As with anything else, staying within a budget requires planning.  The Herald-Mail has a few suggestions on keeping your costs down when stocking your home bar.  The author suggests limiting your spend on mixers and using fresh ingredients to save a few bucks.  Of course, it is important to focus on liquors you really need when stocking your bar.  Pick out a few recipes with some common ingredients before hitting the liquor store.  The last thing you need when walking in is a credit card and great imagination.

One tip referenced in a previous post was to pick up one bottle of liquor with each paycheck.  This will keep some variety in your bar and help prevent you from walking out with $300 in booze.

Any other ideas on how to save money when stocking your home bar?  Sound off in the comments.

Because your guests can’t survive on rum alone, here is a good video on the key bottles that you’ll want to stock your bar with, along with descriptions of the winners.

Once you’ve got the basics covered, you’ll need some tiki-specific selections in order to be prepared for all those Zombies and Test Pilots you’ll be mixing up.  Here are a few more bottles you may want to start with.

• Light Rum – Cruzan Estate Light or Bacardi Carta Blanca
• Golden Rum – Gosling’s Gold
• Dark Rum – Gosling’s Black Seal or Cruzan Black Strap
• Overproof Rum – Bacardi 151 or Wray & Nephew White Overproof
• Orange Curacao – Holland DeKuyper

You never know what cocktails that people might want, so keep that bar stocked with a little bit of variety to keep your guests happy.  Some vodka, tequila, scotch, and a couple of other alternatives should fit nicely with all of those rum bottles.

Happy shopping!