Jasmine Birtles
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7 ways to save money on a night out
Gerard Gyedu
29th Jun 2016
Going out with your friends is a fun and fantastic way to let your hair down after the demands of the working week, dance the night away and perhaps even meet that special someone (if you’re lucky).
The only problem is that going out can be a costly affair, especially in big cities. However that’s not to say that you can’t go out, have a great time and save money all at the same time!
Read our top tips to save money on a night and maybe in future it will be just your head, and not your bank balance that will be aching the day after.
- Find out how much it will cost to get into the venue of your choice
- Have fun without alcohol
- Drink before you go out – but not too much!
- Don’t take your card out
- Research the mode (and price) of transport
- Prepare food before you go out
- Scout potential drinks deals
1. Find out how much it will cost to get into the venue of your choice
Often the first thing to hit your wallet is the entrance fee into the bar/club of your choice.
Yet, this doesn’t always have to be the case.
This is where the importance of research comes into play.
In this instance, conduct research on a potential venue or two to determine whether you and your friends will end up with bang for your buck, or end up broke and out of pocket.
Your first ports of call should the the bar/club website and social media channels, in order to find out the cost of entry for the club.
If, however this isn’t on show then check out useful sites such as TripAdvisor, which can help give some indication of not only how much entry will be, but how expensive your night will turn out.
2. Have fun without alcohol
Seriously, think about it….do you really think it’s not possible to have fun of an evening without getting plastered first?
For a start, consider the cost of:
- alcoholic drinks, particularly in clubs but often in pubs too
- getting a taxi home because you’re too drunk to drive
- losing your money because you’re too drunk to notice
- eating stuff you wouldn’t normally touch but alcohol made it look delicious (you know who you are you kebab shops!)
- getting into a drunken fight and causing yourself or someone else actual harm
- having sex with someone you wouldn’t normally look at twice (not to mention the cost of pregnancy…need we go on?)
Then there’s just the general belief that you can’t have fun without alcohol. It’s no more than that – a belief…widely held, of course, but not something you have to believe in yourself.
Try it once a month or so, if you don’t think you can manage full-time, and suggest it to your friends. They might be grateful to have an excuse not to get hammered once in a while.
It might take a while to get used to it – and you may never persuade your friends – but in the long run it will save your wallet, your health and your happiness.
3. Drink before you go out – but not too much!
If you really want to drink, it can be cheaper (if done properly) to drink at home so that you don’t spend much when you’re out.
In fact, do it well and you can get away with just drinking lime and sodas while you’re in the club.
Not everyone does and an even better plan is to get into socialising on little or no alcohol (see point 2 above).
However, if you want to drink in the night, then having a glass before you go out will cut down on the overall cost. Just make sure that you don’t drink too much beforehand or you might not get in the club.
4. Don’t take your card out
The thing with drinking is that it gives us a sense of bravado and confidence not visible in our sober selves.
This can be reflected by our behaviour with our credit/debit cards. That is, reckless spending with our credit/debit card which is sure to top any list of regrets after the night has ended.
It doesn’t always have to be like this.
Instead of taking your credit/debit card with you, set yourself a budget and draw out enough money that you feel will last you for the duration of your night out. This way you ensure that:
– Temptation doesn’t strike
– You have one less regret the next morning
– You give your credit/debit card the rest that it deserves
Just make sure you have an emergency fall-back position (a friend or family member you can call?) if you lose the cash.
5. Research your mode (and price) of transport
So you’ve decided on a venue, sorted your cash and now you’re ready to hit the town.
Now to decide on transport.
If it’s not walking distance then you could always get the bus.
Admittedly not the most glamorous option, getting the bus is definitely the cheapest in comparison to other modes of transport.
Keeping with the theme of public transport, getting a train is another option, although be sure to watch out for closures affecting your journey, and perhaps the cost. Take a look at our article on cutting the cost of train travel to find cheaper options.
Definitely the most expensive – yet the most glamorous option – is getting a taxi. Getting the most for your money is as easy as 1,2,3.
From shopping around different taxi ranks to using sites such as YourTaxiMeter to find out how much your journey should cost, you can take great steps to ensure that you and your friends aren’t ripped off before the night has truly begun.
Also consider Halo for grabbing a black cab at any time of the day or night (MUCH better than going with one of the unlicensed drivers that hang around clubs) or try Uber which can be cheaper than all other taxis but, again, is unlicensed so be careful if you’re a woman…make sure you are not the only one in the cab and that you are not drunk.
6. Prepare food before you go out
Arguably one of the highlights of any night out is the food afterwards.
Whatever’s on the menu, be it a kebab or sausage and chips, food has the uncanny ability to round off a successful night.
It can also be an unnecessary and ultimately avoidable expense.
By simply preparing food before you go out you can ensure that:
– Your choice of food is relatively healthier than the fast food options available after a night out.
– You satisfy your stomach’s cravings
– More importantly, you save money
7. Scout potential drinks deals
Now you’re in the club, the first port of call has got to be the bar (or the toilet).
Once you’re at the bar, this is where prior research will definitely come in handy.
Drinks deals are a great way to get the drinks you love and save money at the same time.
With many bars and clubs advertising drinks deals on their websites or social media, it is up to you to do the research. Not doing so could be the difference between a cheap and cheerful night, and a costly, cheerless night.
We need your ideas too…
If you have any ideas on how to save money on a night out that may not have been mentioned earlier then make sure you leave a comment in the comment box, we’d love to hear your thoughts.
1. Alternate soft and alcoholic drinks. Choose soda with lime or blackcurrant for a cheap option (or tap water!) 2. Always get yourself a soft drink when it’s your round. 3. Don’t pay bar prices to stand outside a city pub – choose carefully and you can buy a can or bottle of the same drink from an off licence at a fraction of the cost and stand on the pavement with everyone else. 4. Usually a double plus mixer is cheaper than two singles plus mixers, just watch how many doubles you have! 5. Sign up to mailings lists… Read more »