With the coronavirus lock-down, have you found yourself drinking more alcohol?
If so, you're not hardly alone. Some articles have put the increase in alcohol purchasing/consumption at up to 40% since the coronavirus hit the US. Whether it's out of boredom, dealing with increased demands at home with trying to keep your kids occupied, or stress from the sobering truths of the pandemic, it's understandable that folks are reaching for this coping mechanism.
Health consequences aside, I wanted to send out the message that if you want to drink more right now, please do so in a way that least impacts your personal finances.
Some ideas on how to save money on alcohol spending:
1. Make your own wine or beer at home.
No only is making your own home brew a fun activity to pass the time, it can also save you money if done correctly. If not done correctly, it's unlikely to save much money at all.
For some fun, take a look at this old post I wrote in 2014 about how to make wine for $1 per bottle. Please note that it will be strong, but will not taste that good! 🙂
2. Drop the Beer
My personal opinion is that cheap wine/liquor is more palatable than cheap beer. As such, if I'm going for beer, I reach for the thick craft beer options.
Craft beer aside, what does the cheapest beer cost? Is it about $16 for a 24 pack? That's about on-par from an alcohol equivalency perspective with a $3 bottle of wine.
3. Cheap Wine Options
It's amazing to me how palatable cheap wines have gotten in the past few years. Just about every major grocery store chain has their bottom-shelf private label wine these days. Even the large boxed wines like Peter Vella and Franzia have gotten decent-tasting.
Below is an unofficial survey of some inexpensive wine options:
- Franzia or Peter Vella: $18 per 5 L.
- Oak Leaf (Wal-Mart): $2.50 per bottle.
- Oak Creek (Kroger): $2.99 per bottle.
- Three Wishes (Whole Foods / Amazon): $2.99 per bottle. You can even get it delivered right to your door!
- Charles Shaw (Trader Joe's): $2.99 per bottle.
