21 guilty pleasures that are hurting your bank account

Drinking Alcohol Out on the Town

Drinking out is even more costly. The median pour cost — the cost of a drink’s ingredients divided by its sale price — for a bar is a little more than 20 percent in the United States. So that means that bottle of beer you could buy as part of a 12-pack for $1 could cost $5 at the bar. If you prefer a cocktail, expect to spend significantly more. The average cost for a cocktail in New York City in March was $16 and $14 in Chicago. And tickets to events such as the Great American Beer Festival in Denver can set you back $70 or more.

To save on drinks, opt for inviting a few friends over, BYOB, of course.