Ah the fun life.
It all begins with an innocent introduction to partying when we enter college and it becomes a full blown habit by the time we graduate.
Why else would you see 30 year olds down at the bar taking shots?? From the time we are 18 until about when we grow up and decide that scene is not for us anymore, we make a big deal out of our weekends.
Some of us use all our time during the week just to plan our escapades on Friday or Saturday (or both).
But how big of a toll does this habit (it is a habit) place on our health (both financial and physical)? According to stateuniversity.
com college students spend about $11 billion a year on snacks and beverages such as coffee, and a whopping $5.
5 billion on alcohol! Now that is one large investment.
I call it an investment because sometimes it pays off and sometimes it doesn't.
I will not delve into the physical health impacts as we all know what they are.
I really wanted to get into the financial aspect it has on us.
Some of us might have started a habit in college that was costing us a pretty nickel back in the college town (where $20 was "way over my budget dude...
").
But if that is the habit we have created, where do you think that will lead us when we graduate into the real world? Some of you might have had to spend $1.
50 on beer nights or $2.
50 rails.
But when you move out to the real world you are looking at $10 drinks!! And a steady paycheck on top of that makes that $20 party weekend seem like a trip to the 99 cent store.
Those party weekends now run into the hundreds and even thousands if you wanted to make that big impression (I hope you got your money's worth).
But what happens after that weekend? You have just laid down $150 on a night with the boys or ladies, and lets you had a good time.
If you do that every weekend you are spending over $500/month on partying-and that kind of money starts to look unacceptable.
Even if you are making six figures that kind of spending is not justified in your budget compared to the VALUE you are getting.
I know we love our fun, and we love our times spent with our friends.
If we created a fun category in your life right now (in addition to health, career, relationships, etc.
) and asked you to name a price you are willing to spend on fun this year; would you put down $6,000? But remember, that this fun category only includes spending on alcohol, snacks, and food.
Meaning that we can find other sources of "fun" that is just not that expensive.
Here are some examples: 1.
Free concerts 2.
Go fishing 3.
Go for a hike or picnic 4.
Visit a museum (free or little cost) 5.
Start an art hobby 6.
Have a BBQ 7.
Play board games (my favorite) 8.
Play some pickup games 9.
Go for rollerblading or take bike rides 10.
Go to the lake, pond, beach 11.
Get fancy in the kitchen and bake something 12.
Visit historic sites and places 13.
Volunteer 14.
Learn new things (maybe a new language) These are just a few examples you can tag yourself on the weekend for little or no money.
And if you look at the health benefits, they are actually POSITIVE for most of these activities rather than damaging your liver and gaining weight (oh boy).
All in all, I am not opposed to a night out, it's one of the most fun things to do if you are being safe, but the habit of doing the same thing over and over again becomes destructive and you find little or no value from it along with placing yourself at risk constantly both physical, and definitely financial.
Conclusion: take it easy on the partying and venture out more.
It all begins with an innocent introduction to partying when we enter college and it becomes a full blown habit by the time we graduate.
Why else would you see 30 year olds down at the bar taking shots?? From the time we are 18 until about when we grow up and decide that scene is not for us anymore, we make a big deal out of our weekends.
Some of us use all our time during the week just to plan our escapades on Friday or Saturday (or both).
But how big of a toll does this habit (it is a habit) place on our health (both financial and physical)? According to stateuniversity.
com college students spend about $11 billion a year on snacks and beverages such as coffee, and a whopping $5.
5 billion on alcohol! Now that is one large investment.
I call it an investment because sometimes it pays off and sometimes it doesn't.
I will not delve into the physical health impacts as we all know what they are.
I really wanted to get into the financial aspect it has on us.
Some of us might have started a habit in college that was costing us a pretty nickel back in the college town (where $20 was "way over my budget dude...
").
But if that is the habit we have created, where do you think that will lead us when we graduate into the real world? Some of you might have had to spend $1.
50 on beer nights or $2.
50 rails.
But when you move out to the real world you are looking at $10 drinks!! And a steady paycheck on top of that makes that $20 party weekend seem like a trip to the 99 cent store.
Those party weekends now run into the hundreds and even thousands if you wanted to make that big impression (I hope you got your money's worth).
But what happens after that weekend? You have just laid down $150 on a night with the boys or ladies, and lets you had a good time.
If you do that every weekend you are spending over $500/month on partying-and that kind of money starts to look unacceptable.
Even if you are making six figures that kind of spending is not justified in your budget compared to the VALUE you are getting.
I know we love our fun, and we love our times spent with our friends.
If we created a fun category in your life right now (in addition to health, career, relationships, etc.
) and asked you to name a price you are willing to spend on fun this year; would you put down $6,000? But remember, that this fun category only includes spending on alcohol, snacks, and food.
Meaning that we can find other sources of "fun" that is just not that expensive.
Here are some examples: 1.
Free concerts 2.
Go fishing 3.
Go for a hike or picnic 4.
Visit a museum (free or little cost) 5.
Start an art hobby 6.
Have a BBQ 7.
Play board games (my favorite) 8.
Play some pickup games 9.
Go for rollerblading or take bike rides 10.
Go to the lake, pond, beach 11.
Get fancy in the kitchen and bake something 12.
Visit historic sites and places 13.
Volunteer 14.
Learn new things (maybe a new language) These are just a few examples you can tag yourself on the weekend for little or no money.
And if you look at the health benefits, they are actually POSITIVE for most of these activities rather than damaging your liver and gaining weight (oh boy).
All in all, I am not opposed to a night out, it's one of the most fun things to do if you are being safe, but the habit of doing the same thing over and over again becomes destructive and you find little or no value from it along with placing yourself at risk constantly both physical, and definitely financial.
Conclusion: take it easy on the partying and venture out more.