Can drinking alcohol make you spend more money? In my experience it can, but that doesn’t mean that it’s that way for everybody. Is it? Drinking alcohol can cause you to take more risks and lower your inhibitions. I know that I have done some CRAZY stuff in my time, most of which I would never consider doing while sober. 😉

Thinking back, I can come up with a few examples of how I’ve spent more money while I was drinking. It’s a good thing I don’t drink very often, usually only once every few months. It’s amazing how much easier it is to whip out your credit card when you’re drinking…too easy really.

Spending More on Tipping

When I’m still in my right mind, I usually tip a buck or two for each drink the bartender gives me. That’s not bad, it appears to be the average in my area. In my area, drinks seem to average between $4 and $8 for mixed drinks, which is what I get—I love hurricanes (with 3 maraschino cherries on the sword).

Now, after a few drinks when I’m getting a bit drunk, my tipping dramatically changes. If the bartender is really nice or friendly, I’ve been known to tip up to $5 for a single drink. For me at least, drinking alcohol makes me spend more money when tipping.

Spending on Pizza

I don’t know what it is about drinking that makes me want to eat pizza, it just seems to magically coincide. I’m not even sure if I was actually hungry or not, maybe it just sounded good. I remember one Margarita Night (which is where my honey and I drink at home) when my husband came looking for me; he found me checking out for an online pizza order. He was really surprised that I was ordering pizza and accurately inputting my credit card information into the little box. Would I have ordered pizza if I wasn’t drinking? Maybe, but it’s always more likely when I’m drinking alcohol.

Spending Money Online

This is just a bad idea overall. When I’m drinking, my common sense usually flies out the window. It’s hard enough to keep from impulse spending while sober, imagine the difficulty one would face when presented with the plethora of items available online. I haven’t done this at all in at least 2 or 3 years, but I won’t lie…it has happened a few times before.

Spending More Money at Casinos

Obviously, if you’re in a casino at all, you’ve probably decided to spend something. Not that it’s a great idea, since I’m currently hating gambling, but it happens. If you’re drinking at this casino, your chances of spending more money can greatly increase. Casinos just make it so easy for you to keep spending your money there. There are usually about 7.5 billion ATMs scattered all over the place, check cashing counters and probably loan sharks lurking in the shadows. You might not be thinking clearly about your budget and just want to continue having a great time.

Have you ever spent more money while drinking?
Do you think I just have crappy willpower? It’s okay, I won’t get mad.

Image Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/neoliminal/557149103/