Leave Your Credit Card at Home on St. Patrick’s Day
According to a 2009 survey, about 1 in 5 adults will celebrate on St. Patrick’s Day. No doubt green cocktails and Guinness pints will be flowing but make sure you have a plan to not overspend. A long night of celebrating can wreck havoc not only on your body but on your finances, there’s no greater disaster than an intoxicated person with a credit card! If you do plan to indulge this St. Patrick’s Day, avoid credit card debt and curb your overspending.
An open bar tab is a recipe for disaster on St. Patrick’s Day. It’s definitely tempting but it also makes it much easier to run up a huge bill without really knowing it. In addition, an open tab means your friends and fellow partygoers—pretty much anyone who acts like they’re with you—can order drinks, bottles, and whatever else they want at your expense. Think about what is going to happen when everyone in the bar has gone home and you’re left standing with a hefty bill. If you have to open a tab, do so directly with the bartender and make sure you are the only person who can buy drinks on it. You may even be able to have the bartender let you know when your tab hits a certain limit, preventing you from overspending.
Try to pay for drinks individually with cash, this keeps you on a budget. Bring a set amount of cash with you and when you run out, that’s when it’s time to go. You can generally estimate the cost of what you want to eat and drink that night. Only take enough cash to cover those expensive and the cab fare home. Leave your credit cards at home so you’re not tempted to pull out the plastic once you start celebrating!
The frugal celebrators at www.missmoneybee.com put together some alternative ways to cut costs during St. Patrick’s Day, keeping you from waking up with a mountain of credit card debt alongside your hangover!
• Make your own drinks. If you want to celebrate by drinking, consider staying at home and making your own drinks. Going out to drink gets expensive extremely quickly. You can give any drink that Irish feel by add a touch of green food coloring to it!
• Host a potluck. St. Patrick’s Day is all about socializing, so why not make it a potluck! This is a great alternative to overspending on bar hopping, cab fare and drinks. Invite everyone to bring an Irish themed dish of their choice. You can always cook up some delicious Irish stew and scones so your St. Patty’s Day Potluck is good to go!
• Include the kids. Use this holiday to spend some great quality time with your family. You can save money on babysitters and going out by including the wee ones in your celebration. Most communities have a St. Patrick’s Day parade which they are guaranteed to enjoy.
“May your pockets be heavy and your heart be light, may good luck pursue you each morning and night.”
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!