Average Financial Costs of Smoking
October 17th, 2009 | by Jeff Trikoleti |
The financial costs of smoking hits everyone hard. A whole lot of your hard earned cash goes right to the cigarettes, pipe tobacco, or chewing tobacco you buy. Right now, the average cost of a pack of cigarettes is four dollars. Ouch! That doesn’t sound like a lot when you say it costs four dollars for a pack of cigarettes, but let’s look at it with a wider perspective. Let’s say you smoke one pack of cigarettes a day. This is how much smoking cigarettes costs you:
One Day - $4.00
One Week - $28.00
One Month - $112.00
Smoking one pack of cigarettes a day will cost you approximately $1,344 per year.
You could put that money in a savings account. That’s a good down payment for a vehicle. After five years you could be very close to growing a down payment for a new home. You could put that money towards saving for your children’s future. Eighteen years of that money is $201,600! That could help put your child or children through college! That doesn’t even include the interest you will be paid for that money if you have it in a savings account, certificate of deposit, or a college fund. It would be substantially more.
Just imagine what you could do with the money if you didn’t have to spend it on nicotine products. And you don’t have to. That is a decision you are making. Every time you go to the store, you and you alone are making the choice to purchase a pack or carton of cigarettes. It is difficult to quit, but it is not impossible. You can make a different, better choice.
And it is not just savings you could use that money for. You could have extra cash for any other necessities. You could go on a vacation, buy a new computer, go out for dinner, and more. You could upgrade your home or your business. You could send your child or children to a great summer camp. You could pay for their sports activities, or put them in more extracurricular activities. You could start up your own business with the money you would save. You could work for yourself instead struggling for a paycheck that someone else controls. Just sit back and think about it for a few minutes. Using nicotine doesn’t just hurt your health and the health of everyone else around you; it hurts your bank
account. You go to work and work your butt off for the money you earn. You pay your rent, your utilities, and your phone bill, cable, buy groceries and clothing. Then you buy cigarettes or other nicotine products you have become dependent on.
The possibilities of what you could use that money for are endless. Use your imagination. What would you like to do that you currently can’t afford because you smoke? What would you like to do with that money instead of hurting your health and your financial status?
Zackery Lim
http://www.articlesbase.com/quit-smoking-articles/average-financial-costs-of-smoking-135879.html
7 Responses to “Average Financial Costs of Smoking”
By Pete V on Oct 17, 2009 | Reply
What are the financial implications of large numbers of people quitting smoking?
Here in the UK, our nanny state government has decreed that smoking will be banned in all public places. If this leads to mass quitting, there is going to be a black hole in the treasury coffers, as well over £4 from a £5 packet of cigarettes goes to the government. Based on 15 million smokers smoking an average of 20, thats £60million a day.
Are there any forecasts as to how much this might cost the UK taxpayer, and where the missing revenue will be recouped from?
In response to answer #1: the legislation has been extended to include private clubs in the ban.
& in response to answer #2: is the amount spent on healthcare for smokers greater than the amount earned from tobacco sales? I rather doubt it, but if anyone has figures to back that up, I would welcome them - along with details of the source, naturally.
By djotto00 on Oct 17, 2009 | Reply
People won’t stop smoking. We have had similar things happen in the US and people will not stop smoking. They will simply complain about the prices and then buy the same amount as they always have. Nor will people stop smoking in public places. The amount of smokers will decrease at those establishments and maybe smokers will start dining, drinking, etc at private clubs/resturants/places in order to continue their habit.
So I would say that not too many changes will arise.
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By ybhviper on Oct 17, 2009 | Reply
No because people will spend their money other places. Also the govt shells out huge amounts of money in healthcare for smokers. It will be a net save for the govt thats why they are doing it.
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By yielding on Oct 17, 2009 | Reply
One of many theories about the reasons behind such a move is that due to the increased taxation of cigarettes, many UK smokers have been turning to illegally imported cigarettes, which have actually reduced the amount of money the government recieve from the increased taxation on tobacco, and that by banning smoking in public houses, the availability of imported cigarettes and tobacco will be reduced; as much of the trade in these goods is done within pubs (but this is just a theory).
The alternate revenue that the government will recieve is already in effect, if you look at the statistics you will find that taxation on purchased goods, petrol and especially coucil tax have increased a staggering amount, while the weekly earning and benifits have remained the same.
It is doubtless that once the effects of lessened tobacco sales have reached the treasury, the poll tax will be extremely high, petrol will be as expensive as gold and alcohol and spirits will be taxed through the roof.
I personally decided to quit a couple of weeks ago, just before this decision came in - but I still disagree completely with the governments infringement on civil liberties.
Smoking is legal - cigarettes are legal, therefore it should not be a governmental decision on which public houses should and should not allow smoking. These matters should be left to the discretion of the pub landlord or the brewery. If a landlord chose to allow smoking in his bar, non-smokers would be free to seek out alternative pubs and clubs that would cater to non-smokers.
That’s what freedom of choice is all about.
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Just an opinion.
By melvinschmugmeier on Oct 17, 2009 | Reply
The overall cost of healthcare will drop because smoking causes so many illnesses and other health issues.
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By GamucciVapor on Oct 22, 2009 | Reply
Because of the major costs of smoking I started using vapor dubs. I’ve noticed that not only are my using costs less, but I’m not coughing so much.
By Easy way to stop smoking on Nov 4, 2009 | Reply
When I finally discovered that smoking takes about 1000 dollars every year I managed to quit smoking with a month.