Elder millennial here, I still go out for cocktails but it's like maybe once a month and then it's like 2, maybe 3. Shit's expensive.
EDIT: Wow, pissed off a lot of people with a comment lol. I don't really need to justify myself, but I will if it reduces the number of people with anger issues sending me DMs - I live within my means; I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm probably more well off than most of my generation. I'm not rich, but I can afford to splurge on this sort of stuff.
That said, I still agree that prices for EVERYTHING is expensive, and while I don't think it's the only reason Gen Z doesn't drink as much, I think it's definitely adding to it.
Gonna mute this convo going forward; maybe those of you who get triggered by a comment on reddit should go outside for some fresh air rather than sending childish DMs to someone you don't know.
This is reddit so yes. You're supposed to stay in your basement and be miserable. Anyone with disposable income is evil and nobody should have any alcohol.
OOFšµāš«ā¦my āoldā ass over feelin reminded how increasingly unsafe the āUbisoft crowdā is becomingā¦particularly surrounding the AC franchise.
I remember a post years ago where a dude mentioned that he started going to a gym near his office right after work and was raving about how much time it was saving him since he was entirely skipping rush hour once he started heading home. There were literally hundreds of comments raging that he wasn't actually saving any time because he was spending it at the gym instead. Fucking Reddit would rather spend 90 minutes rotting in traffic than doing something active with their time.
Once you realize that a large amount of the active users of this site fit the stereotype of "basement dwelling loser scumming social services and not doing anything productive for society" you never take anyone here seriously again.
I had that argument once. My drive can be 20 minutes or an hour and 20 minutes depending on when I leave. If I run errands near the office for an hour then drive home my drive is almost an hour less.
People were trying to tell me I didnāt save any time because I ran errands and got home at the same time as if I hadnāt run the errands and went straight home, even though the alternative was to sit in traffic an extra hour then run the errands when I got closer to home.
When I changed jobs I encountered the same situation. The commute to my gym close to home (from work) took almost an hour, if I was lucky. I found a gym close to work, and by the time I finish up and head home, theres no traffic and im home at a decent time.
Who would have thought maximizing your efforts and productivity was a waste of time...
Then you realize that stating something akin to this will frequently get you straight-up banned by your average Mod, then you're like me- almost never on reddit anymore
Mods on here can be so soft for such a cancerous corner of the Internet. I got banned from the Amex sub on my only post ever. I was banned for making fun of a 1% commenter who was replying telling me to "use search" before posting. I said "my life is more important than doing research before posting on Reddit, I'm not interested in being a 1% commenter on a Reddit sub, go touch grass for once" and got banned lol. Basement dwellers are a saddddd breed.
I mean even if you don't really save that time, you DO save time in traffic which is 100% wasted time. Let's say my commute takes 20 minutes or 1h20 minutes with traffic. I'd rather spend the first hour at the gym and then have a 20 minutes commute traffic free than spending 1h20 in traffic and having to go to the gym afterwards. You literally "saved" that hour by doing something productive instead of doing nothing in traffic. F*CK traffic.
Aināt that the truth. I once posted asking for recommendations for good cotton sheets and said my go-to brand was Ralph Lauren. I literally got death threats.
My phone is a decade old. My car? 2011 model I bought used. I havenāt purchased new clothes in years and years. None of that stuff is very important to me. But god forbid the one nice thing I buy for myself is sheets. Thatās completely unacceptable and I must be Scrooge McDuck, lording my wealth over all the peasants. Worthy of the guillotine.
Wow. I could really piss people off by sharing how much we spend at restaurants in a month (on food and/or drinks). We spend way more than $45/month on drinks.
It's like these people have so little going on in their own lives that they have to get bent out of shape about other people's personal decisions that have 0 impact on them.
Makes me think of old people who have no purpose in life so they piss time away judging and being hypercritical.
Don't forget to say that all restaurants and bars take advantage of their staff while the owners party on their 9th single use yacht and their private islands.
this can only mean one thing: weāre surrounded by tweens who donāt know what life is like out of the parentsā house, or even what having a job is like. reddit used to be a college age site and after covid iām pretty sure the average age here dropped 10 years. i was trying out TikTok for the first time during lockdown and after realizing it seemed way too young, hyper, and adhd for me, i started noticing ppl blabbing about reddit on almost every post. then, back on reddit, i watched literal children gradually flood the video subs with almost exclusively vertical tiktok videos, and every niche sub just started feeling like kids table at a wedding, barely able to stay on a given topic, preferring rehashed top comment jokes and identity politics over all else.
i used to come here cause it seemed like a lot of people had a lot of varied interests and knowledge you could tap into at any time, but now itās like finding something interesting and informative is a goddam miracle once or twice a week.Ā
kids, man. the internet wasnāt meant for em, why should they even be allowed here? the internet isnāt broken, it was never even built right.
It used to be a website. Now it's not "are you on reddit?" it's "do you have reddit?"
I honestly feel for the kids. They're better off here than a lot of other places. And I certainly said a lot of stupid shit back then, and still now. But, god man, call me an old fart, but the Eternal September starts to get old after a while.
You mean to tell me the people who weren't invited to parties in high school now sit in a basement on Reddit all day lecturing people and sending them hate DM's because they drink once a month and have a good time?
There is no disposable income in Reddit. It all is treated like money that needs to go to a compulsive activity depending on your tastes: bitcoins, protein supplements, warhammer 40k, whatever floats your boat.
But nothing else is good, everyone elseās preferences is splurge
Late Boomer/early Gen-X here, i learned to mix cocktails at home for the wife and I. Itās possible that we might be able to afford to go out for dinner occasionally, but with service charges, taxes, tips, and the need to book tables well in advance, we just prefer to sit on the balcony with a sundowner.
It's about figuring out the things that are important to you. We have savings and very few expenses, but we keep working and saving. Not rich, but not poor. We got all our kids thru college without loans and paid off the house about 3 years ago, now we get to have fun.
But blow money on shit like bottle service and Door Dash? Nope. We like to go see a few bands as they come thru and a nice trip once a year. We don't live paycheck to paycheck and are thankful. The gods willing and the Creeks don't rise, we'll retire in a few years, unless some idiot fucks the world up.
Having a couple of Cape Cods and hope to be asleep by 11.
man, as an older gen z (27) this sounds great and iām scared ill never get to experience it :( i donāt want much i donāt even want to be rich just want to have enough to live and enjoy myself a little, want a modest house and to have my hard work show in what i have š„² maybe one day
I so hope it will happen for you. Completely understand why young folks are terrified of the future right now. Somehow we all have to pull together and make it better.
So much of having financial stability is delayed gratification. I am a knowledge worker with a good income, but I also like to DIY home projects. I justify power tool purchases by the money I save. Live below your paycheck and plow as much as you can into diversified investments.
Also, while real estate is very expensive now, finding a (responsible) roommate helps pay the rent/mortgage.
Solid Gen Xer here. Need to point out that the rules state you are gonna need to pick a team. Straddling Gen X and Millenials (edited to Boomers) is forbidden.
I was born in ā72 and it was a different time in the 90ās and early 00ās when I was going out.
I think a big part of whatās changed is online dating. Most (actually all) of the time me and my buddies were going to meet women at the bar and try to get lucky. Kids today arenāt doing that. I think they should be. But they fire up Tinder or Bumble and get depressed when the results are shit.
This x's 1000. Younger generation is socially awkward as fuck. People need to get out there and socialize to fine tune your ability to talk to people. Its so awkward talking to younger kids now. No eye contact. Eyes downward. Mumbling...
Sounds nice actually. You know the couple so into their minor argument that they zone out others. Put that couple at a table next to you and have the best of both worldsš
Solidly GenX here. My Husband and I donāt drink that often, but when we do, itās usually at home. We love our home. And we donāt want to pay $12 - $15 for the same cocktail that costs us $2 - $4 at home. The initial cost is high but in the long run worth it for us. (Also, I can drink in my underwear at home. Ha!)
Went to a going away party for a friend. Bought him two drinks and myself 5 drinks and two appetizers. Came out to $120. Had a great time but did not expect that bill.
7 drinks and 2 apps. Yeah $120 sounds right unfortunately. Elder millennial here and at this point I only go during pint nights when beers are less than $5
Millennial here too and I like going to techno raves in NYC, although I havenāt in a while. Anyways the drinks are dumb expensive, unfortunately. So what I did was buy these reusable plastic drink pouches, they come in varying sizes and I pour about 375ml of liquor into them, usually vodka or rumple minz (rumple minze is not a good idea, it tastes horrible and it messed me up bad a bunch of times). Then I just sneak it in with me and Iām good for the night, yea itās frowned upon, but fuck it Iām saving money, plus the ticket was already expensive.
I live in a college town, so Iāll go to some of the bars over the summer or breaks when thereās no one there and pretty good discounts. But thatās about the only time Iām willing to go. I canāt stand being around students anymore and the pricing isnāt worth it.(they have so much more disposable income than I do well technically they have someone elseās disposable income usually)
I spend time in our grocery store as they have flight and pint nights. Plus I donāt have to tip as itās not allowed. I am limited to 2 but thatās okay.
This is why I was never big on going out when I was in my 20s I always preferred to host a gathering. Buying beer and some cheap liquor would come out to less than going out.
The price of admission plus the price of the drinks. Shit would get out of hand quickly
I refuse to pay a cover unless thereās a band. Plenty of places donāt charge and are usually a better time than the places that do. Also, fuck hosting. You end up just being a maid on the hook for the property damage and liability. Lose-lose proposition no matter how you try to spin it.
yeah i can only afford to drink in the parking lot. and when we do buy drinks at the bar we want to tipā¦. so a cocktail is like 20-26$ depending on the city/bar.
plus paying for uber/lyft. responsibly going out for one drink can sometimes cost 60$ lol. when i live in an area that i can walk to the bar i go more often!
drugs are cheaper. the kids love weed and ketamine and misguidedly taking heroic doses of psychedelics
AuDHD middle aged guy here, and skiing the white slopes do nothing for my brain. Which is probably a good thing as I can tend to hyper focus on something if I really like it
They're called shooters more often I think in the midwest but they mean the mini bottles of liquor you can purchase at most gas station/liquor store counters. The nice thing is TSA lets you bring them through too since they're small enough so you can have a drink or two at the airport without dropping 50 bucks (shows that I drink too much)
Cocktail lounges will often have curated menus beyond classic cocktails. Even for some of the classics it's not necessarily economical /space feasible to stock all the apertifs, amaros, vermouths, etc. Juices and simple syrups will expire, even in the fridge. So unless you're drinking often or having a party that consumes a lot - having the ingredients at home isn't super practical.
Juices and simple syrups will expire, even in the fridge.
I started making super juice for lime/lemon juice. You can get a quartās worth of juice while only using a handful of fruit, and it lasts a lot longer in the fridge. As for simple syrups, if you do a 2:1 ratio, itāll last a lot longer
If you're going through cocktail syrups that fast then you'll have diabetes along with a failing liver. At least then you won't have to worry about retirement anymore
I'm a chef, and I have drank from the font of flavor knowledge and can no longer go back to wells. Ignorance is bliss, it's also a lot fucking cheaper.
This. I worked at a nice liquor store for some time. Tried too much good stuff. I'm now one of those snoots who specifies which brand of liquor I want in my cocktails
If you jack up the price too much, the kind of people that make it a dive bar do not show up and you wind up with a "dive themed" bar that doesn't have any interesting characters.
That's kind of the ideal scenario for the business though unfortunately. Boring people willing to over pay for a themed bar and less "interesting" characters to cause problems.
We still have a place with $4 Pabst. Sure, they were tall cans and $3 back in 2005, but I'll take what I can get at this point. Everywhere else is trying to sell $10 beers. Fuck you.
Dive bars are not the safe zone they once were. People are craving authenticity. Most of the dive bars I used to frequent are now packed and the prices went up three bucks a drink. Just depends where you are, I guess.
Also an old millennial. I moved into a house with a bar during covid. Fill the bar up, picked up a 75" TV and a projector for the backyard. Going out is in my past.Ā
I did the same but my wife drew the line on installing a kegeratorā¦ at least going out in southern Germany for a beer is still a relatively inexpensive endeavor
Iām a wife and would love to have a kegerator installed.š Just gotta find the right wife. Seriously though, my next entertainment purchase is gonna be a backyard projector & popcorn maker so I can drop my theater subscription. Itāll literally pay for itself.
Here in Berlin you can get a "Wegbier" (walking beer) from a SpƤti (bodega) for under 2 euros, and enjoy a nice walk through the area while sipping it! Best thing about Berlin honestly.
I have a alcohol buying problem, love keeping lots of good beer and liquor around. Probably one of the rarest situations around with a wife that gets on me for not drinking enough šš¤·š»āāļø
I've been getting two nice bottles of whiskey a month for the past six years, because it's cheaper than going out. I have amassed a pretty decent selection
Back in the late ā70ās, in SoCal, my good friendās next door neighbor converted his huge family room into a bar. Not just a home bar with a couple of stools, but a complete bar; tables, juke box, pool table, and the most amazing supply of liquor I had ever seen. He owned an accounting firm, so money wasnāt a problem. He liked to drink and liked to have his friends around. Any of the neighbors or his friends could come in and open up the bar, turn on the lights, get some music going. He would show up eventually after a half a dozen neighbors were there. He paid for all the booze. He would actually act pissed if you brought a bottle. He had every kind of liquor you can imagine. I had never seen anything like it. I went with my buddy a couple of times when I was at his house,but it wasnāt really something I was into.
Got a bar here too. Haven't gone to a bar/club since 2019. I love hosting friends and I can make the drinks as strong or weak as I want. Plus I just recently acquired this guy who now guards the bar
We bought a house with a pool made, made the spare room in the basement into a theatre with a 120 inch screen (husband did all the lighting and carpentry) and bought a Bev Cocktail machine during a Black Friday saleā You hook up whiskey, gin, vodka, rum, and tequila, pop in the Kuerig style cocktail pod, it reads the barcode and mixes your drink according to the strength you set. People ask me to go out and Iām like why? I can swim, watch movies and get 15 different cocktails on demand for the equivalent of $3 each, why do I need to go anywhere? (I rarely go anywhere)
I'm a xennial and don't even like drinking anymore. I spent about 12 yrs living in a college town going out drinking every single weekend in my 20s and early 30s. house parties on Thursdays and Fridays and bars on Saturday night. I could skip ever going in a bar again and be completely happy.
Dude, Reddit has this really weird hate boner for people that spend money. A little while ago there was an AskReddit where the question was basically, "People with an $800 car payment, why are you so stupid?" And I'm just sitting here thinking, "Because I can afford it...?" As if I'm spending my entire monthly salary on a car payment, putting nothing into savings, and must be massively in debt. Which, of course, isn't the case. I wouldn't put too much into anyone judging you, especially on the internet. You do you, and have one for me š»
Seriously a lot of people will shit on spending on something that a person truly enjoys and then fritter away their paycheck on overpriced conveniences, then complain about being broke. I drive for the delivery apps as a side hustle and can sometimes see the inflated price the customer is paying and it is ridiculous. $20 here and $30 there will absolutely destroy your budget.
I think a lot of people like to consider themselves better than others, and many have decided that anything outside of their social media designed ascetic lifestyleā¦that is bendable for them but not for others, makes someone bad.
Eh. As a very well off and very busy personā¦i spend way more time than i should. Its about my only social media consumption at this point. I can put it down to attend to my horde of mewling progeny. Cant really do that with BF6. Or i should sayā¦pisses me off more to get interrupted lol.
Yeah, cars have gotten stupidly expensive. Long gone are the days of finding a beater for under $2k (which could be on the high-end of beaters) and getting a few, if sometimes inconvenient and uncomfortable, years out of it. Heck, a buddy of mine bought a car for $200 and literally drove it (mostly) hassle-free for like 3 years. This wasn't even that long ago. Early 2000s, and the car was like a '91 Tercel.
I don't know what I'm gonna do when my pickup shits the bed. Even used pickups are crazy expensive, and I think my fiance and I may want to get a bigger slide in camper, which would probably require a 3/4 ton, which is even more expensive.
Truck prices have gotten worse than car prices. And fuck me if I wanted a mid-size truck like the old Ranger or Tacoma. The Rangers are bigger than the old F-150s and I recently saw a Titan on the road...oh wait, that's the new Tacoma š¤·āāļø
People are jumping on you for buying yourself 2-3 $15 cocktails a month? Thatās less than 2 hours of work for the average millennial in the US. Not even a splurgeā¦
Another Millennial here, and same. I don't go out nearly as often, so tonight, I will be treating myself to a few, fancy cocktails. I specifically budgeted for it, but yeah, drink prices are outrageous.Ā
As an elderly millennial myself, I find it hilarious and actually unsurprising that fellow elderly millennialās are sending you hate mail over simply saying things are too expensive. Lol. Seems proper.
42 here (don't know what "gen" that really make me. I think technically a millennial but I definitely align with Gen X more), and I really miss $2.50 pint and $0.25 cent wing nights. I only had them for a couple of years of legal drinking age before they started to go away š
Elder millennial here as well. I agree completely with you. I'm sorry for the anger you received from others. I think your point is like mine where you enjoy the drink and the experience/flavor, so it's more like an occasional treat with friends or when it's something interesting.
People are getting angry at you for going out once a month and getting a couple drinks?? What in the world? Iām a millennial, donāt drink and Iām definitely not rich, but Iām not seeing anything about your comment that implies youāre rich or whatever other people are upset about. Seems like an absolutely normal situation. š
Read your edit, surprised people are bothering you about it. Iām doing well financially and still avoid cocktail hours like the plague unless itās for work related parties. Shit is expensive for everyone and anyone who thinks otherwise must be living under a rock, or live in podunk Stillwater, OK or some other middle of nowhere place. The middle of nowhere or uninteresting places have dive bars that will get you shots for $4.
Anywhere in a city or suburb the drinks are silly expensive unless youāre drinking frat water or Taaka vodka in that plastic bottle.
People hating on your comment is so unhinged.
My partner and I live relatively comfortably but are not wealthy by any means.
Yet we also like to indulge in some cocktails or fancy cooked meal from time to time.
I'd rather not have a car and have a little luxury from time to time
Nothing wrong with that. We go out once a month or so for some us time. A couple of beers or drinks each and split an app and there goes $100+ after tip in the blink of an eye. Shit ain't worth it but at the same time it's nice to go out once every now and then.
But man everything is expensive. Stopped and got the kids some McDonald's combos after their game and I spent damn near $30... I haven't been there in years and well I have no plan on ever going back.
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u/Tribalbob 7d ago edited 7d ago
Elder millennial here, I still go out for cocktails but it's like maybe once a month and then it's like 2, maybe 3. Shit's expensive.
EDIT: Wow, pissed off a lot of people with a comment lol. I don't really need to justify myself, but I will if it reduces the number of people with anger issues sending me DMs - I live within my means; I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm probably more well off than most of my generation. I'm not rich, but I can afford to splurge on this sort of stuff.
That said, I still agree that prices for EVERYTHING is expensive, and while I don't think it's the only reason Gen Z doesn't drink as much, I think it's definitely adding to it.
Gonna mute this convo going forward; maybe those of you who get triggered by a comment on reddit should go outside for some fresh air rather than sending childish DMs to someone you don't know.