spending $ at bars and restaurants

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docsamdoc

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the social events for my class (both those chosen by my classmates and organized by school) are always super expensive, yet a lot of people do not seem to mind. people pick $30/meal restaurants for their bdays, and bars where the drinks are $12. even the social events planned by the school cost $40 for a dinner somewhere per person.
whats the deal? arent we all full time students? why dont other people seem to notice even though they are also on loans?

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Its not like we can't afford things just because we are students. I can afford to go spend $10/drink a couple times per month. I also routinely "pre-party" (ie. drink at home before going out) as its much more cost effective. BTW, I think a lot of what people can afford depends on each individuals financial situation. If you have no debt prior to med school (credit cards, car payments, etc) you can probably do a lot more. I know I spent a lot more frivolously prior to buying my car.
 
the social events for my class (both those chosen by my classmates and organized by school) are always super expensive, yet a lot of people do not seem to mind. people pick $30/meal restaurants for their bdays, and bars where the drinks are $12. even the social events planned by the school cost $40 for a dinner somewhere per person.
whats the deal? arent we all full time students? why dont other people seem to notice even though they are also on loans?

It's fairly costly to have events that feature food and beverage. If you have attempted to have a wedding catered, you would find that $30 per person and $12 per head for drinks is pretty cheap. Unless your school is doing a potluck (most restaurants and hotels don't allow this anyway), these types of things are pretty costly. I certainly feel your pain especially since you are on a budget but I don't think that they are inflating the price but are likely passing costs on to the consumer.
 
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I helped plan an annual large social event this year, and it is expensive. I believe it was ~ $14,000 to put on for 250 people.

On the other hand, I totally hear you on the non-school social stuff. Our school's living expenses budget is extremely tight, so $10 drinks don't exactly happen all the time for me. Many of my med school friends either don't have loans at all or are getting supplemental money from their parents, so for them, a $40 dinner and $15 martinis don't mean much for them, and they don't really think about it when planning something. So I try to just order something small like an appetizer, and have only one drink depending on cost and like someone else mentioned, pre-party at home.

I think it partially reflects the fact that many med students come from upper class.
 
I take 2 shoots at home before I go out, so when at the club or bar I just get one drink and baby sit it cuz I'm pretty buzzed by then. Total cost about 10 bucks for the night plus maybe $15-30 cover depending on the club. As for dinner I just eat at home, and tell my friends I have to study and well meet them after dinner at the club. My friends all have jobs and have expensive taste, so no fine dinning for me at least for now.

I'm so poor I can't even pay attention.
 
If a bar charged me $12 for a drink, I would leave it on the bar...unless it is HUGE.
 
If a bar charged me $12 for a drink, I would leave it on the bar...unless it is HUGE.

If you've ever been out in San Francisco, Los Angeles, or Vegas it is pretty routine to pay $10 for a mixed drink. You really have to hunt around for a good dive/local pub to get a drink for less. Then again, most people that like "going out" tend to want to go to the most trendy places, hence they pay a premium on what they are drinking. Personally, I like to stick with my $5-6 pints of Guinness. If you want to get smashed on $20, order two Irish Car Bombs. Then say adios to memories of your evening.

BTW, I have working stiff parents who have not paid for anything for me since I was 16.
 
I think it also reflects the fact that many people just never really lived on their own and haven't had the chance to learn the hard way how to manage their money.

For restaurant dinners, I'm finding that more and more restaurants have their Web sites online. I check the menu before I go and select something inexpensive, often from the appetizer menu, or scout for someone who will split a dish with me. It saves me a bundle and allows me to be sociable. Picking what I'll order ahead of time reduces the chance that I'll be tempted by some shiny, overpriced cool dish on the menu and blow my budget on it.

I'm also a very cheap drunk (one glass of wine or cheap malt liquor has me downright festive for an hour or so) and I often don't drink at all. Water is free.
 
this reminds me of the Friends episode where half of them complain to the other half that they're always broke, but they still always go out to expensive places. I'm more frugal than some people in our class, but some people are more frugal than me. My wife makes fairly decent money, but I'm trying to maintain good financial habits, and I feel dirty spending $12 on a drink unless that's all I'm getting for the whole night. But we spend money on other things (like travel).
 
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I take 2 shoots at home before I go out, so when at the club or bar I just get one drink and baby sit it cuz I'm pretty buzzed by then. Total cost about 10 bucks for the night plus maybe $15-30 cover depending on the club. As for dinner I just eat at home, and tell my friends I have to study and well meet them after dinner at the club. My friends all have jobs and have expensive taste, so no fine dinning for me at least for now.

I'm so poor I can't even pay attention.

vietnamese people are so cheap ; )
 
If you've ever been out in San Francisco, Los Angeles, or Vegas it is pretty routine to pay $10 for a mixed drink. You really have to hunt around for a good dive/local pub to get a drink for less. Then again, most people that like "going out" tend to want to go to the most trendy places, hence they pay a premium on what they are drinking. Personally, I like to stick with my $5-6 pints of Guinness. If you want to get smashed on $20, order two Irish Car Bombs. Then say adios to memories of your evening.

I was at PURE and asked for a Makers and Gingerale-the guy was like "12 bucks" and I said "12 bucks" And he told me "This ain't Iowa." That was funny. Then Arty, B, & I got in a fight with some guy downstairs. PURE baby.

$7.99 for a 6-pack of Guinness.
 
vietnamese people are so cheap ; )

We were at a club hitting on some hotties. One of them ask my friend to get her a beer. He goes around to the tables and rounds up some random almost finished beers, poors them all in to one beer bottle to look like a full new bottle and gives it to the girl. Man is that cheap or what? Oh yeah, he still hit it.:eek:
 
If you've ever been out in San Francisco, Los Angeles, or Vegas it is pretty routine to pay $10 for a mixed drink. You really have to hunt around for a good dive/local pub to get a drink for less.
If you're paying $10 a cocktail or $6 for a pint of Guinness, you need to choose a better watering hole. I never routinely hit bars that charge more than $4/beer or $7/cocktail when I lived in LA or SF. If you're paying that kind of money, you're either hitting clubs, bars that cater to tourists or bars in the upscale parts of town.
 
med students are rich! med students are rich!med students are rich!med students are rich!med students are rich!med students are rich!med students are rich!med students are rich!med students are rich!med students are rich!med students are rich!med students are rich!med students are rich!med students are rich!med students are rich!med students are rich!med students are rich!
 
If you're paying $10 a cocktail or $6 for a pint of Guinness, you need to choose a better watering hole. I never routinely hit bars that charge more than $4/beer or $7/cocktail when I lived in LA or SF. If you're paying that kind of money, you're either hitting clubs, bars that cater to tourists or bars in the upscale parts of town.

It is tough in NYC to find prices that good. Fortunately there is a dive 2 blocks from the med school that gives med students $3 pints all day every day. And there's always "drinking in" instead of "going out."
 
I bought a round of 2 drinks at Pure in Vegas and it was $27. Most of the high end clubs are going to be $12-14 for a premium drink (i.e. Grey Goose). To save money sneak in a flask and then you can top off your own drinks! A full flask of Grey Goose is worth like $75 in a bar.
 
med students are rich! med students are rich!med students are rich!med students are rich!med students are rich!med students are rich!med students are rich!med students are rich!med students are rich!med students are rich!med students are rich!med students are rich!med students are rich!med students are rich!med students are rich!med students are rich!med students are rich!

Typically true at my school too. I think that I'm the only student in my class to grow up in a nuclear family household income of about 25K per year.

Of course now I'm probably the baller since I still work. I don't mind dropping $80 or so on a meal for my colleagues. Just don't ask me to make it rain at the strip club because that is just dirty.
 
If you're paying $10 a cocktail or $6 for a pint of Guinness, you need to choose a better watering hole. I never routinely hit bars that charge more than $4/beer or $7/cocktail when I lived in LA or SF. If you're paying that kind of money, you're either hitting clubs, bars that cater to tourists or bars in the upscale parts of town.

I have been to plenty of bars, including dives in the inner sunset, Cole Valley (Finnegans Wake is a personal fav of mine), Haight, and the Richmond and I have never been able to find a pint of Guinness for less than $5.25. I can get a pint of Sierra Nevada or any other beer on tap for around $4.

BTW-- I did state in my previous post that $10 for a cocktail is the norm for a trendy bar or club in Vegas or San Francisco--not a "dive". I can get a Jack and Coke at Lyon pub for $7 over in Pac Heights. I currently live in Vegas (for 3 more weeks, anyway) AND it is impossible to get cheap drinks at ANY place worth going to. That is why I routinely preparty at home before going out. I have on occasion brought my flask to a club or bar.

Steiner- excellent call on the $7.99 six pack of Guinness. Problem is it just doesn't taste the same as when it comes out of the tap. I will be bringing my flask to South Lake Tahoe in a couple weeks though. You still bringing the Recliner? Tough break at PURE. That place is fun though.
 
SHOTCALLER!!

20 inch blades on the Impala...

Actually my homeslices have to settle for the 14's on my 03 Civic. I've decided not to roll on dubs with rims-still-spinnin until residency. I think that such is written in the Hippocratic Oath.
 
you can save tons of money by not eating out on the weekdays...you end up eating healthier too. So save your buffets at lunch and pack a lunch instead. you'll find a lot more available cash for the weekends. even then tho, its still hard to save if youre goin out every weekend. do what i do..eat at home before u meet your classmates out for dinner. :D im such a cheap bastard when it comes to food.

oh yeah, maybe you should get a girlfriend. i dated this girl long distance for about 6 months (ending 2 months ago) and we tried to see each other about every 3 weeks (we both go to school in the same state). lemme tell u, i ate vegetables and fruit for like the entire 6 months so i could afford our weekends together. Point = u can save like mad if you know youre gettin nooky at the end of the day..and u stay in shape! ;) No, she wasn't a hooker.
 
Like others have said... predrinking is key. I'm not exactly small, so getting a nice buzz in most SoCal bars would cost me just shy of $50... definitely more if in downtown LA, SD, etc. So grab a decent bottle of something you don't mind drinking (I used to drink Captain and diet, get pre-buzzed for $5), have a couple (or half dozen, whatever your preference is), and finish up with one or two at the bar and you're golden.
 
excellent call on the $7.99 six pack of Guinness. Problem is it just doesn't taste the same as when it comes out of the tap.

The cans with the little ball inside do a much better approximation of a draught than the bottles, I've found.
 
Like others have said... predrinking is key. I'm not exactly small, so getting a nice buzz in most SoCal bars would cost me just shy of $50... definitely more if in downtown LA, SD, etc. So grab a decent bottle of something you don't mind drinking (I used to drink Captain and diet, get pre-buzzed for $5), have a couple (or half dozen, whatever your preference is), and finish up with one or two at the bar and you're golden.

J Bar is probably one of my favs in Gaslamp. Side Bar too.

Gimlet said:
The cans with the little ball inside do a much better approximation of a draught than the bottles, I've found.

I completely agree.
 
when you die you'll probably have a bunch of money left over, so why not spend it now, rack up loans, and then eventually pay it off with money that you would have never spent in your life if you hadnt spent it now
 
The cans with the little ball inside do a much better approximation of a draught than the bottles, I've found.

Definitely . . . in fact, that was what I had tonight . . .

mmmm . . . car bombs . . .
 
you can save tons of money by not eating out on the weekdays....

Definitely. I can eat healthy and decently on ~20-30/week.

Also, I know in most medical schools free food is easy to find, especially during interview season (haha). So take advantage of that, even if it means you have to talk to prospective students (AKA, me...although I'll be one of you guys next fall).
 
I have never been able to find a pint of Guinness for less than $5.25.

You won't find a Guinness for less than $5 here either, unless it's a special - which there are some. It's great to have a running list of the nightly specials in the area.

I love it when I go home to my small Northern WI hometown. I can get a bottle of domestic beer for $1.75.
 
Awww ****, just got back from Caramel at the Bellagio, I drank pretty much all night for $40, pays to have friend as bartender. Hellz yeah.
 
Though some have alluded to it, I'm surprised no one has mentioned making a budget.

A big cause of big spending is medical students living like medical doctors, or at least, in this I-have-arrived kind of mentality of I've-earned-it even though it's not money they even earned. That's what I see in my school.

A lot of the above suggestions, in short, are about saving money. So in short, make a budget. Track your cash flow, and when spending, assess your need for a particular item. Visit some financial websites on the internet and learn a bit about savings and investments. I've tried to keep a not too strict, flexible budget for the last two years and have an easy $10,000 reserve I don't even need to touch, and it's about to go into an investment as soon as I figure out where to put it.
 
The trick is to find I-banking friends. They have a tendancy to buy the whole group a round and tend to be sympathetic to med student poverty.
 
At my school's events we always have some deal with the bar where a certain set of drinks/shots will all be 2$ which helps alot, sometimes we have a tab we get to run thru too. I definitely agree with pre-drinkin if your tolerance demands more than a few drinks to get up to good buzz level, though be sure to not go to far, nothin says lame like showing up already drruuunnnk at 8pm, lol.
 
be sure to not go to far

Sage wisdom for a student who is known as "Crazy Dancing *insert his name*" for his laschivious dancing when intoxicated. At our med school prom, he finished the night having ripped off his suit and was parading in his boxer briefs, and went so far as to do the George Costanzo on the leather sofa in the banquet hall lobby (in the presence of children).

Oh, and he was held back from his fourth year due to "inappropriate conduct".

Sorry, just triggered the need to share a story from the Med-Students-Gone-Wild files.
 
The cans with the little ball inside do a much better approximation of a draught than the bottles, I've found.

It's called a widget, and it puts N2 into the beer instead of CO2. That's why it's so creeeeeaaammmmyyyyyy. :p
 
the social events for my class (both those chosen by my classmates and organized by school) are always super expensive, yet a lot of people do not seem to mind. people pick $30/meal restaurants for their bdays, and bars where the drinks are $12. even the social events planned by the school cost $40 for a dinner somewhere per person.
whats the deal? arent we all full time students? why dont other people seem to notice even though they are also on loans?

I know what you mean. I'm caught btw trying to be social and involved vs trying to save money. I try to go to most of the schoolwide events, but I can't afford to go out to a restaurant or to a bar every weekend. My school's budget is already small enough. Plus the expenses of commuting to go to class or internship, costs of running errands, other car expenses . . . it all adds up. I tend to spend more at the beginning of the semester then as the semester ends (like now) I usually freak out at how little I have left.

Maybe I should start a business or something:laugh: .
 
If you're paying $10 a cocktail or $6 for a pint of Guinness, you need to choose a better watering hole. I never routinely hit bars that charge more than $4/beer or $7/cocktail when I lived in LA or SF. If you're paying that kind of money, you're either hitting clubs, bars that cater to tourists or bars in the upscale parts of town.

which are where all the hot girls are....its at least $10 for a cocktail at all the clubs in hollywood.
 
Though some have alluded to it, I'm surprised no one has mentioned making a budget.

A big cause of big spending is medical students living like medical doctors, or at least, in this I-have-arrived kind of mentality of I've-earned-it even though it's not money they even earned. That's what I see in my school.

A lot of the above suggestions, in short, are about saving money. So in short, make a budget. Track your cash flow, and when spending, assess your need for a particular item. Visit some financial websites on the internet and learn a bit about savings and investments. I've tried to keep a not too strict, flexible budget for the last two years and have an easy $10,000 reserve I don't even need to touch, and it's about to go into an investment as soon as I figure out where to put it.[

Buy tax liens from the government...guaranteed 20%-50% rate of return and low risk, your investment is backed by the property...banks and investment firms never advertise it because they can't make any money of off it. Look into it.
 
The trick is to find I-banking friends. They have a tendancy to buy the whole group a round and tend to be sympathetic to med student poverty.

So true. So true. They always like buying a bottle for the booth. They're the best. And one day, you can fly with them on their G5s as long as you sign their child's health forms
 
the social events for my class (both those chosen by my classmates and organized by school) are always super expensive, yet a lot of people do not seem to mind. people pick $30/meal restaurants for their bdays, and bars where the drinks are $12. even the social events planned by the school cost $40 for a dinner somewhere per person.
whats the deal? arent we all full time students? why dont other people seem to notice even though they are also on loans?
I almost never attend any of my med school's social events. Cost is part of the reason; the few things I have attended have been free. But I'm just not into hanging out at bars, and I usually don't attend parties unless someone forces me to practically at gunpoint. Not only do I hate being in crowded rooms, but I can't really drink alcohol (health reasons). It's definitely not fun getting a diet coke and watching everyone else get drunk. If you don't mind missing the parties, you might try just going out with a few friends who feel like you do and find something else to do that's cheaper instead. Also, a lot of universities have free or very cheap concerts, plays, movies, seminars, etc. that you might consider attending. If you're in a student religious organization, they often have subsidized social events too.

One other suggestion that I don't think anyone has mentioned yet is that it's usually cheaper to go out for lunch instead of dinner. If you're going to splurge on meals out, you're better off going out for lunch and cooking your own dinners. :idea:
 
I almost never attend any of my med school's social events. Cost is part of the reason; the few things I have attended have been free. But I'm just not into hanging out at bars, and I usually don't attend parties unless someone forces me to practically at gunpoint. Not only do I hate being in crowded rooms, but I can't really drink alcohol (health reasons). It's definitely not fun getting a diet coke and watching everyone else get drunk. If you don't mind missing the parties, you might try just going out with a few friends who feel like you do and find something else to do that's cheaper instead. Also, a lot of universities have free or very cheap concerts, plays, movies, seminars, etc. that you might consider attending. If you're in a student religious organization, they often have subsidized social events too.

One other suggestion that I don't think anyone has mentioned yet is that it's usually cheaper to go out for lunch instead of dinner. If you're going to splurge on meals out, you're better off going out for lunch and cooking your own dinners. :idea:

Yeah. I don't go either. I would if I were single and had less responsibility. Though even then I'd probably only have one drink and that would be it. Even then.... I don't know that I would spend more than $5 on a drink. Thats crazy to me.
 
Yeah. I don't go either. I would if I were single and had less responsibility. Though even then I'd probably only have one drink and that would be it. Even then.... I don't know that I would spend more than $5 on a drink. Thats crazy to me.

What's the name of that bar on State Line that everyone goes to? My Dad said he used to go there quite a bit when he was a resident.
 
Steiner- excellent call on the $7.99 six pack of Guinness. Problem is it just doesn't taste the same as when it comes out of the tap. I will be bringing my flask to South Lake Tahoe in a couple weeks though. You still bringing the Recliner? Tough break at PURE. That place is fun though.

Even Guinness on tap is starting to taste different to me. It's like they watered in down for all the newby Guinness fans. It use to be richer and more roasted. I'm starting to like drinking the extra stout bottles more than the draught cans or bottles. I got two flasks I'll bring to Tahoe.

"The Steiner Recliner" will be there. It's in the shop right now.
 
Awww ****, just got back from Caramel at the Bellagio, I drank pretty much all night for $40, pays to have friend as bartender. Hellz yeah.

Don't lie. You were at Gypsy and Flex, and nobody wants to hear how you "really" kept your bar tab under $40. Sinner
 
What's the name of that bar on State Line that everyone goes to? My Dad said he used to go there quite a bit when he was a resident.

Honestly I'm not sure. The only bar I've heard of people going to after exams is on Rainbow and 39th, right by the campus. Its called Jaywalker and it just opened last fall.
 
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