Bingo, Bitches

So I've got a new thing. And it's surprising, because:

a) I don't like change.
b) It involves gambling.

My new thing: bar bingo. I often visit a nice little dive bar in NE Minneapolis (Spring Street Tavern!), along with good friends Joy & Phil. Well, as we visited, we realized that on Tuesdays, they play bar bingo. Joy and I were intrigued, so we went on a Tuesday (as opposed to our usual Wednesday) to see what it was all about.

Good times, that's what it is! You can sit and drink your cheap beer, BS with your friends, and play bingo, all at the same time!! Plus, Celebrity Family Feud is on, so if bingo is slow, you can watch that. It's cheap (only $1/game) and fun.

So then we started to go regularly, and found out that they play bar bingo at another nearby bar (The Vegas Lounge) on Mondays & Wednesdays, too! So this makes it even more available - for better or worse.

This week, I joined Joy & Phil on Wednesday for bar bingo. I arrived late as I was working late that night; upon arrival, I bought a card, and WON!! Crazy. Then, a few games later, I won AGAIN! All told, I think I won $58 that night, and I only played 4 or 5 games. Sweetness.

Now, those of you who know me know how I feel about gambling in general. After seeing how much money a certain person I know went through by hitting the casinos, I really struggled with anything resembling a game of chance. But I've started to think of it instead as a form of entertainment, one in which I spend a set amount, and when that's gone, I'm done. Similar to buying a movie ticket; I know what I'm going to spend ahead of time, and stick to it. Same goes with the bingo. And maybe that's where I differ from you-know-who; I stay within my limits. I have a figure in mind before going, and only bring that much cash with. I put boundaries up, and remain vigilant to those.

Anyway, it's a change in thinking, and action, for me, but I think it's good. No one issue is 100% good or bad; I've just seen gambling as such a bad thing overall that I didn't give it a chance to be a little bit good. And for $13/week in bingo cards, plus beer, I find myself spending less on coffee, books, & movies than usual. Is bingo actually saving me money? Perhaps.

On Wednesday, it certainly did!!