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Town on a Budget

  • Salient Mag
  • 4 days ago
  • 4 min read

By Georgia Wearing


We may have missed the prime years of clubbing when the 2000’s music wasn’t overdone, beers were $1, and the recession was ignorable enough so we could still go out, party, and try to save some money. To all the bouncers and hospitality staff reading this, I do not condone any of these money-saving tips nor do I practice them (anymore). My party days might be behind me, but it would be selfish to not share the wisdom that I have gathered. 


  1. Minis 

Baby bottles of your favourite liquor can go for as low as $3-4, turning your sad little single shot vodka redbull into an actual drink. Store these in your bra, pockets, down your pants or at the bottom of your bag under a pile of random stuff. Take it in the bathroom or pour it into an innocent diet coke. If you can opt for diet soda, they may be the same price as a regular soda, but it has some weird chemical formula that allows you to absorb alcohol faster. Pro tip: if you don’t want bouncers looking too closely at your bag, chuck a couple XL condoms in. You’ll get a side-eye, but hey, no pain no gain.


  1. Pre-drink

Everyone knows town doesn’t get good till around 11:30 anyway, so bring some friends around and split a couple 12-packs. You might be tempted to engage in some harmful drinking practices to get drunk faster, like drinking on an empty stomach or mixing liquors. Don’t. The last thing you want to do is go too hard too fast, and get rejected at the door. Pre-drink just enough so that you won’t be put off by sticky floors, sweaty backs and shitty music. Make sure you communicate amongst your group what the vibe of the night is, and how many drinks each of you plan to have so you can pick up the right amount of alcohol to pre with. 


  1. Score free drinks 

If there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s getting free drinks. You don’t need to be a girl, or conventionally attractive to do it, you just need the confidence to start talking to people. Chat to random strangers in the smoko: introduce yourself, ask what they're drinking. If you're a small group and they're a small group, suggest drinking together. There’s fun in numbers, I promise. If you’re on the dance floor, lock eyes with someone, dance together for a bit and then pull them to the bar, or suggest grabbing a drink. In all of these situations, if they say no, shrug it off and move on. It’s free rejection therapy. Be safe when accepting free drinks: always watch the drink being made and never leave your drink unattended. Avoid drinking abandoned drinks, and keep an eye on your friends. 


4.  Don’t hide from the photographers

Look, the pictures might not be pretty… but don’t hide. Put the drink down, pose, rep the bar and try to win the free drink vouchers. Especially in Shady Lady, Eva Beva, Vinyl and Saint Diablo. You also might be used in promo photos (love you Dakota) where you can barter for free drinks in exchange for licensing your hot af face. 


5. Leave your card at home 

For the longest time I would go out to town with my ID, lipgloss and a dream. I’d let the night take me where it wanted me to go. Just make sure you can order yourself an uber home once the night is over. 


6. Don’t prioritize drinking 

Some of the best parts of going out to town are already free: getting dressed up and taking cute pictures, dancing to newly released singles, meeting new people, waving your phone around while trying to convince the DJ to play something not shit, checking out a new bar, having a cheeky makeout on the dance floor. Instead of buying yourself another drink, or drinking what's been given to you when you’re already a bit too drunk, pass it on and make someone's night. And if you need something to sip on, just order a soda. Sometimes the bar staff will give it to you for free (they should) and you’ve saved money, sobered up a little, and still look like you know what to do with your hands. 


7. Lower your alcohol tolerance

If you have a higher alcohol tolerance, it’s going to take you more drinks and more money to get tipsy. Take a break from alcohol/town for a couple weeks and use your lower tolerance to spend less on drinks.


8. Plan ahead

Don’t miss happy hour and keep track of your favourite bar’s weekly deals and cheapest drinks. You might duck into Shady’s for $5 shots, dance at Ivy nursing an insanely strong tequila sunrise and end the night sipping a balanced cocktail at Dakota. Enjoy reaping the benefits of a planned night out, and avoid the hangxiety of an empty bank account. 




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