Boozing on a Budget

Everybody wants to save money and with the economy in such a dire state people like to turn to alcohol to drown their sorrows or they plainly just want to have fun with their friends. Alcoholic beverages are commonly thought as "recession proof," For places like sports stadiums where drink prices are prohibitively expensive, there are lots of products that are tailored towards sneaking beverages in. Being able to manage your alcohol intake in a situation like this instead of getting way too drunk at a bar nearby the venue before the event has started is always a good idea. Pregaming as it known in collegiate parlance always has the possibility of not getting the right level of buzz, be it too little or too much.

Products such as the ShotPak and Pocket Shots are single serving plastic pouches containing liquor which are concealable, contour to your body and not bulky like traditional flasks. They are a great idea in theory but in practice these products are expensive; at around 2 dollars a pouch you are paying around 30 dollars for a fifth of alcohol. Adding to that problem that, these products are not available everywhere unlike the tiny 50 ml plastic "airplane" liquor bottles found at most liquor stores.

Flasks are always a great option however they are bulky, will not survive a pat-down by security unless they are secured on your hip and you won't be able to sneak them through a metal detector. The Disposable Flask by Xela LLC is a great alternative to traditional metal flasks. They are inexpensive, hold approximately 7.5 ounces of liquid and if you get caught with one you can just throw it away.

Should you trade down your top-shelf liquor for rotgut?

The answer is more complicated than you would think. It really depends on what you're drinking. Vodka is the most popular spirit with the American people, the flavorless colorless liquor and its perception as a safer spirit that is less likely to cause a hangover definitely adds to its popularity. flavorless colorless liquor. Vodka is not supposed to have any taste to it so when you buy a top-shelf vodka, all you are really paying for is a brand name. In a blind taste test conducted by ABC's "20/20", Grey Goose fans were shocked to learn they had fingered their favorite vodka as the worst. Keep in mind mid-shelf alcohol is alcohol and a lot of the price you pay is for the marketing of a product and the image of the brand.

Also in the documentary film "Beer Wars", a blind taste test was conducted between mainstream American beer and guess what? The tasters couldn't pick out their preferred brand, for a fun time try a blind taste with your friends. A lot of how things will taste to a person is in their perceptions. Do you want to appear like a really nice host? Simply fill empty top-shelf liquor bottles with mid-shelf or bottom-shelf booze; if it's being used in a mixed drink most people won't be able to tell since the spirit is watered down by the mixer.

The cheapest spirit also happens to be vodka, keeping Vodka in a freezer will kill help kill the taste and will make shots of bottom-shelf vodka quaffable. Now that's not to say spending money on spirits that are actually supposed to have a taste to them is a waste of money. Keep in mind that when it comes to middle shelf alcohol a lot of what you pay for is the label. If you are looking for a premium vodka then a Polish Vodka such as Sobieski or Luksusova is the way to go, there's not a ton of marketing of these products in America hence why they are such great bargains. There are plenty of better whiskeys than Jack Daniel's for the price however the extra money you are paying is for the brands image.

Drinking on an empty stomach

The decision whether or not to drink on an empty stomach is a double-edged sword. On one hand if you do not choose to eat before you drink, you will get drunk faster however alcohol will also cause you to crave greasy food thereby spending money on expensive bar food or waiting in long lines from the bar crowd at fast food restaurants to sate your hunger. It can also be a very dangerous situation if you are binge drinking an empty stomach. Eating foods with protein such as red meat or peanuts will help keep you from getting drunk and if you plan on sessioning beers it is always a good idea to eat these foods beforehand.

Drink for the journey, not for the destination.

A big way to save money is to drink for taste and not to drink solely get drunk. Now this might seem counter-intuitive at first if your goal is to get drunk at a bar for cheap, it might seem like you are spending more money at a bar if you are buying Scotch whisky or a glass of wine but if you nurse it all night long and learn to savor the taste instead of knocking back drinks for a simple buzz you will definitely save money. It might also make you look sophisticated or a total tool depending on the environment you're in.

Honest Pints and Measurements

Looks can be deceiving and just like any commodity, there is always production shrinkage. With inflation always on the rise a bar can choose to either raise its drink prices or shrink the size of their liquor servings. Since beer is typically the most affordable drink in bars, pay attention to whether or not you are getting an "honest pint" when you order draft beer. A lot of places will advertise "pints" which are supposed to be 16 fluid oz in the United States but will serve your beer to you in a 12 or 14 fluid oz glass. With tips included, the absence of 4 or even 2 ounces definitely adds up in the long run especially considering that a couple ounces are lost to foam in draft beer. Some European countries do not have this problem where an imperial pint is 20 fluid ounces and measurements are checked akin to gas stations.

Also in a lot of bars what a "shot" is can vary. There are liquor bottle pourers that have smaller nozzles which take a longer time to pour, these give the illusion that you are receiving a strong pour when in fact you're not and possibly being shorted. The standard size is generally considered to be 1.5 fluid oz, a bar could easily serve you a 1.25 fluid oz shot or a 1.0 fluid oz shot and you wouldn't even notice due to the many types of shot glasses.

Specials

Obviously it pays to shop around and simply calling every bar in your area and asking them what their specials are definitely pays off. Sometimes drink specials are unadvertised and you can hit a jackpot deal simply by doing this. Bars will typically have better specials Monday-Thursday simply to draw people in; this has the added benefit of avoiding the massive crowds and wait times on the weekends. Making an excel spread sheet or chart with all the days of the week and all the good bar specials that occur on each day of the week will save you money. Also if a bar or club has a mailing list, e-mail or otherwise; then definitely sign up for it so you can be informed of mailing list only specials.

Drinking in public

Now in most places, drinking in public is a misdemeanor that can be usually be bargained down to a fine in court, you have to realize that drinking in public is a petty offense and judges will not wreck your future employment opportunities over something so minor unless you are a habitual offender. I do not recommend drinking in public where it is clearly illegal. However if you live in Las Vegas or New Orleans, certain designated areas have no open container laws and you are free to drink alcohol in those areas thereby saving your hard-earned money that you would be saving by going to bars.

If you care about people knowing what you are drinking alcohol and are looking for the element of stealth, there are alcoholic energy drinks such as Joose and Tilt; the packaging of these beverages look like normal energy drinks thereby arousing no suspicion in public whatsoever even when you are drinking them without a brown paper bag. Adding alcohol to a cup from a fast food restaurant is a very covert way of drinking in public. The lid will keep the smell minimal and the straw will deliver the booze to the back of your throat making you smell less like alcohol.

Always make sure your phone is 100 percent charged before you head out

If you're way too drunk and end up losing your phone there's no way to call it to find it if the battery is dead. Also if you need to call your lawyer to tell him to take his sweet time arriving when you've been pulled over and suspected of drunk driving then a fully charged phone will always save you money in the long run. Having a lawyer is always beneficial in situations like these if a breathalyzer is not calibrated correctly. Having a few cab companies in your phone book is also always a good idea.

Breweries

Breweries can be excellent places for frugal drinkers. Most places have what are called "mug clubs" which you can join for a nominal fee. Mug club members typically receive discounts, members only parties, discounts on drinks and take home-beer in 64 oz jugs known as "growlers". In the United States, beer in a brewpub is brewed for taste rather than being watered down alcoholic swill. Most beers will typically be at least 5.5 percent alcohol and if you're lucky the ABV (Alcohol By Volume) will hover around 7.5-8 percent ABV. This means that you will be urinating less and getting drunk faster by having to drink less beer to achieve the same effect as a mass produced beer.

Make friends with people who work at a bar

Lastly, one of the best ways to save money at a bar is to be good friends with someone who works at one. You will be comped free drinks and could be invited to staff only bar parties if you play your cards right. Keep in mind most people who work at bars almost always work Friday and Saturday nights, so keep in mind you'd be hanging out with them outside of the weekend.