#and boozy brunch on Saturday… save me boozy brunch | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

fashiontrendin-blog · 6 years

Text

I stopped drinking and saved £10,000 in 18 months

http://fashion-trendin.com/i-stopped-drinking-and-saved-10000-in-18-months/

I stopped drinking and saved £10,000 in 18 months

As I sit down to write this, I have £10,500 across my current and savings accounts, and in December I bought myself a new MacBook Air and an old Volkswagen Golf. My financial situation 18 months ago looked very different, I had a couple of grand in credit card debt and was living (praying) for my next pay check. What changed? I stopped drinking.

I’m now nearly 18 months sober and in that time I’ve paid off my credit card. Having to buy a new laptop after mine broke at Christmas didn’t derail me, as it once would have done. A few years ago, a new MacBook would have meant borrowing money from the bank of mum and dad or living on rice for three months. I didn’t stop drinking to save money, I stopped to save my mental health and avoid the weekly shame spirals, but the money in the bank has been a very welcome, and unexpected, side effect.

When I first stopped drinking, I was living in London and working in an OK marketing job. Last year, I made the decision to go self-employed and now live in Norfolk, teach yoga, write things like this and help out at my parents’ pub. My newfound ability to save hasn’t come from a big job in the city.

If you regularly have too much month left at the end of your money, have you thought about how much you spend on a night out? And it doesn’t even have to be “out out”, how about how much you spend on that Tuesday catch-up dinner with friends? A dinner for me is now an average of £20, it used to cost about £40 because of the 3 or 4 drinks I would have.

The definitive guide to thriving after you’ve been cheated on (and, yes, it is possible to feel more empowered)

I recently looked back at old credit card statements and in December 2016, I spent just over £1,000 on going out. It wasn’t all on restaurant and bar bills. I’ve included in that the Ubers home, the hungover Pret the next day and the new outfit for the events I deemed necessary for special occasions. I didn’t have £1,000 to spend, I was living way beyond my means. In April 2018, I spent £200 – and that included a new top, 5 meals out and one night out dancing. I don’t go out quite as much anymore – but I’m not a hermit either. In truth, nightclubs sober aren’t as appealing as they once were, and I’ve swapped boozy brunches for early breakfasts or gym classes within a smaller group of close friends.

You might not want to stop drinking, and I’m not here to tell you to. But if you want to save some money, it’s worth sitting down and looking at how much you spend in an average month on booze and going out. Get last month’s bank/credit card statement up on your phone and scroll through your spending, note what you spent on the following: bars, restaurants, clothes, taxis and any food establishment close to your place of work.

If your spending looks anything like mine used to, the total might be quite a high number! If you could even halve that number by drinking half as much, you might save enough money for a holiday to Bali (or whatever it is you’re saving for) in a couple of months. That’s what I’m shooting for.

Do you need to order a bottle of wine with your Tuesday night meal? Probably not. And that will save you £20, as well as helping you feel sparkly instead of shite on Wednesday! Catching up with friends at the weekend? Invite them to yours for dinner and ask them to bring desert – you’ll spend £10 rather than £30 and probably have a nicer time as you get to catch up in the warm environment of your own home.

5 surprising things your DNA is trying to tell you

Think of all the things you want to do but don’t have time, and then invite your friends along; you could suggest you wander around an exhibition to catch up, rather than a trip to the pub and spend £10 instead of £20. How about checking out that yoga class you’ve been meaning to try and going for a mint tea afterwards, or if you fancy a dance, heading to a dance class like Seen on Screen. You don’t have to get smashed in order to socialise!

Changes to your weekly routine can make a big difference to your bank balance long-term. Rather than frittering my money away on rounds of jaegerbombs for people I hardly know, door entry into overpriced clubs and ‘sexy’ sequinned tops for my Saturday night out, I’ve just moved into a three-bedroom house with my brother. I have never been more excited than when I realised I could now afford a spare room. Plus, I had the rental deposit up front without panicking that I wouldn’t be able to afford any furniture. Choose a comedy night instead of a club night, grab a Diet Coke and put that extra £20 towards your savings goal. Cheers to that!

Laurie McAllister lives in Norfolk with her miniature dachsund Margot and writes the alcohol-free lifestyle blog Girl & Tonic.

0 notes