It’s been 345 days since I had my last beer (or any alcoholic beverage for that matter). Just 20 more days to go before I’m allowed the holy beverage once again π Despite the year going remarkably smooth and not having missed a beer too often, I did find some similarities between beer & personal finance. Let me elaborate.

It’s all about beer and money
Deprivation is good
I’ve talked about deprivation before and still believe it’s a key topic for personal finance (and, as it happens, to drinking beer too). Most people are afraid to test their limits & boundaries. But it’s just such a good thing to find out where you boundaries are for many aspects of your life! It’s only when you cross these boundaries and start to feel deprived that you really know what the minimum is you feel comfortable with. Once you crossed that limit and get back to the limit, you will notice you can do with very little. For personal finance purposes, this really helps save tones of money, have more to invest and get financially independent sooner.
And with beer this limit is actually…….not sure if I should actually say this out loud……. zero. Yes, I’ve certainly missed drinking a beer a few times in the past 11,5 months (and I might again in the next two weeks with all the fun times ahead), but I can now say with certainly that I can easily do without.

Quality over quantity
Does this now mean that I will stop drinking all together in 2020? Nope. I already have a sizeable collection of quality beers at my disposal π Does it mean that I will change my beer drinking habit? Absolutely! I’d already given up “regular” beer for quite some time and plan to drink even fewer beers going forward. If I do damage to my liver and brain cells, it might as well be with beer that’s actually worth it, but with moderation!
Same as with beers, personal finance works well if you apply the quality over quantity attitude. I don’t think I have to reiterate that it’s better to buy a few quality products and/or services than than buying crap in bulk. It works from a minimalism perspective, financial perspective and environmental perspective. In short, wins all around. Strange that most people have not figured this out by now?! Guess they should have a beer with friends who know their finances.
It’s personal!
In the previous section I noted that I have build up a nice collection of quality beers (many triples, abbey beers, speciality beers and more), which I did over the past year (both gifts and purchases). But some, including my favourite beer snob (her words!), will disagree. Taste in beer is personal, same as everything with money. Personal finance is simply very personal. It’s important to keep this mind, no two people will live and budget the same way.
Too much is not good
Too much beer is not good for you. Despite the headaches, other bodily damage and potential cleaning, it’s also not very good for your bank account. Especially not if you got out to get said beer. It’s even worse if you make it really good quality craft/artisan beer!
Personal finance is exactly the same. Too much personal finance is toxic. You have to focus on it, but you can easily go overboard and make your life more complicated than it needs to be. Yes, you do have to test your limits as noted above, but your journey to better personal finance (and financial independence) should be as fun as the time after you’ve reached your (financial) goals.

Beer = Personal Finance
Well, there you have it. Beer & Personal Finance are exactly the same things. Who knew! Albeit one can destroy the other if you are not careful. Enjoy your beer, but drink in moderation.
I’m thirsty now and ready for an alcohol free beer π
Huge achievement!
Thanks!
Me too wanted to say congratulations but then I remembered you live in Holland where the beer is crap, they sell weed on every corner and where 95% of the worldwide XTC is produced. It is not an achievement to not touch beer if you are high 24/7!! π
hehehe, I’m such a dork, I’ve never tried anything other than alcohol to get a buzz…..
Well, value for money wise, beer is definitely not the mustachian way to get your buzz on …
How unfrugal of me!!
Wow good job, Cheers!
Thanks Paul!
Good on you! I’m almost done with beer myself. I did enjoy a gluten free beer last night, but more and more, it’s either no booze at all, or a small glass of red wine from the box at dinner.
Next step – let’s go vegan, mate??
Been pretty much sticking to a whole foods plant based lifestyle already for the last 5 years, so no challenge needed there π
Cheers mate!
Uhm yeah, what Mr FOB said!
I’ll take you up on that!
Drinking quality beer is one of my weaknesses. I could buy a car from the money I spent on beer. I donβt think I have the willpower to do what you did. One of my few vices, I suppose.
So, congratz and good luck to you! The last pieces of lead are the heaviest, as we duchies say.
Neah, the last stretch is the easiest. I’m so close now, it’s no problem to continue. But I will have a beer at the stroke of midnight on 31st of December!
Cheers to an impressive streak of sobriety! I don’t have the stamina you’ve got, but have enjoyed breaking up the routine with a sober October, an alcohol-free week each month in 2019, and tracking quantities throughout.
Now that I’ve retired from medicine, I’ve got fewer reasons to be careful — so I’d best be careful!
Cheers to good habits in 2020!
-PoF
Well done on the sober October and the weekly sobriety!
Early retirement can be bad for you…… well your liver anyways. Cheers mate!
Hey, it’s beer snob. You have a terrible taste, but you have done a remarkable job for a beer lover. I would’t want to push my limits that far π Well done and cheers in a couple of weeks!
My dear favourite beer snob, I have no idea how you are able to drink those stouts…. it’s like liquid bread. But I still love you anyways π
Oh I love it! Cheers
Thanks Ted!
Agree with you on fronts there, CF. I gave up drinking all alcohol for a few weeks earlier this year and felt so much better (both physically & financially π We have gotten into a bad habit of regular drinking and definitely on my list to cut down on total consumption.
Dont go drinking crazy amounts on Jan 1st π
R2R
After a year of not drinking I’m definitely going to take things slow on 1 January 2020! Have no in the fridge already π
Cheers mate, let’s have a quality beer early next year!
Sounds like a plan to me!