The bar is the heart of any good weekend. Sadly, it’s also a money sucker. An average Friday or Saturday night can completely wipe out all your disposable income for the next week. In between sobbing into your drink in a fit of rage and guilt, think about how you can turn it around.

We give you some top tips for being frugal at the bars and still having a good night out on the town.

Don’t Drink as Much

This is the obvious thing you can do. You might also want to consider not drinking as much of what you drink now. Instead of downing vodka shots by the hundred, consider a glass of cheap beer instead. Most of the time, you’re paying for the brand over any genuine difference in quality.

By doing this, you’ll also make the more expensive drinks special and better appreciated when you do order them.

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Talk More Drink Less

Most people who overspend at the bars tend to do so because drinking is the main priority. It’s a sad state of affairs when you’re going out exclusively for the purposes of drinking as much as possible. You could do that at home. If you aren’t going out for the company, you might as well drink at home.

Distract yourself by talking to others more. Chat to them for longer and you’ll find yourself drinking less. They’ll also appreciate the distraction!

Choose a Different Bar

If you’re always going to a sports bar, consider changing your surroundings. A dive bar might not look like much from the outside, but people tend to be friendlier and the liquor is far cheaper. A lot of people find they’ve avoided these bars in the past simply because of stereotyping. They’re shocked at what they’re really like.

Go online and try to find a local guide of your town or city. You might even discover a small, secret bar that few locals know about.

Drink Some Water

Beer is a remarkable drink. It has the power to quench your thirst and create it at the same time. Beer actually dehydrates us. It’s why we often sweat when we’re drinking heavily. For every pint or two you order, get a glass of water. Drink the water and it will quench your thirst. You won’t feel as if you HAVE to order another beer.

Furthermore, by drinking water you’ll reduce the severity of the inevitable hangover the next morning.

Pre-Gamer

The pre-gamer is where you have a few drinks before you actually go out. This is common practice amongst college students who don’t always have the money for a full night out.

A pre-gamer helps to get you tipsy and reduces your need to splurge on expensive beers and spirits in the bar. It encourages you into being frugal at the bar. You’ll feel less of a need to drink and your wallet will thank you for it.

You could even invite your friends round and have some pre-gamers together before heading out. It’s a great way of bonding without all the noise and hassle associated with a bar!

If you haven’t been on a big night out with the girls for quite a while, this article will assist in making sure you don’t overlook any essentials when it comes to getting ready. You’ll probably want to start thinking about the event a couple of nights in advance to ensure you will look your best. Take some of the suggestions from this post and create your plan of action. The ideas below cover the basics and should help you to look stunning and feel confident when you strut your stuff on that dance floor. If you think it will make life easier, arrange to get ready with the other girls so you can help each other out.

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Getting a new hairstyle

Your hairstyle is usually the first thing people notice when you walk into a club or bar. For that reason, you should spare no expense when it comes to visiting your local salon and getting something that is guaranteed to turn heads. There are plenty of websites online that publish articles containing ideas you might like to try. However, the best solution usually involves asking the stylist for their opinion. When all’s said and done, those professionals deal with hair all day long, and they’re the people best placed to make recommendations based on the latest fashion trends and the shape of your face.

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Investing in a new outfit

The last thing you’ll want to do is go out with the girls wearing an outfit you purchased a couple of years ago. That is especially the case if you haven’t arranged a night out since that time. There are many fashion stores on the high street where you can pick up a stunning summer dress or something similar. If you have skills in dressmaking, nothing is stopping you from designing and creating something unique. It all comes down to your talents and how much you’re willing to spend. At the very least, a new outfit will boost your confidence and thus make it easier for you to chat with strangers you meet on the dance floor.

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Adding the finishing touches

Make sure you don’t forget to add the finishing touches to your outfit if you want the best possible results. That could mean adding some necklaces or bracelets, and you might even think about getting a new handbag or something similar. If you get stuck for ideas, search online or ask your friends for advice. If you don’t have a lot of money to spend, consider customizing some accessories you already own. You could even create items from scratch if you have the imagination and creativity.

Everyone who follows the suggestions and advice from this post should manage to look amazing on their nights out with the girls. Now all you need to worry about is making sure you arrange for someone to pick you up at the end of the evening. Nobody enjoys standing around in the cold waiting for a taxi at 2 am, and so you should always make your booking in advance. Have a brilliant time, no matter where you decide to go!

We live in a consumer society where we are constantly encouraged to purchase a whole host of goods that we don’t necessarily need. Sure, you might not want to throw all material desire out of the window and live with the absolute basics. But there are various reasons that you might want to consider living a more minimal lifestyle. Perhaps you’re devoted to the planet and can’t stand the detrimental effects that waste has on our planet. Maybe clutter, and junk stresses you out, and you prefer your surrounding to be as plain a canvas as possible. However, one of the most common reasons for embracing minimalism tends to be to reduce overall spending. Here are a few ways to embrace minimalism to reduce your overall outgoings.

Living on a Budget

One of the main reasons that most people end up in debt is down to irresponsible or unwise spending. If you are currently experiencing debt, it means that at some point or another, it is likely that you have exceeded your budget, or simply haven’t had one to start with. Minimalism can counteract this by discouraging excessive and non-essential spending. So, it’s time to get into good habits by creating a realistic budget and sticking to it. This is simple enough. All you need is a notepad, pen and perhaps a calculator. Sit down and note down your total salary after tax. This can be on a monthly or yearly basis. Now, total up the overall cost of your necessary expenses (this can include bills and other essential living costs). The amount that is left is your disposable income. This is how much you should have been living on. Try to avoid exceeding this, or you will end up spending money that is not your own and slip into debt. If you are already in debt, use your disposable income to make payments towards clearing your balance. It may sound counterproductive, but you should consider taking out a debt consolidation for bad credit. This simplifies payments.

Question Every Purchase

Buying goods is simpler than ever. Contactless payments mean that you don’t even have to make the effort to enter your pin in order to make small purchases. Apple pay means that you can buy a whole host of items even if you’ve left your money and cards at home. What’s more? The advent and success of E-commerce have ensured that you don’t even have to leave the comfort of your own home in order to make purchases. You can have pretty anything you could want delivered straight to your door! It’s not surprising, then, that many of us spend out of habit and without putting all too much thought into the majority of our purchases. So, it’s time to start getting picky! Before you buy any item, question your potential purchase. Do you need the item? What purpose will it serve in your life? Will you get extended use out of it? Only buy what’s absolutely essential!

As you can see, living minimally is simple. You can also save a lot of money and stave off the burden of financial debt by living in this way. It’s not surprising that this kind of lifestyle is taking off with such popularity! It’s high time that you try it out yourself.

While there are many reasons people avoid the malls, whether it’s because it’s too busy a place or they don’t like the higher mall prices, there are also plenty of reasons why people like to go to malls. For one thing, they offer a menagerie of stores for you to shop in, which means you can get almost everything you want under one roof. They offer popular stores, from those that youngsters like to stores that older generations shop at as well.

If it has been a while since you visited a mall, why not consider the following reasons to make a trip to the mall.

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Great Salons And Spas

You may want to consider a visit to a mall salon. Often they have walk-in appointments available, and even if they don’t you can schedule something in an hour or two and spend that time exploring the mall. Just want your eyebrows threaded? There are options for that as well.

Depending on where you live your mall could have the offerings of things like botox injections, massage therapy, and even teeth whitening services. Your local mall is your one stop beauty shop.

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Play Spaces For Little Ones

If your children are bored, and you have some shopping to do, the mall is a great place to take them. Most malls have a play area for children, and while you shouldn’t leave them there to play alone, it is a good place to wear them out before you drag them to the stores you need to go to.

A Place For Health And Fitness

The mall is an excellent place to get a workout. Just walking around the mall a few times can get you a good mile of walking in, and many malls open up an hour before the stores themselves open specifically for mall walkers.

Plus, some malls are even homes to gyms. If not, you surely can find a nutrition store that has some health and wellness items to help you get healthier!

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Places To Eat

Malls are also home to many different types of dining options. You will likely find some of your favorite fast food joints, some fast Italian and Chinese, or even Japanese or Thai, dining options, and it’s fairly likely you’ll find a sit down restaurant attached to the mall. Take a step outside the mall and you’ll find other dining options within close walking distance as well.

Stores Galore

The best part of the mall is the variety of stores. There are toy stores for children and for adults. You can find stores run by small companies that are only found in your specific area, and you can find national chains that are all over the whole world.

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Don’t miss out on all of the things the mall has to offer. If you don’t like the crowds, don’t go to the mall during busy holiday seasons, like Christmas. Pick weekdays, during the day, during school hours if you prefer a quieter, less busy mall trip.