Government has it hands-down over drunken sailors when it comes to wastrel spending.

As ex-Navy, I can attest to the fact that many sailors — enlisted personnel and officers — tend to go a little wild during overseas port visits. They drink too much and don’t worry about saving money. Many have saved several paychecks up after two or three months at sea and are looking to enjoy themselves. So the phrase “spend money like a drunken sailor” makes sense to me.