EXISTING ECONOMICALLY

Bars and clubs are a really great place to socialize with friends, but if you're not careful they can be really expensive.

One night I was at my favorite bar with my credit card and decided to start a tab. I ended up getting pretty tipsy and buying shots for all of my friends and some of their friends.
My final tab was $50.00 and because I was very tipsy, I tipped the bartender $20.00.

After spending $70.00 at the bar, I decided to call it quits for a while.

Recently, my boyfriend, roommate and other close friends have been spending our Thursday nights back at my favorite bar. Every Thursday is $2.00 all you can drink beer, where you pay $2.00 to get in, get a cup and drink beer until the kegs run out. (If you want bottle beer or liquor drinks you have to pay separately.)

This got me thinking of ways to save money at bars on other nights, when the specials aren't so great.

You Have 2 Options:
1. You can pay with cash.
-The problem with paying in cash is you have to, or you should, tip the bartender every time you get a drink. This can add up if you're doing some serious drinking.

-The good thing about paying with cash is if you're on a budget (or you do not want to drink too much) you can limit yourself. If you only want to spend $20.00 that night, then you can only bring a $20.00 to the bar.

2. You can start a tab.
-The problem with starting a tab is most bars have a minimum. Usually $10.00. Which means, if you buy three beers that cost $2.00 each, you will be forced to buy more drinks than you want, spend more money than you want, and feel guilty to tip more than you want.

-Another problem with starting a tab is you're probably going to drink more than you wanted to. When you're not physically watching the cash dwindling down, it is harder to keep track of how much you've spent and how much you've had to drink.

-The good thing about starting a tab is if you're planning on drinking heavily, you don't have to tip the bartender everytime you get a drink which usually costs less in the end.


Conclusion: If you are looking for a crazy, alcohol filled night out, planning to drink a ton, and not remember what happened the night before, then starting a tab is for you.
However, if you just want to have a few beers with friends and not go over the limit, then paying with cash (and only bringing a specific amount) is the way to go.