Spending money in bars

[Guest]

I've noticed in bars that money isn't worth as much to me for some reason.

Let me explain.

I'll go out to a bar and pay $5-8 for a drink. My tab by the end of the night will be $20-$40. I tell myself 'that wasn't too bad, I didn't spend that much money'. Even though that money would get me groceries for a full week.

But if I go to the store, I am reluctant to pay a dollar or two more for healthier, higher quality food. I always debate with myself if I should get the gallon of organic or unorganic milk due to the price even though organic tastes much better. And the funny thing is, a gallon of organic milk is cheaper than one alcoholic drink.

Does anyone else have this type of thinking? It makes absolutely no sense, but for some reason i'm ok spending all my money on alcohol, lol.

[Guest]

Well for one your are drinking, so naturally your rationalization will occur differently than when you are sober. Try putting back a few and then go grocery shopping, you might actually splurge for that organic milk.

I run into this problem all the time. It costs 80 to fill up my tank, but I won't buy that new pair of jeans. I think this is just a normal everyday event for most people, except compulsive shoppers. I've noticed this a lot with trying to get the guys out to a nice restaurant. If you take a girl out you are gonna drop a good chunk of change but you won't splurge on a nice steak for yourself.

My advice would be figure out a way to make a little more money so you can buy whatever you want, not fretting over a few buckaroos.

[Guest]

I won't take a girl out for a nice dinner.

If you take a girl to Nick and Sam's she's just as likey to fuck you as if you take her to Saltgrass. Actually, if you take a girl to a place she's never heard of that's reasonably priced then she'll appreciate it more than Nick and Sam's. Trust me. But, I digress.

I don't like dropping money in restaurants because it's a fucking waste of cash. Seriously. I can cook a great cut of steak at home for a fraction of what it costs to buy one at Nick and Sam's and it's almost just as good. Shit, I can cook pretty much anything just as well as what you find at the restaurant if I have a legit recipe to follow.

I also don't like buying booze at a restaurant because that's a waste too. Eating and drinking just slows down the absorption process and increases your tab because you tend to buy more booze than you really need to get drunk.

As for your tab at the bar, do what I do, roll in with a flask. When I started doing that, my tabs went from $50 a night to $20. And you keep much better track of how much you've had to drink. And, you get to mix your own drinks...no more light pours for this guy.

Also, it's about expectations. When you go to the grocery store you're mind is processing getting food and the price to pay for that food. You see the prices right in front of you AND often times the cost difference between non-organic and organic is close to 100%. That relative difference is huge. At a bar, your mind is focused on having fun not procuring food. You don't see the prices in front of your face and you're not really comparing the price of one type of booze with another type of booze so you don't feel as if you're spending that much money. Your expectation IS to spend money at a bar, while elsewhere your expectation is to NOT spend too much money.