Your blogger came across an interesting survey by the financial website Think Money.
They surveyed a thousand people and asked them a number of questions about their spending on a night out.
According to their figures, the average Brit spends £44.88 on a night out and we go out an average of 48 times a year or just under once a month.
This means that Joe or Jess Average is spending a little over £2000 a year on entertainment.
It may comes as no surprise to learn that 78% of people try to set a budget for a night out but only 21% stick to it.
People try to stay within the budget by a variety of methods. Leaving any cards at home is a popular method with 42% of people surveyed taking out just the amount of cash they intended to spend.
Are men or women the biggest spenders?
When it comes to different spending patterns between the sexes, men, on average, spend £12.29 more than women. Women typically spend around £40 (£39.25), this figure increases to more than £50 for men (£51.54).
What really surprised this blogger was that people in Belfast spent the most on a night out.
The top five spenders were:
Belfast £56.36
London £51.41
Edinburgh £50.40
Glasgow £49.23
Newcastle £48.94
The residents of Norwich spent least at £29.63.
Having just spent the weekend in London, your blogger is having difficulty swallowing the idea that a night out in London is only a quid more expensive than Edinburgh or a couple of quid dearer than Glasgow.
As you might expect from the 5pm Dining blog, we have a few 5pm suggestions which mean you can have a great night out without maxing out the budget.
You can browse our festive dining offers in Glasgow, Edinburgh and beyond from here.
Festive dining
The dining room at Grill at the Square.
For instance, among many options, The Grill at the Square (main pic) is offering two courses from the festive pre-theatre dinner menu plus a festive cocktail or bottle of beer for £18.50 per person.
If you fancy a few drinks, you may also want to take a look at this Big Deal from Hampton by Hilton.
Valid until the end of March, the offer is this: buy a £25 voucher and get a £50 spend on bar bites and drink from the Drinks & Snacks Menu.
Or buy a £50 voucher and get a £100 spend.