Happy belated Valentines Day!
It’s the end of February.
We are two months into 2026. I feel like New Year’s was yesterday. Time truly does wait for no one. So you have to decide not only how you want to spend your time, but also your money.
It’s the age old question: Do I live for today or save for tomorrow?
We know most folks would rather splurge on experiences such as Beyonce or Taylor Swift concert tickets, but hear me out.
Holidays are major alcohol consumption times.
We know plenty of couples around the world drink a good bottle of wine with their special Valentine. However, let’s take a deeper dive into what this wine consumption costs.
After all, holidays are for socializing. Good food and conversation just go together. Cracking open a bottle of wine just gets the party going!
Top Holidays for Wine Consumption
Thanksgiving (Nov): The primary holiday for food-focused drinking, leading to high wine, beer, and liquor consumption.
New Year’s Eve (Dec 31): A major, if not top, celebration for Champagne and sparkling wine toasts.
Christmas/Winter Holidays: A major “sipping season” for wine and beer.
Key National Wine Holidays (Observances)
Global Drink Wine Day (Feb 18): Dedicated specifically to enjoying a glass.
National Wine Day (May 25): A day dedicated to celebrating wine consumption.
National Red Wine Day (Aug 28): A specific day for red wine, often followed by variety-specific days like Pinot Noir Day (Aug 18).
Open That Bottle Night (Last Saturday in Feb): Encourages drinking a special bottle.
However, good wine isn’t cheap.
Top-tier or “premium” wine prices vary widely based on region, reputation, and rarity, with high-quality bottles often ranging from $50 to over $500+, while ultra-premium or iconic wines (e.g., Napa Cabernet, top Burgundy) frequently exceed $1,000.
You may think $1,000 for one bottle of wine is excessive. A connoisseur may beg to differ.
One of the most outrageous amounts I have ever heard about wine consumption goes no none other than Hollywood actor Johnny Depp.
Johnny Depp’s monthly wine budget was reported to be approximately $30,000, according to legal documents from a 2017 lawsuit with his former management firm, TMG. While TMG cited this as evidence of excessive spending, Depp later remarked that the actual amount was “far more”.
I can’t make this stuff up.
In a 2018 interview, Depp disputed the $30,000 figure as “insulting,” stating that he actually spent considerably more, say Rolling Stone and People.com.
The wine budget was part of a larger, alleged $2 million monthly expenditure to maintain his lifestyle, notes The Gentleman’s Journal.
That mean Mr. Depp is spending $360,000+ a year on wine. Holy cow!
That just also happens to be the compensation limit on a SEP IRA.
For the 2025 tax year, the SEP IRA contribution limit is the lesser of 25% of an employee’s compensation or $70,000. This contribution must be made by the employer (including self-employed individuals) and is based on a maximum compensation limit of $360,000 (if the 25% rate is used). Contributions must be made by the employer’s tax return deadline, including extensions.
Let’s just say, he contributes just $70,000 of the $360,000 per year he is spending on wine into his IRA.
Within 10 years, wait for it…he has $1.2 million stashed away.
Therefore, he is drinking away millions!
According to Yahoo Finance, a $10,000 investment in Netflix (NFLX) at its 2002 IPO would be worth over $3 million to $5 million today due to massive growth and stock splits. More recently, a $10,000 investment made 10 years ago (circa 2015-2016) would be worth roughly $100,000 to over $135,000 today.
Key Historical Returns (as of late 2024/early 2025):
IPO (2002): A $10,000 investment would be worth roughly $3.2 million to $5 million today, as 666 shares split into 9,324 shares.
10 Years Ago (2014-2015): A $10,000 investment would be worth approximately $111,000 to $135,000+.
Therefore, knowing all this information, you have to decide which path in life you prefer.
You can party and act like a rockstar/movie star or you can invest and be a financial rock star. You just can’t be both.
My suggestion is that you choose freedom over consumption.
Miriam started Greenbacks Magnet in 2016 to keep a scorecard of her goal of $1M in investable assets. Armed with a Master in Management (MiM) and a calculator, she teaches readers how to achieve financial independence while also helping them learn how to smell the roses along the way. The palpable response she got from sharing her personal finance goal in a public speaking course at Georgetown University encouraged her to share her story and teach finance on her website. She invests in AI companies as artificial intelligence is the new iPhone of the moment as she likes to invest in companies that are disruptive.