posted on March 27, 2002 02:04:42 AM new
Hi Everyone,
I thought I would just share a little insight with you about the cost of smoking. After 10 years of smoking, I quit in March 1982. It's been 20 years now. Can you imagine how much money I have save in all those years.
In Michigan, where I live, the average cost of cigarettes is $35.00 per carton. If you smoke one carton per week, you will spend $1,820.00 per year smoking. For that amount of money, you could buy a new living room set including sofa, chair, end tables and lamps.
Next year, you could throw them out and buy a brand new living room set. Or you could buy a new bedroom set, including mattress and foundation, head board, dresser, and night stands.
The year after that, you could throw those out and buy a new bedroom set. Or you could buy brand new kitchen appliances. A range, refrigerator and dishwasher.
The year after that, you could take a very nice vacation. Think of the places that you might like to go, but can't afford it. Florida, California, Las Vegas, Hawaii, maybe a very nice cruise.
Well, I think that you get it. Smoking is really expensive!
posted on March 27, 2002 05:50:51 AM new
Is the increasing cost of cigarettes reducing the number of smokers? Probably not by much, as addicts will forego food, clothing and other necessities to get their fix at any price. This is a strange game the government plays, whereas they support the tobacco farmers in every way possible then they put taxes on the cigarettes and sue the tobacco companies. The true high cost of smoking is the number of deaths and illnesses caused by it and the number of kids hooked every year.
yeager- you must have some very happy sanitation men!
posted on March 27, 2002 07:34:07 AM new
I know I've saved a huge amount of money these past 7 years. I started smoking when a pack was 25-cents and stopped when it was $2.00 a pack.
posted on March 27, 2002 05:16:10 PM new
My beautician put a huge glass jar near her work station. Every day she put the same amount of money she spent for cigs in the jar. Every time she got the urge to smoke, she looked at the jar full of money.
posted on March 28, 2002 01:12:09 AM new
Even after 20 years of not smoking, I sometimes still get the craving for a cigarette. It usually happens when a person lights a menthol cigarette, and I'm standing near them. When this happens, I have to quickly walk away and ask myself the 3 questions.
1. Do you always want to be broke due to the expense of smoking? NO
2. Do you wasnt to smell like a dirty, over flowing ashtray? NO
3. Do you want to die from a horribly painful death from the many cancers realted to smoking? NO
These three factors keep me from smoking. QUITTING Its one of the VERY BEST THINGS I'VE EVER DONE! in my life.
[ edited by yeager on Mar 28, 2002 01:13 AM ]
That might have a certain amount of truth to it. However, if our aging population is going to require extensive medical care due to the many concerns of smoking, then we may have to worry about the stability of Medicare in the future.
