The Penny-Wise Wino

Posted on September 20, 2007 by Melissa
Filed Under Frugality, Groceries

Ahhh, Chateau Ziploc 2007 - great choice! OK, I’m joking. Don’t be a wino. That’s just no good. But you can fit some wine in your frugal lifestyle with moderation.

If you enjoy a good glass of wine you know how expensive it can be. Obviously, the cheapest thing to do is to cut out all alcohol and just drink water.

Numerous sites will explain how alcohol is just empty calories and not a source of nourishment so avoid wasting your hard earned dollars on it. For the most part, I agree with this. When money is tight it is best to avoid these useless calories and focus on buying nutritious food.

Sometimes, I must admit, I just want a glass of wine. I know wine is not essential. But if you enjoy the occasional drink and want to fit it into your budget it is better to shop smart and make those dollars go as far as possible.

Before my frugal “conversion”, I loved unwinding with a good (generally not cheap) glass of wine while cooking. Hearing my husband pour me a glassful was a signal that it was time to relax and that the working day was officially over. I had read that one glass a day was good for you so I thought it might even be a good thing to indulge with a glass a few times a week.

When we started budgeting we dropped wine out entirely. There was a complete and utter moratorium on all alcoholic beverages. We just didn’t have the money to spend on it. I thought that if we ever did get to afford wine again that it would be the kind made from apples, not grapes. Now that we are getting a hold of the budget I’ve found that I can still enjoy a glass every so often as long as I am disciplined about it.

Wine can be pricey. Even cheap bottles are still $5-$10 each. And if you are only drinking the occasional glass you run the risk of the wine going bad before you can finish the bottle. That means you will have to uncork another bottle when you are ready for the next glass. Opening a bottle could actually encourage you to drink more so that you can avoid wasting it. Infrequent wine drinkers get to decide which is worse: wasting the wine or potentially drinking more than they want to.

We have found the solution to this problem: cheap boxed wine. Yes, boxed wine. I know what you are thinking, but give it a chance. It isn’t that bad, really. And at $10 to $15 for 4 or 5 liters you can’t beat the value (4 liters is about 27 - 5oz servings). A box every couple of months won’t break the bank.

The best part about boxed wine (besides the price) is that it stays good for several months and it allows you to take just a glass at a time. You can have a glass as infrequently as you want without running the risk of having it go bad. Don’t worry, these days boxed wine is available in many varieties; not just table white, sweet red, or white zinfandel. You are bound to find one you enjoy.

Boxed wine is great for entertaining on a budget, too. You can serve a crowd without spending a small fortune. I also use this wine for cooking. It’s nice not having to open an entire bottle for only ¼ cup of white wine. Now I measure directly from the spout and the rest stays fresh.

I am not suggesting that habitual drinking is good use of your money even if you manage to stay within budget. Overindulgence can hurt your bottom line in more ways than just the cost of the alcohol. But if you are drinking responsibly, boxed wine is a good way to enjoy your juice on the cheap.

Image Source: sporkist

Comments

4 Responses to “The Penny-Wise Wino”

Jeremy on September 20th, 2007 11:15 am

I agree with you here, I love my wine! We never really had a concrete grocery budget in force, but earlier this year we determined that we were spending too much on wine. A couple bottles (usually the 1.5L variety) were running us close to $40/month, and it wasn’t even terribly expensive wine.

So we have switched to boxed wine and it has been a nice savings, especially when the store has sales. We’ve had a box of cabernet sitting on the counter for over 2 weeks and it still isn’t empty. I believe the box was $13 for 5L on sale.

And you’re right, there are a lot of good boxed wines out there, and I think it has an unfair reputation of being bad, but at least it isn’t boones farm! I actually read an article in Business 2.0 a while back about a wine maker (Franzia maybe?) that basically said they use the same exact grapes as what are used in $20 bottles.
Melissa on September 20th, 2007 6:42 pm

Jeremy – I agree that box wine has gotten a bad reputation without good reason. We bought some of the Almaden merlot and it’s actually really good. As good as some 15 dollar bottles we’ve gotten before. We did have one that was a blend that was a little too much like juice for our taste, but that’s why you have to try several kinds and find one you like.

I think I heard about some of the box wines using the exact same grapes but charging a lot less. I don’t remember where I heard it either.

I’m glad to see there are some other folks out there that aren’t afraid of the box wines. It’s really more about what you enjoy than it is about how much it costs. Sometimes that subtlety is lost on wine.

Thanks for the comment!
Brip Blap on September 21st, 2007 8:26 pm

I am in the same boat. I love Yellowtail, which is inexpensive (not cheap, but inexpensive) but still costs a fair amount. My parents buy boxed wine and I’ve had plenty of it to drink when visiting them, and it’s not bad at all – plus it stays fresher. I have to admit, though, I just feel so bad buying it that I still pick up the Yellowtail instead. It’s just a cultural bias but it’s a tough, tough one to break!
Melissa on September 22nd, 2007 2:31 pm

Brip Blap –

We used to get Yellowtail and I remember it being pretty good for the price. I know what you mean about the cultural bias. We were even embarrassed to buy boxed wine so we avoided it. What helped us break the barrier was buying it at Sam’s. There everyone is trying to get a good deal and the embarrassment factor goes down. Nobody looks glamorous buying jumbo boxes of corn dogs and Rolaids. I figure boxed wine doesn’t look so bad.