The best piece of advice is to become a lightweight. (Tip #1) Seriously. Then all you need to do is nurse a single beer all night. That was me in college. The me you saw on Thursday night was a totally different story, but I digress.
A friend of mine taught me at a young age to tip the first drink really generously so you’ll get good service the rest of the night. I can’t say that advice has worked for me. Usually it’s by being a regular patron and being recognized by the bartender. I’m a bit mousy so it’s not me the bartender knows. Go out with your barfly friends to their regular hangouts on their regular nights. (Tip #2) That’s another way to keep the bar tab cheap.
I don’t mind buying a round of drinks. I have been known to splurge and pick up five or six beers for my friends. Paradoxically, I am frugal so that I can be generous when I feel like it. We like going to places that serve more than Miller and Bud. We have a preference for dark stouts and ambers. (I love Guinness, but let me recommend a local brew, Old Dominion Oak Barrel Stout, a very admirable beer.) Sometimes it’s the wallop a beer packs that makes the difference. (Tip #3) I like Guinness a lot, but I can have just one or two for the night and be perfectly happy.
In my firm insistence of being self-sufficient, sometimes I carry cash and just pay out of pocket for each beer I get. (Tip #4) No one’s drinking on my tab and I keep myself to my limit. It’s a pretty good strategy if you want to make sure you’re not drinking or spending too much.
Oh, and the killer app on your cell phone isn’t that you can call people wirelessly. It’s that most models have a calculator. So don’t fall back on the excuse of being drunk made you tip generously. Be fair, in a town like DC, please tip 17-20% since the cost of living is high. But if you’re too tipsy to figure it out properly, break out the calculator on your phone.(Tip #5)
I hope I’ve busted the myth that people who are interested in frugality and personal finance blogging aren’t out to have fun. Let’s get real here, I love going out as much as the next person, maybe more, but it doesn’t have to break the bank to have a good time.
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I’ll have to figure out how to use the calculator on my cell phone. I usually carry my Palm with me, but the cell phone is probably more discrete :-0
Make like you’re booty calling some hottie or getting the bartender’s digits.