It is true that my writing style is rarely a solemn one. But about drinking the best, well not all the times but quite often, I am able to afford it simply because I do not drink that much. It's that simple. Didn't we agree that when one cuts back on quantity, he can have quality?
What I spend on booze a year is never that much for me to track separately as a budgetary item, compared to a friend of mine who told me he spent a few thousands a year on just light beer consumed in bars. When I asked if he drank outside the home because of company, he said no. Most nights, he said he just sat alone ordering several consecutive drinks, while watching people. In contrast, I drink alone, watching snow fall or listening to the music, or contemplating the meaning of life.
PS. I am taking time off from my travail with the wood floor installation. I will have to get back to finish it. See that the kind of money I save with DIY projects allows me to drink a lot more than I have (but too much drinking is of course not good). And then, earlier we talk about having a house cleaner. At $75/cleaning session once every 2 weeks, I can afford a bottle of XO-grade a month if I do the work myself (or talk DW into it).