That is more than we spend on all nonalcoholic beverages combined, by the way. Keep in mind those averages include nondrinkers, too. That means some households are spending much, much more than that already-hefty average on alcohol.

So let's be honest with ourselves. It is not always the case that we can't squeeze any more savings out of our budgets. It is that we choose not to, because we just don't want to give up the booze.

When New York City's Jenna Hollenstein sat down one day and calculated what her drinking was costing her, she was shocked. The 39-year-old dietician used to enjoy a nice bottle of wine or some gin after work, and it was starting to add up.

"Even if it was only a $15 bottle of wine, three times a week, that was $45," she remembers. "That's $180 a month, or over $2,000 a year. "That's a significant amount of money, and that's not even including going out for cocktails with friends."
Hollenstein finally decided to give up her pricey habit, and even wrote a book on her experiences, "Drinking to Distraction." But she is hardly alone in having a taste for a nip after work.

After all, 64 percent of American adults report drinking occasionally, according to Gallup's most recent poll on consumption habits. Through boom times and bust, one of our most consistent national traits is that we enjoy our booze, and are not willing to give it up.

"We've been asking this question since the 1930s, and the numbers are remarkably constant," says Frank Newport, Gallup's editor in chief. "Even in an era of huge demographic changes, the percentage of drinkers just doesn't seem to budge."

Beer Or Wine?

Beer is America's beverage of choice, by the way, followed by wine and then spirits. The average drinker enjoys a shade over four alcoholic beverages a week, according to the Gallup poll.

But 9 percent of people have more than eight drinks over the same period, and 5 percent of folks are guzzling more than 20. And that can get very expensive indeed, especially if you do your drinking in restaurants or bars with high markups.

We might not even realize how much we are spending on this habit, since it drips out in relatively small increments––a beer or two here, a carafe of wine there.