I've been thinking for a while of starting a frugal drinking blog including beer, cider and other drinks as well as wine. It's actually the other part of my working life (I used to write a regular column for the Daily Mail!) but it never seemed to quite fit in with this blog.
It struck me though that it would be pretty useful, particularly in the current economic climate. We like to drink well but we don't spend a lot of money on doing so. I happen to think that drinks like beer and cider are underrated and that there are a lot of bargains out there that people don't know about or are unsure whether it's OK to buy because they don't know that much about wine.
So I've kicked it off, it's called Credit Crunch Drinking and you can find it here!
I hope you enjoy it. Do write and let me know how you get on if you follow my suggestions and share any tips or brilliant special offers you've spotted. (If you feel self-conscious about asking questions about wine, as I know many people do, you can always email me at fibeckett@live.com)
Hi Fiona,
ReplyDeleteI'm looking forward to frugal drinking, although I'm more of a beer drinker myself.
I do find it funny when people (usually show-off bores!) start describing wine in a horribly pretentious manner. Or maybe it's me?!
Also, Frugal Cook watch - this Saturday's Times magazine and Time Out (again). You and your publishers are doing well!
Don't worry, there will be plenty of beer, shoegazer. And shall try not to get too carried away with my wine descriptions ;-)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tip off about the coverage. Had spotted the Times mention which was fantastic but haven't seen the Time Out one yet. Couldn't find a copy in Bristol which has its own listings mag.
A Frugal Drinking blog sounds like a splendid idea to me. For some reason I'm being bombarded through the post at the moment with offers to join wine clubs and order cases of wine to be delivered. It's all well and good in the first instance, but the introductory offers are clearly just a way of getting you into a contract; after that it gets really expensive. That said, a friend swears by his Personal Wine Selector's advice. I'm capitalising there without knowing whether that's a real job title or not; who knows?
ReplyDeleteI'd definitely be interested to hear what beer bargains are out there; I was looking at the price comparison board on the bar of my local the other evening and had a nasty shock when I realised that all three of my favourite cask ales now cost more than £2.50 a pint. For where I live that's a marked increase on this time a year ago, and with price promotions a thing of the past I'm going to have to get used to it.
I think you can almost certainly do better than join a wine club, career misfit. These offers always look tempting but frequently contain vintages that are past their best or offerings that haven't sold well. Everyone is going to be falling over themselves to offer you cheap wine - and beer, hopefully - so I wouldn't panic!
ReplyDelete(From your Personal Wine Selector . . .)
I increasingly like that word frugal. Because of its similar ending, it sounds regal. Only two characters separate regal from frugal: the f and the u making the word more fu(n) - and it's legal...
ReplyDeletecertainly never thought of that real food lover! When my publisher suggested the title The Frugal Cook I must admit I rebelled against it because I thought the word was so old-fashioned that it wouldn't appeal but it's become common currency again - along with thrifty, another lovely word!
ReplyDeleteIts need to sell your kidney to be able to sacrifice your liver drinking in Iceland.If, however, you are willing to give those things to get your drunk on, frugal drinking in Iceland can be done.
ReplyDeleteHere is our first tip: be sure to stock up on alcohol while the state liquor stores are still open. But not just any alcohol. If you’re a vodka drinking feller, While the taste is nothing to write home about, and their alcohol percentage is quite low, they can still keep you drunk pretty much all day if you gulp down enough of them.
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