Dry January: A month of improved health and cost savings.
In about 12 weeks, many will be giving up chocolate, cigarettes, meat, alcohol, or other vices on Fridays in honor of Lent. And that practice most likely will save them some serious cash. In our house, we're not waiting for a religious observance to make this kind of change.
Don't forget it: Pin it!
The average American spends $1 out of every $100 on something that is not only unnecessary, but also potentially harmful to our health: Alcohol. In fact, Time estimates that some could save $650 a month by giving up drinks.
Drinking might sound downright loathsome when put that way, but it remains true that the mister and I sometimes enjoy unwinding with a beverage in the evenings. Our household already largely avoids the expense of drinks out on the town, but we've decided to go a step further and participate in the largely-British custom of "Dry January," aka, a month without alcohol.
We've all heard of "Champagne taste on a beer budget". We operate more along the lines of "Scotch taste on a beer budget," so I'm hoping that Dry January will help us meet our 2017 goal of dialing back grocery store spending.
While alcohol can be a lightning rod topic for folks on all sides of the issue, the payoffs of a Dry January are not just the immediate impact on the pocketbook. A month of reduced drinking can improve liver function, reduce the risk of diabetes, and lead to reduced drinking for the six months that follow. Those sound like benefits we're willing to test drive. We're stocked up on tea and soda water. Wish us luck!
Keep in Touch.
Mindfully Spent subscribers get periodic email updates on what's new, and we share every post as it happens on our social media accounts.
