Dry January is a great personal challenge to set for yourself in the new year. All you have to do is abstain from drinking alcohol for the entire month of January as a way to test your willpower and get a healthy start to the year after weeks of indulging in everything from spiked eggnog to champagne.
If that’s not enough incentive to participate in Dry January, you should know that the month can be really beneficial for your wallet.
How Is It Good for Your Wallet?
First, it will save you from the cost of drinks for an entire month. If you drink regularly, this can put a lot of money back in your wallet. Stopping yourself from buying one $5 drink per day will save you $155 by the end of the challenge.
You won’t just save on the cost of drinks. Dry January will stop you from falling for all the other trappings of drink culture, like bar tips, taxi rides, junk food and drunk impulse shopping at the end of the night. You won’t have to empty your wallet for these expenses when you’re stone-cold sober.
What Should You Do with These Savings?
It depends where you are financially. If you have a bit of debt sitting on your credit card after the holiday season, then you should use those savings to pay down that balance. The faster that you tackle that balance, the better.
If you drained your savings account in the last month, then this could be your best bet to replenish it. Having some savings set aside will help you prepare for any emergency expenses that crop up.
What if you have an emergency and not enough savings? Then, you could apply for a personal line of credit. It’s a great solution for moments when you don’t have enough savings to deal with an emergency and you need money now to handle it. If your application is approved, you can borrow funds to pay for the expense as quickly as possible and then make repayments later.
If your credit card balance and savings funds are in a good place, you can use the savings to do whatever you want. Sign up for a gym membership! Get a new pair of boots! Splurge at your favorite restaurant!
What Are Other Benefits of Dry January?
Saving money isn’t the only perk of joining Dry January. Here are just three perks you can expect from committing to the challenge:
Better Sleep
You might find that you sleep like a baby by the end of this month. This is because alcohol disrupts your sleep cycle and makes it difficult to get good-quality rest. So, skipping the nightcap before bed could help you feel much better in the morning.
Weight Loss
Alcohol is high in calories. It stops your body from burning fat. It can push you to make impulsive food choices. It’s also dehydrating, which can make you bloated.
So, replacing your boozy drinks with water could help you look trimmer in a matter of weeks.
Drinking Less
After going through Dry January, you might realize that you don’t need to drink as much as you used to. You can drink less alcohol and still enjoy yourself. In fact, you might be tempted to stop drinking alcohol altogether and embrace the sober lifestyle.
Are you up for the challenge? Try to go drink-free this month and see what a difference it makes in your life!
About the Author/s
The New Jersey Digest is a new jersey magazine that has chronicled daily life in the Garden State for over 10 years.
