A wise woman (actually a meme) once said that the holiday season is just a series of days with varying degrees of drunkenness. From the first week of December until the last, leading up to the New Year, it’s just inuman, formal inuman with workmates aka office Christmas party, inuman with family or a reunion, and mas bonggang inuman/New Year salubong.

But no one talks about the financial toll of going out this too often during the yuletide season. How much, for example, is a bottle of beer at a hip and happening bar? Multiply that to how many you can down and still manage to go home aka your tolerance level.

You are lucky if it’s a friend’s treat (happens very seldom) or if you’re drinking at home (who’s got the time though?). Last weekend in Poblacion, we find the ways on how to be present at all mandatory holiday night outs without spending all of your 13th-month pay and Christmas bonus.

*Can you guess who their special guest was?*

*It’s Miss International 2016 Kylie Verzosa announcing all the stops and the treats for everyone!*

With a little help from our friends from San Mig Light, who also celebrated its 20th anniversary through a bar-hopping tour of Poblacion, here’s how you too can make the best of your tight budget.

Go in groups

*Miss International Kylie Versoza, giving out free buckets of San Mig Light to groups of people in bars to celebrate the brand’s 20th anniversary*

This may already be a given for night outs, but it is especially important when availing group packages, whether when ordering food or getting drinks. Save from the daunting task of splitting the bill into equal parts, this has more cost benefits than cons, plus you may just have a room or a corner all to yourselves if you come in bulk.

During the tour of Poblacion, hopping from

Buy in buckets

If you and your friends are big on beer and other by-the-bottle drinks, this is a trick you should always have up your sleeves. Some bars offer 5+1 promos on drinks, or if you’re lucky like we were during the SanMig Light anniversary, you just might get a bucket for free.

Street food as pre-game pulutan

Here’s an open secret: Bar food is bad-tasting, greasy, and over-priced. Where else would you see a platter of fishball or kikiam barely a dozen but costs almost five times more than manong sells in the streets? Do what we did before the bar-hopping tour, where we feasted on cheap but substantial meals available at the tent in A Venue Bazaar. It’s basically street food at reasonable prices that could arguably do a better job of filling you up than that “plated tusok tusok” at the bar.

Take advantage of free shows

*San Mig Light put on a show for the crowd at the A Venue Bazaar in Poblacion featuring local up-and-coming acts.*

Instead of going to clubs with a door fee to dance the night away over “curated” Spotify music, why not go to a free show that also supports local up-and-coming artists? It’s free or sometimes with a minimal charge that comes with free beer and usually staged in less cramped spaces.

*Do take advantage as well of free photo opportunities like this well-lit set up near Z Hostel by San Mig Light.*

Promos, Promos, Promos

*Proof that San Mig Light once sold for P20 a bottle for a limited time all throughout Poblacion*

Whip up your app rewards or even your gift certificates and save up. This is easily the best and most economical way to save. That is next to Happy Hour promos and giveaways like the one San Mig Light had where they basically gave out buckets per table and sold their low-calorie beer for only P20. This really happened, except we had to rush because it only lasted for 20 mins. But still.

For more information about San Mig Light’s 20th anniversary, visit their Facebook page.

Get more stories like this by subscribing to our weekly newsletter here.

Whip up cocktails using only 3 ingredients

Where to go this week: a drinking library, a café that’s also a bar, and a wine depository