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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to be shocked at how much money people spend on drinks/nights out

71 replies

GrowSomeCress · 16/03/2013 18:37

I'm always so shocked to see the amount people spend on buying rounds on nights out, and how much they spend in one night out, it's a small fortune!

Not really something I'm into myself much, so don't know if I'm just being naive, but AIBU to think that it really is a lot of money?

OP posts:

RatPants · 16/03/2013 21:09

Now the cinema is a bloody pricey night out lately...

Viviennemary · 16/03/2013 21:10

I'm more shocked at other things. Like people on MN spending £700 or even more on a handbag. A handbag. And I was shocked at a friend who had spent £90 on a pair of trousers. I thought that was a lot. I wouldn't spend £200 on a meal out as a couple. It's just too much. I suppose we all have our own ideas of what is a waste of money and what isn't. But it is annoying if people say they are hard up and then you find out they are spending this kind of money on nights out.

LaurieFairyCake · 16/03/2013 21:12

Last time I bought a round, it was £80 - champagne in a fancy bar in London

This was 2 years ago, I don't go out much at those prices

BrianButterfield · 16/03/2013 21:39

We went on holiday in 2010 and had two £200+ meals, but we still talk about them very fondly. I'd say we enjoyed them more than 5x £40 meals.

INeedThatForkOff · 16/03/2013 22:34

I used to spend around £40 on a night out, but haven't been able to afford to, or inclined to for a long time. It used to annoy me that friends would form a round then throw their drinks down their necks so I'd end up leaving half when we moved on. And every single fucking time they'd insist on buying a round of tequila slammers. Mine always ended up in the drip tray while they choked theirs back.

Ugh. Don't miss it, or the hangovers!

Still18atheart · 16/03/2013 22:47

I'm a student go out drinking about three times a month. I spend about £20 -£30 a pop. Thats 's including booze before we go out and during the night out, entry and taxis, the night out out to the SU is one of the more expensive nights you can have interestingly

bedmonster · 16/03/2013 22:59

I go out once every week or every other week depending on what's going on. Spend around £80-£100. If going into London, will be much more.
The £100 breaks down roughly like this -
£25 travel
£10 fags
£60 booze (cocktails really whack the price up here!)

DP has a night out most weeks and probably spends about £30-£40.
Written down it seems like a lot.

Toasttoppers · 16/03/2013 23:29

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster

GrowSomeCress · 17/03/2013 08:33

VivienneMary I'd be shocked at that too but at least there'd be a handbag to show for it, rather than just a headache the next morning

OP posts:

drownangels · 17/03/2013 09:34

We have our 'weekend money'. We usually have bout £200 to spend t the weekend on what we want. Meals, gigs, taxis, takeaways , whatever. We don't always spend that much but as long as thebillsare paid, we have some savings and the children hav wht they need + treats then it's fine.

I never ask how much a round has cost though ANSI don't keep tabs on wht hs been spent. I would cringe if I knew!

Losingexcessweight · 17/03/2013 09:54

I'm teetotal, and have been for years despite me only been 25.

Dh is also teetotal. So we don't spend out money on booze at all.

We go out once a week whilst my mum looks after dd who's 5 months.

We have a meal out and the cinema after every time.

It's about 70quid a week I'm guessing.

But to me we don't smoke or drink or buy unnecessary stuff like computer games, x boxes etc so that's my little treat in life once a week

drownangels · 17/03/2013 10:04

The thing is, a lot of the expense of going out is not necessarily spent on booze. A train too the city and a taxi home for two is best part of sixty quid before you have paid for your theatre ticket. Going to a regular gig normally starts at twenty quid plus booking fees.

It's rarely cheap to go out!

Tuppence2 · 17/03/2013 10:14

I went out for a friend's birthday a week ago and spent the following:
£10 taxi to hers
£10 cigarettes
£10 bottle of wine for before we went out
£10 on taxi to town
£5 on club entry
£70 on drinks
£10 taxi back to her house
£10 another bottle of wine when we got back
£10 taxi home
So that's... £145 spent on one night (not including the birthday gifts) and we had an amazing night. I don't go out every week so it doesn't bother me spending this much on a night out for a special occasion.

monkeyfacegrace · 17/03/2013 10:18

This is all entirely relative though. Just stating how much you spend, is pointless.

Myself and DH regularly eat out at £300 a time. We eat out 3/4 times a week with the kids at only £40-50 a pop too though.

Im always moaning I have no money. I dont have any money. Reason being, see above

Its all about income, debt, savings, choices.

We are reckless and live every day like its our last.

Im a bit 'meh' about the inverted snobbery tbh.

RocknRollNerd · 17/03/2013 10:35

Meh, my money, I spend what I can afford to when I decide to go out. I never think of it as 'money on drink' or 'money on dinner' or 'money on the theatre' it's the price I'm prepared to spend for an evening of fun. Sometimes it might be £20 on pizza and a glass of wine, othertimes it might be £150 on a night in a casino or £70 on gig tickets.

Someone at work was once appalled that I'd dropped £150 in a casino, I pointed out that they spent that in less than a month on Friday and Saturday nights out (out both nights, easily spending £30-50 each time) and the casino had been my only night out in 2 months. They were adamant it was different but I didn't see it that way. I should add here I only ever go into a casino prepared to lose the entire amount I'm spending, again because it's the price I'm prepared to pay for a night of fun; the fact I might come back with 4 times that amount is entirely irrelevant.

Original poster

GrowSomeCress · 17/03/2013 10:43

monkeyfacegrace what are you going to do one day when you need money? do you have savings or anything?

OP posts:

TinyDiamond · 17/03/2013 10:56

I go out now about once a month, it used to be more but I'm saving for our wedding now.
Usually it's with friends and we'll start at home and then get a cab to town (£5 max) and then pub then a club. Another £6 taxi home but all in all I usually spend about £35. Would like to spend more but am mindful not to. Before we had dd we were out every weekend both spending at least that. We have stopped eating out too to save. Although I don't mind doing this over winter when it's so cold

oohlaalaa · 17/03/2013 13:32

We don't go out that often. I think socialising costs us as a couple about £130 a month. DH nights out are pub, not club. We then have meals out with friends. We all have young children/ babies so tend to do daytime things or go round to each others houses.

I'm not shocked by what some spend, as you pays your money you takes your choice.

Fairylea · 17/03/2013 13:39

Dh and I gave up alcohol 3 years ago - for lots of reasons, money, health etc, we got fed up with how it changes people... it's amazing how much we save- not only on booze itself but also related taxis back etc. We have no alcohol in our house at all.

We rarely go on a night out and when we do its usually a cinema orange Wednesday type thing!

We are cheap dates :)

maleview70 · 17/03/2013 15:20

Keeps the economy going and this is vital at the moment.

Nothing worse than the older generation with no debt and loads of savings who still penny pinch....my mum being one of them!

I have to laugh when she says she cant afford a new kitchen when she has enough money in the bank for 20 kitchens!

rhondajean · 17/03/2013 16:59

It is all so expensive now!

A "cheap" night out for DH and I willbe £100. That's a meal and a bottle of wine in a reasonable restaurant, eg local Italian type, taxi in and out of town, I like cocktails, he likes Italian beers...

A more expensive one would be going to Glasgow, tickets for a band, meal in a "nice" restaurant, city priced drinks, taxis, train there, possibly a hotel...

We don't go out often though, he works most weekends.(phew)

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