Budgeting and Planning: Drinks!

Going out on the weekend is what we do best - we are the youth! We are living in our first apartment and we are fabulous! Yes! I can handle another shot of tequila, who are you to tell me otherwise?!

We all know it gets excessive and I'm not just talking about shots - I'm talking about spending money. I very much regret nothing from last night except for the $100 bill that I insisted on picking up. Whoops! What helps this spending? Pre-game parties and of course soirées.

As for my bar area… it's a work in progress. It's a shared table with my record player and it's location is not quite settled in the space. I will have a more extensive bar area post once I think it's ready - I really would like a bar cart but the one I want is a little out of budget right now.

Technically these glasses are stemless wine glasses - but I plan on using them for cocktails too. They were much cheaper than the cocktail glasses that I wanted from Macy's and cheaper and better quality than the ones I wanted from Anthropologie. I saw them in the store and they were very light, I was nervous they would break easily. The glasses I purchased are from West Elm at $8 a piece (you can buy them a la carte in the store) and they feel very sturdy. Not to mention, breaking $8 glasses won't make me cry as hard as breaking $20 glasses. The fact that they are wine glasses does kind of bother me but I figure at my age, I very well might be the only person that knows that these are wine glasses - also if there is alcohol in it, who cares?

Sometimes I feel like I am constantly entertaining people and of course it gets tiring, but it's a lot cheaper than bar hopping and can be a great way for you to expand your inner bartender! Think of it this way: $20 - $40 on a bottle can be less expensive than the bar tab.

Here are a few tips to help this method be successful:

• Don't purchase cheap alcohol. Go ahead and spend more than you normally would knowing that it is for you and you are going to make yourself nice cocktails. 

• If someone asks for you to make them a drink, say "of course, but you owe me one later!" You bought the bottle to save money, not dish out.

• This may or may not be obvious, but do drink enough before so that you know you will only get one or two drinks while you're out.

I hope this inspires you to start entertaining your guests with a little bar fun! And of course, I hope this helps your life stay simple and easy.

Best,

Michelle