK AT HOME
This should be common sense, but just in case you don’t know, now you’ll know. Yes, this more of a financial commitment during the purchasing, but if drinking in moderation, each beer is a fraction of the cost. Keep you eyes pealed for awesome deals at the store. I recently found a 30 pack of Keystone Light in Walmart of 14.85. Yes, that’s less than .50 cents per can. This can lead to pounding through more beers than you initially set out to drink, so play it smart and keep in mind that tomorrow is a new day, and those beers might be needed then too.

BEER TASTINGS
This has proved to be such a rad way to accomplish quenching your livers thirst. What is really awesome is that sometimes these beer tastings are free!  Don’t plan on them all being free and if they are not, typically its just a small fee and totally worth the charge. You may also have to really be strong at avoiding the hard-sell attempts from the brewery, because ultimately the tasting is not so you can have free/cheap beer, but so they can sell you their product. Beer tastings are not always a “go-to” solution to a crappy day, but if you seek out a brewer's beer tasting and scribble it into you schedule, it could make your whole week worthwhile.

THROW AND HOST PARTIES
If you have a little scumbag tendencies within you, and really don’t mind being “that guy”, then this is just a full-proof plan through and through. Send out the mass text and “rally the troops” for a night at your place. Typically, everyone you invite will come bearing alcoholic gifts. This works well, unless of course you’re friends with other scumbags that come thinking you took care of the party favors. But, when push comes to shove, usually everyone throws in a few bucks to collectively purchase cases of beer. I know sometimes a "bad day" doesn't always call for a rip roaring house party, but sometimes good friends and cheap beer are the best cure for a case of the Mondays.

HOME BREWING
If you really want to commit to having a well-stocked fridge and lowering your beer spending, this is the direction you need to head in. Home Brewing is most certainly a commitment and craft not learned and mastered by all. It is however a very affordable and fun way to acquire beer. If you’re a Miller High Life kind of drinker, than brewing at home may prove to not be cost efficient. Home brewing is typically done to make nice high end beer flavors for a fraction of what they are sold for in stores. There are tons of home brewing companies out there are the web, do your research and go for it!







Written By: Elyse E. Tishuk

3 comments:

  1. Homebrewing is cost effective, once you buy the equipment. Unfortunately, there's a pretty big up-front investment. Definitely worth it though. An addicting hobby.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I have watched my brother home brew for the last few years. It's like a really awesome adult science fair project. Definitely some pricey initial costs, but it weighs out in the end.

    Awesome beer blog, by the way!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Yeah I was a Chemistry major in college, so I definitely get a kick out of it. It's about the only thing I've used that degree for so far.

    ReplyDelete