Do you think my friends' lifestyle is a waste of money and time ?
Based on your limited information, and since you are also invited, it means that the drinking/socializing isn't for productive activity, but for fun only. In this case, yes it's a waste of money. However, drinking/socializing can generate income if its purpose is work-related entertainment. I mean, when you are in business dealing with clients that can make you more money than you spend. Or to keep a good relationship with partners.
How much do you spend on such gatherings on average ? Please let me know.
As I said it depends on the purpose of the gatherings. If it's just for fun with "useless but I love" friends, then no more than 5% per month for them.
If it's for business then depends on the proposal value. Maybe 10%-20% including kickbacks.
All the gatherings are just for fun, nothing serious. They talk the same topics over and over again. Just take these drinking/socializing as entertainment, they are overdoing it.
This is considered a huge waste of money in many people's eyes cause most people don't earn much. Although I don't drink, occasionally I will treat them and pay the bills for the guesture of friendliness. Do you think my friends' lifestyle is a waste of money and time?
It depends on what stage of the life they are. If they already have a career, their own houses, consolidated family, solid income I think it's not a waste, because they have struggled building every steps upside to be where they are now, so they deserve to enjoy life the best they can. If they think to drink and eat out are decent rewards for what they have achieved so far, let them do this without guilt.
Everyone needs some relief from times to times, and such lifestyles are the answer for many to not fall in boredom and sadness. We can't judge them for this kind of behavior.
What you said is exactly what my friends explained to me. They can not stop this kind of gatherings because they will be bored and sad without the "leisure" time. They all have settled in terms of career, houses, family and solid income. Nothing to worry about particularly.
Although I don't drink, occasionally I will treat them and pay the bills for the guesture of friendliness. Do you think my friends' lifestyle is a waste of money and time ? How much do you spend on such gatherings on average ? Please let me know.
such habits are already included in habits of waste, and such habits must be avoided if a bright future is to be seen.
because if you get together and eat up to 4x a week and one meal can spend up to 1/5 of their monthly salary, of course over time their money will run out quickly, and if your friends are still continuing their habit, they are most likely borrowing money, or you do not know that your friends have a side business that earns quite a lot. what I want to know is how much your friend's salary is in a month?
Their salary is pretty big compared to the local average income so money is not an issue here. What I wanted to discuss is this lifestyle itself. None of us has any financial problems.
I alone in a month eat and gather with my friends at least once, because I am busy working and already have a family so I also prioritize my family rather than hanging out with my friends. and the costs spent on eating and hanging out with my friends, are not big, because I don't drink alcohol either, but I'm just a smoker.
and the costs spent are at most 30,000 in the currency of my country Indonesia.
Good for you not to spend much money on these stuff too. I just don't like to spend my money this way, not because I can not afford that.
Here is what happens to my friends and me and I am sure this is a reflection on different financial values and life attitude in general. Well, I don't drink any alchohol while a few friends of mine love drinking very much. They would gather to have dinner/drink almost every day(at least four times a week). I am often invited but due to my no-drinking habit, I usually turn the invitation down. We are all family men but they are a few years older than me. Their children are much older than my kid so probably they don't need their fathers' attention and time. I always put my family first so this is also one of the reasons I don't join them that frequently. Financially, every gathering meal/drinking is not cheap because it involves a lot of drinks and dishes. The average cost of such dinner/drinking is equivalent to 1/5 the average monthly income in the city where we live. So every month, the cost for these "gatherings" consumes all the income that a man can earn for months. This is considered a huge waste of money in many people's eyes cause most people don't earn much. Although I don't drink, occasionally I will treat them and pay the bills for the guesture of friendliness. Do you think my friends' lifestyle is a waste of money and time ? How much do you spend on such gatherings on average ? Please let me know.
Your friends must be either very rich(and hiding their wealth) or in big debt.
I guess that they have expensive dinners, because they can afford it. Personally, I don't go on restaurants because it seems like a waste of money (and I'm not a very social person). There's a thing called "lifestyle inflation". When your social status goes up, you start buying luxurious and expensive stuff, in order to show off and prove that you have money. This is nonsense, if you ask me, but that's human nature.
If you can't afford such expensive dinners, just don't pay the bill. Your friends probably have enough money to pay the bills.
We are all living comfortably so money is not a problem here. I'd rather say my friends are too bored and need to be drunk to feel great. I can surely afford the bills but just don't like to throw money like this. I expect meaning conversation with friends which they can not provide.
We all have social relationships in life, so looking at living expenses for this when people can't afford it, it will obviously upset the balance in life. I can be willing to pay the money after the fun with friends and I'm comfortable with that, although not too rich, I find that the OP's wasteful view and mine are not the same, because Life is not about hoarding wealth for anyone, know how to share within your ability.
I just don't like to spend money on stuff like drinking/meaningless meals. If it is for playing pool game or going on vacation, I'd like to spend, even to cover my friend's expenses. I just feel not productive when hanging out with friends addicted to alchohol.
