The cost of alcohol
June14
Alcohol eats through people’s money far more than takeaways. The average bottle of wine costs $15 and many families buy several a week. I used Sorted.org.nz‘s calculator to see how that adds up. Two bottles a week at $30 came to $17,000 over 10 years or $20,000 at a 3% interest rate. Add a glass of wine or pint or two every week at a bar and you’re looking at big bucks.
I mentioned this to friends yesterday, who told me they were saving money by buying wine by the case from a discount company. They failed to realise just how much they were spending on their alcohol habit in total.
A great place to buy discounted NZ wine is:
http://www.blackmarket.co.nz/
You have to register and then they E-mail you their weekly prices. A bottom on wine that retails for $15 is often sold here for under $10.
I’ve heard of this website and friends use it. Personally I think it’s better simply not to buy the stuff in the first place. Or at least only have it as a special treat, not a nightly event….
As the friend who buys from blackmarket.co.nz, I have to say I totally get where you’re coming from in terms of why waste money on alcohol. However, I currently have stuff-all of a social life and really look forward to Fri/Sat nights in front of a good dvd (sorry, but NZ tv is just crapola!) and a glass or two of a decent wine. In fact the reason we joined up with blackmarket is that you can actually get a decent wine, not vinegar, for under a tenner – the supermarkets charge the earth as do wine shops. We are out of our English habit of drinking virtually every night (the climate had a lot to answer for!) and now enjoy imbibing NZ wines at affordable prices.
And no, I refuse to work out how much I’ve spent in my lifetime on alcohol, it’s my one vice left to me!
I see you recognised and outed yourself Pip. I’m glad you enjoy your wine. I’m no wowser. I just make sure that my alcohol buying is infrequent.
[…] friend Pip pointed out in another posting that she loves to sit down with a glass of wine and a DVD on the weekends. I emailed back to […]
When wine becomes an occasional consumption, rather than an everyday consumption, you appreciate it much more.
I used to buy a bottle wine as a treat – a bit like Pip, a few glasses as a social context at home.
Then I started getting 6 small bottles of my favourite beer and having that say with Friday night fish/chips or whatever at home.
I haven’t done that for ages and there is a perfectly good bottle of beer in the fridge…I think we go through life in a ‘in today – out tomorrow trend’ pathway…
Even with your calculations, BB you would be able to do that with a whole lot of things and get astounded about how much you were spending over the course of your entire lifetime.
How many haircuts, loaves of bread, bottles of milk, bars of chocolate, coffee at the local cafe….BUT DOES IT REALLY matter. It’s about life. Enjoy it whilst you’ve got it and can do it 🙂