The Hidden Cost of Mommy Wine Culture -

While being a mom is amazing, it is also challenging, stressful, and exhausting. Many moms use alcohol as a way to deal with stress and unwind at the end of the day. If you go on social media, you have probably seen memes about drinking to deal with parenthood or pictures of your friends enjoying a drink. Over time (and with the help of marketing by “big alcohol”) this has morphed into something commonly referred to as “mommy wine culture.”

While there is a growing body of information on how this culture negatively affects a woman’s mental and physical health, there isn’t a lot that focuses on the financial implications. This article is going to take a deep dive into “mommy wine culture” and the devastating impact it can have on a woman’s short and long-term finances.

Image of a women's hand holding a glass of red wine which is where "mommy wine culture" gets it's name.

What is Mommy Wine Culture?

Mommy wine culture (a.k.a wine mom culture) is a social phenomenon that considers alcohol as the solution to the stress and challenges of motherhood. It has become normalized in today’s culture largely through memes, social media, and marketing tactics. You may have seen the wine glasses that say “mommy’s sippy cup” or “mommy juice”.

Or maybe you’ve seen the onesies that say “I’m the reason mommy drinks” or “mommy’s drinking buddy” with an image of a baby bottle next to a glass of wine. There is even an alcoholic beverage called “Mom Water” with each flavor being a different woman’s name. I used to laugh at stuff like this, but I now know better and can see how problematic it actually is.

So why is mommy wine culture so bad? Well first of all, it normalizes drinking as a coping mechanism for moms to deal with the stress and the challenges of raising kids. It does this while ignoring all the physical and mental health risks associated with regular alcohol consumption.

In addition, society also ignores the negative consequences regular drinking can have on our finances. Since this behavior is so ingrained in our culture, many moms feel pressured to drink to fit in and make friends with other moms.

Even if you don’t become addicted, consuming alcohol can negatively impact your life. Luckily, there has been a growing movement of women who are pushing back against “mommy wine culture.”

Example of mommy wine culture. There are 2 glasses with wine. One says "Michelle's sippy cup" and the other says "mommy fuel".

Why More Moms are Going Alcohol-Free

Each mom has their own reasons to give up alcohol. Potential benefits include improved health, better relationships, and more money in their bank account. You might be wondering how and why this alcohol-free movement started.

For starters, people are becoming more aware of the harmful health impacts from even just moderate alcohol consumption. According to the World Health Organization, drinking alcohol increases your risk of developing heart disease, liver damage, and cancer. It also affects one’s mental health, contributing to depression, anxiety, and alcohol use disorder.

Secondly, there has been a rising number of alcohol-free influencers on social media platforms like Instagram and Tik Tok. This makes it easier than ever to find a community of people to relate with and be inspired by. There are also plenty of Facebook groups for people who are sober or sober curious.

My favorite Facebook group is The Sober Mom Life. I joined it in 2022 when there were only about 500 members. Now, there are almost 81,000 moms in the group. Many of these moms struggle with alcohol abuse and addiction. Some of them though don’t have what society would consider a “drinking problem”. It is a great place for moms of all backgrounds to get support and inspiration.

The number of non-alcoholic beverages being produced has also sky-rocketed. It seems like every beer company has their own non-alcoholic drinks now. You can also find non-alcoholic wine and certain types of liquor. Even restaurants are following suit with many creating new “mocktail” menus. This allows someone who is alcohol-free to feel included and still be able to have fancy drink that feels “special.”

The Financial Impact of Mommy Wine Culture

Here are some other interesting findings from a 2024 Lending Tree survey:

58% of Americans surveyed report drinking alcohol
66% of parents with children drink
45% of drinkers report they’ve regretted overspending on alcohol
17% of drinkers say that buying booze has led to debt
26% of drinkers say they have a specific amount budgeted monthly toward alcohol
In the United States, people spend an average of $82 per month on alcohol
Millennials spend the most on alcohol, $110 per month on average.

The cost of alcohol adds up quickly. This is especially true when you drink while out at bars and restaurants. As noted above, people on average spend $82 per month on alcohol. Millennials are the biggest spenders, averaging a whopping $110 per month.

So it’s pretty obvious that cutting out alcohol will leave people with more money in their budget. This extra money can be used for family activities, travel, investing, paying off debt, or other savings goals. The biggest monetary loss people experience though is when it comes to investing (more specifically, a lack of investing).

Image of a bunch of silver coins stacked up with a blurry image of a clock in the background.

LOSS of potential interest from investments

Historically, the stock market yields an average return of 10%. If someone invested $82 per month instead of buying alcohol, they would end up with $56,358 after 20 years (assuming a 10% return). The total amount invested would only be $19,600 which means this person would have earned $36,758 in interest over 20 years.

Even if the rate of return was only 6%, you would still end up with $36,197. That is $16,597 worth of interest earned over 20 years, just by investing $82 per month. So, in the long run, your monthly drinking habit is costing you the potential to earn tens of thousands of extra dollars through investments.

To do your own calculations, check out this compound interest calculator.

impulse spending

Another potential financial benefit to cutting out alcohol is less impulse spending. I know I’ve definitely purchased things I don’t need on Amazon while drinking. And I know people who’ve impulsively bought expensive concert tickets or even booked trips while under the influence. These big purchases probably never would have happened if they weren’t drinking.

Food is also a huge trigger for some people (me) to spend impulsively. Countless times, I’ve spent a ton of money on food after a long night of drinking. I’m ashamed to admit that one time in college, I ate two Big Macs and two large fries in one sitting (seriously, wtf).

Granted, I had been binge drinking when the McDonalds event occurred, but even moderate drinking makes me eat more. I’m sure I’ve spent thousands of dollars on food while drunk over the years, and I know I can’t be alone on this.

Image of a fast food burger and fries representing impulsive spending on food due to alcohol consumption.

Tips to Start Your Alcohol-Free Journey

While the prevalence of mommy wine culture can make it very difficult to stop drinking, the growing sober or sober-curious movement is making things a little easier. Here are some tips to get started if you’re interested in ditching the alcohol:

Replace the ritual

If you are used to having a glass of wine while cooking dinner or at night after the kids go to bed, replace it with an alcohol-free beverage. It could be something as simple as sparkling water or you could make yourself a fancy mocktail.

Connect with alcohol-free communities online

As discussed earlier, there are thriving alcohol-free communities on Instagram, Facebook, and Tik Tok.

FIND ALTERNATIVE WAYS TO COPE AND RELIEVE STRESS

Try activities like yoga, meditation, reading, coloring, drawing, running, hiking, painting your nails, or crocheting.

EDUCATE YOURSELF ON THE NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF ALCOHOL

This can be done by reading books such as This Naked Mind or listening to podcasts. The Huberman Lab Podcast has a great episode about alcohol.

A mom who is pushing back against mommy wine culture and painting her nails as a way to relax at the end of the day.

Final Thoughts

Once you become aware of it, you will see mommy wine culture everywhere which is problematic for so many reasons. This article focused on the financial implications, such as increase in impulse spending and loss from not investing. In addition to the financial impacts, alcohol consumption negatively affects one’s physical health and can lead to mental health issues.

Now, I’m not telling anybody they need to stop drinking because each person’s journey is different. You are not a bad mom for drinking. What is important for one person, might not be important for another. But if you’re feeling stuck financially or personally, going alcohol-free might be worth giving a try. Despite what big alcohol and mommy wine culture want you to believe, we don’t need alcohol to “survive” the stresses of motherhood.