How Much Do You Spend on Smoking
The economic crisis we have today is nothing short of serious. Concrete actions have to be taken to ensure that bills are covered, food is on the table, and extra cash is available for anything else. For this reason it’s crucial to consider your spending habits. If you are spending money unnecessarily, now is the time to reflect and take steps toward using your money wisely. Let’s begin with your smoking habit.
Do you feel that you want to quit yet lack the motivation to? Have you tried quitting in the past only to face failure? Maybe you haven’t considered the actual costs of smoking. Ask yourself this question: How much do you spend on smoking? Of course, you should keep in mind that smoking kills. Unfortunately, for some, the issue of how much they actually spend on this bad habit proves more significant than the health hazards.
An Example of What Smoking Costs
An average American smoker may consume up to 20 cigarettes a day. That’s about one pack. If you are living in New York and smoking this much a day, that would be $10 everyday for you. Cheaper cigarettes may come at $8 a pack but if your prefer Marlboros, then that definitely would cost you.
So at a minimum of a pack per day, in a week that would be $70. In a month, approximately $210 and in a year or 365 days that’s $3650! Think of all the money you can save. In a week alone, $70 can get you a new iPod Shuffle or new pair of Nikes. If you save your entire budget for cigarettes in a year, you would have enough to buy a second hand car and a laptop. With $3650 you can even take a week long European cruise and have enough money for shopping.
Multi-pack Smoking Costs Much More
True be told many smokers consume far more than one pack a day. I recall when two or even three pack days were pretty common for me. At that point, I had really good but very expensive health insurance and my smoking habit cost about half what my monthly health insurance cost. My health insurance was partially tax deductible, but my cigarettes were not.
Tax-free Money
If you think it, quitting smoking is like giving yourself a hefty raise that won’t increase your taxes. The money you save can buy be spent on insurance, leisure, home improvement or other things that are on you wish list. Take that trip you have been planning or buy your mom that piece of jewelry she’s always wanted. Put the money you normally spend on smoking into a retirement account or a college fund for your kids. You would not only be healthier, you would even make yourself or other people happy by spending your hard earned income on things that really matter.