BYOB: Save money at the bars
One of the biggest rip-offs of the century are drinks at the bars… $5 for a drink? You can get a $5 foot-long sandwich from Subway for that price. On top of paying 50 times the cost of the drink, you have to tip the bar tender for what?… Pouring liquid into a cup?
What a scam!!!
I have found that a $10 investment for a nice flask can save you twice that much in just one night. For about $10, your flask could hold ~4 shots. Four drinks would normally run you ~$20 at the bars + tips. Here are some tips for bringing your flask out on the town with you:
- Keep it hidden. You will want to be as discreet about it as possible. The people at the bars will have a power trip when they see that they aren’t squeezing every last dime out of you.
- Order a water, drink the water and pour your own liquor into the glass. This way, you can enjoy sipping the drink you smuggled in without having to be careful about people seeing you drink it. The bathroom or under a table are good places to pour yourself a drink. Make sure to tip yourself!
- Use a water bottle if you don’t want to get a flask. When you bring your flask out, you always risk getting it confiscated. Also, everyone knows that its not water in your flask. If you bring a water bottle filled with a clear substance, you might be able to play the “sober driver” card. Also, if you lose it, the loss is $0, compared to a $10 flask. Unfortunately, water bottles are a little easier to spot in your pocket than your flask. I have had luck putting it in my jacket pocket and leaving my jacket open. One last benefit to a water bottle is that if you finish everything, you don’t have to keep lugging it around to all the bars with you. Just toss it when you are done and forget about it!
You don’t always have to BYOB to save money at the bars. Try going out on off-beat nights - Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday - and you can usually find some pretty sweet drink specials that make paying for drinks totally worth it. $1-$2 for a drink isn’t terrible, but $5+ is.