Does anyone else having trouble breaking even?

[Douggro]

Wow Douggro, That is a deep story. Really sorry you went through all that.. I am really glad you got through it and are here sharing your story. Hope you get to see countless birthdays with your grandchild.

Thanks. I wasn't bemoaning what transpired with me having a heart attack. It was just an almost inevitable outcome of genetics and smoking for 30+ years. I rejoice that my friend, Larry Cerullo, introduced me to vaping. I was off the cigs completely within a week. That was August and I've been smoke-free since. 6mg juice is my standard for tootling and 3mg for my TC mod. And I'm grateful for the community I'm finding here in just a short time being here.

My kids are 22, 20 and 17. None of them have serious relationships at the moment; all are too busy with school. I may be 60+ before I get to hold that grandkid at the rate my crew are going.. Damn, what a shame for me to have to live that long to see it.

 

[MyMagicMist]

1 US Gallon = 3785.41ml

That link does go to RTS which does sell good Nicotine but you're bottle is 250ml of 100mg/ml Nicotine for about 30 dollars, not a gallon by any stretch. The link I posted is 1 US gallon (almost 3800ml), one gallon of Nicotine will never be sold for 15 dollars or anywhere near it.

Fair enough. I honestly had not looked into nicotine costs for a while. I saw RTS selling it in smaller sizes. I needed to see the bottles to gauge what friend had got. I saw and could then, see my error. That's why I linked to them. I apologize for my error. As I've said not really gotten into the DIY for myself. It's an error of honest ignorance, human fault.

 

[MyMagicMist]

And yes, rebuilding an atty sounds complicated at first, and then you do it and it becomes old hat, boring, tedious, and time consuming. I rebuild Kanger T3 bases, which aren't technically considered rebuildable (but, like most things, can be). It would be less tedious if I didn't let fifty build up before doing it... Your average RBA is built for it and should be a lot easier than my bases.

Plus I'm visually impaired and a major klutz. If I can do it, anybody can do it.

Thank you for the nudge of confidence. At times my nerves decide upon going haywire. That mixed with some arthritis can deter me from working with little things.

 

[Devn]

I think that since i and my wife have started vaping, we are spending more on vaping--not by much, but still a little more. however, the health benefits of vaping over smoking can never be measured in terms of dollars (or whatever currency you use). So for us, the extra cost is worth it.

Plus we get new flavors every once in a while and new mods, tanks and atomizers from time to time. It keeps things fresh and exciting. You cant really say that about smoking stogs (unless you count the time where i tried a camel crush for the first time, it was pretty exciting breaking a capsule inside your filter to get the menthol, but that's really pretty much it ).

 

[Spencer87]

Wait... There is an even?

 

[GeorgeS]

I suppose after 7mo's I'm barely breaking even. I have enough mods and tanks to get me through 'black friday' without wanting to buy anything. The 40% raw nicotine is going to be difficult to pass up. I'll likely get a few more 1000ml bottles for the freezer.

The major expenditures were the big ticket mods. Then there was the seemingly 'tank of the month' which are much less expensive but still add up.

 

[Rizzyking]

Rebuilding coils really isn't that hard or time consuming once you've done it a few times and the savings over premade can be astronomical, I can recoil and rewick my six tanks in fifteen minutes and I am by no means brilliant at it less time then it takes to order and install stock premade. Diy juice is also a lot easier then many think and nicotine liquid is not as dangerous as many believe with basic common sense, those two areas will have you in the black very quickly and give you a sense of both satisfaction and control as you can tweak things to exactly your taste.

 

[gadgetkeith]

what is realy meant by breaking even ?

your weekly or monthly budget how much you spend on vape gear compared to the old analogs

or overall how much you spent on either ?

the way i see it is i have smoked for over 30yrs and when i input the basic numbers into one of the banners we use i was pretty shocked at the overall amount i have spent on tobacco products over the years and also considering that the biggest part of all that money is goverment tax

i could of had a second house if i had not smoked ( do the maths and see how much you spent on tobacco over the years)

so in my head a so called vape budget does not realy exist and neither does the so called breaking even thing

if it does then i will always be better off with my vape spending as its gonna take some serious spending to top my overall tobacco outlay of the past

just found this pic on the web and if you could price every item in the pic i would still be up on so called vape budget etc

 

[KY_Rob]

Back when I quit smoking and started vaping, smokes were going for $45 a carton (that was $225 a month for me). I made it a point, to only ever spend on vaping what I would've spent on smoking. For a little past the first two years, I was right at the very edge of spent too much vs "under budget". During that time, I'd owned everything from cig-a-likes to $300 mods and $200 tanks. Thanks to the classifieds here, I've been able to recoup at least some of what I spent on expensive gear that didn't really work well for me. Since the first of March of this year, I've spend a total of $568, vs the $1700+ I would've spent on stinkies. Essentially, I've found the setup that works perfect for me, and now it's only maintenance and use.

Sounds to me like you're doing about right OP

 

[Mad_Squirrell]

This should be interesting to actually total up !So lets see I would have spent $4,942.00 year to date on cigs. I spend on average $60.00 a week on juice and supplies(coils,wire cotton etc.) that comes out $3,120 for the year . plus my mods and tanks .Keep in mind I usually never buy at full retail on devices I wait until today's hot item has lost its luster a bit and I can pick it up cheap . so ill list my stuff with prices that I have acquired over the last year to date.All items were bought new unless it was given to me ..... Mods:2 ego twist's 1100 mah $19.00 ea ($38),MVP 2.0$ 49.00, I-stick 50W $60.00, IPV mini $35.00 ,EHPRO 50W $10.00 ,Egrip 20W with RBA $33.00,Origin UVO tube clone $5.00,V3Tronics authentic flip free (gift),Praxis tube infinite clone $8.00 ,REO Grand $40.00(black friday sale this week ) thats $278.00 total on mods. Now atty's : 2 Zephyrus tanks $5.00 each($10.00),Lemo 2 $1.00 ,Kanger Subtank mini $35.00 ,Aspire Atlantis $18.00 ,Kayfun V4(clone) 2X $18.00($36) ,2 Kayfun lite plus $30.00 & $15.00(clones) Kayfun Mini and a Ivogo 14500 tube mod free(gift) , 2 Zenith clones $10.00, Stillaire clone $5.00 , Derringer clone $5.00 ,Vulcan,Marquis,Mephisto,Plume vail ,TOBH(clones) all free with juice orders ,and looking in my vape drawer 4 i clear 16D's I think I paid $8.00 a piece for em so ($32) aspire CE5 $6.00,4Smok tumblers at $5.00 ea ($20) and an authentic Challice III free with my REO .So total on atty's $223.00 for a grand total of $3621.00 total spent . So I saved $1321 net over smoking. If you are patient and don't chase after the next shiny object to hit the market and wait for sale and clearance items you can do it.

 

[Mad_Squirrell]

This should be interesting to actually total up !So lets see I would have spent $4,942.00 year to date on cigs. I spend on average $60.00 a week on juice and supplies(coils,wire cotton etc.) that comes out $3,120 for the year . plus my mods and tanks .Keep in mind I usually never buy at full retail on devices I wait until today's hot item has lost its luster a bit and I can pick it up cheap . so ill list my stuff with prices that I have acquired over the last year to date.All items were bought new unless it was given to me ..... Mods:2 ego twist's 1100 mah $19.00 ea ($38),MVP 2.0$ 49.00, I-stick 50W $60.00, IPV mini $35.00 ,EHPRO 50W $10.00 ,Egrip 20W with RBA $33.00,Origin UVO tube clone $5.00,V3Tronics authentic flip free (gift),Praxis tube infinite clone $8.00 ,REO Grand $40.00(black friday sale this week ) thats $278.00 total on mods. Now atty's : 2 Zephyrus tanks $5.00 each($10.00),Lemo 2 $1.00 ,Kanger Subtank mini $35.00 ,Aspire Atlantis $18.00 ,Kayfun V4(clone) 2X $18.00($36) ,2 Kayfun lite plus $30.00 & $15.00(clones) Kayfun Mini and a Ivogo 14500 tube mod free(gift) , 2 Zenith clones $10.00, Stillaire clone $5.00 , Derringer clone $5.00 ,Vulcan,Marquis,Mephisto,Plume vail ,TOBH(clones) all free with juice orders ,and looking in my vape drawer 4 i clear 16D's I think I paid $8.00 a piece for em so ($32) aspire CE5 $6.00,4Smok tumblers at $5.00 ea ($20) and an authentic Challice III free with my REO .So total on atty's $223.00 for a grand total of $3621.00 total spent . So I saved $1321 net over smoking. If you are patient and don't chase after the next shiny object to hit the market and wait for sale and clearance items you can do it.

I almost forgot two clone 4.0 foggers $10

 

[AndriaD]

Nope I am saving money hand over fist versus smoking, then again I never did catch the shinyitis bug. My biggest expense is the pre-made juice I love but I cut it at 1/4 strength with unflavored to further increase my savings. I know I will probably catch some flack for this but I never did understand why you need 20 mods and atties with only one mouth and set of lungs. Yes I have heard all the reasons multiple flavors, you enjoy it, etc. I'm just saying for me and how I vape it's not worth it.

Same for me, though in my first year and a half as a vaper, I had a *mild* case of shinyitis, which was mainly just exploring to find my own perfect setup; since getting my CoolFire IVs and Achilles RDAs, shinyitis seems to have bitten the big one. Since I DIY 99.99% of everything I vape, I have massive savings over what I once spent as a smoker, and even over my initial spending as a vaper. Out of the "savings" shown on my banner, I doubt I have spent even half that much on vaping, so I'd say I'm pretty far ahead of the game.

Andria

 

[Heybilox]

Not really calculating the costs of vaping vs smoking but my wife keeps me updated of credit card charges as they so can profieciently do. I see it as a new hobby and a life style change.I've recently retired and enjoy this new gig. I've dug up some of my old tools like my dusty multimeter, wire cutters, etc. Today was down to the TSC and purchased some more syringes and needles (for vetrinary use only; sure they are) and I'm even putting in my own 2 cents worth when shopping with my wife for flavorings because they all won't be used for Christmas baking, if you know what I mean.
Sure there are costs involved and we all proceed on this journey at a different pace.
It's tough to put a price on happiness and right now it's all good.
And tomorrow is CYBER MONDAY and 'the plastic' will be placed readily within reach.

 

[mattiem]

I ran the numbers after my first year. I was well over $1000.00 in the black. I actually spent a lot while finding what worked best for me. A new vaporer has lots more choices today and if they don't have to have every new shinny that comes along they can vape for pennies on the dollar compared to buying smokes.

a lot of what I have spent during the past 2 years was to make myself self-sufficient. I could easily vape for the rest of my life and not have to spend another dollar but where's the fun in that

 

[Stinkytofus]

Haha, just a bit of a frivolous comment, but as I am an uncurable spreadsheet nerd I thought I'd try to forecast when I'd break even after vaping after seeing all the inpressive banners.... Oh dear - shouldn't have done that! I live in acountru where cigs are extremely cheap - they were just hiked up to USD 4 per pack. I spent a good 7-8 months tinkering and didnt quite commit to vaping, but bought USD 1,500worth of gear, juices etc (including a faulty ego one and a provari which is mostly relegated as a back-up to my i-stick, sorty, don't see what the fuzz is all about). Now that I have switched 100pct (22 days yay!) I find that the one thing that really sustains me is my Kentucky Premium blend. At 4-5 ml a day that's a wopping 65USD per month. Factoring in atomizers, some diy flavours and some smallish buys as well as the KBP it will be around Mid-2017 before I break even - and that's for a 1-2 pack a day habit. Arghhh. I really wanted the subox mini!! Anyways - just sharing. I guess the good bit is that I am in so deep now that going back to analogues would make all the investment worthless. (And just to lighten up - I am a runner and am now seeing massive improvements in both pace and distance I can run, so truly seeing the benefits!).

Does anyone else feel that the economics just aren't as rosy as they had thought?

A mod
A rta
Diy juices
Materials

Shouldnt run u more than 400

 

[hurricanegirl100]

You don't NEED to DIY to break even. Like a lot of OP have already said, the first year or so of Vaping can get pricey as you search for your perfect set-up.

That said, once you're happy with your gear, the search can be on for affordable e-juice that makes you happy. I've found those, and my premade e-juice costs me around fifty to sixty dollars a month. Every other month, I'll spend another thirty bucks on BCC coils.

I'm happy with my Coolfire IVs and my four mechs. Hardly ever buy new tanks or batteries anymore!

When I quit smoking and switched over to vaping, I was paying five dollars, every day, for a pack of cigarettes. Now, they're seven...7 x 30 = 210. Vaping, including coils, approximately $75 per month.

Way, way ahead financially. and, as an added bonus, I can breathe normally again!

 

[hurricanegirl100]

Oh..I spent around twenty bucks last year on Kanthal and organic cotton for my RDAs. Still have plenty left from last year's order!

 

[Nimaz]

I am not saving any money from vaping over smoking! Because I am using all the money not spent on cigarette on other stuffs. It's more about the money I don't spend on cigarettes than the money I save. My 8 years old will have a blast on Christmas.

 

[AndriaD]

I am not saving any money from vaping over smoking! Because I am using all the money not spent on cigarette on other stuffs. It's more about the money I don't spend on cigarettes than the money I save. My 8 years old will have a blast on Christmas.

Well yeah that's sorta the whole point -- you can't take it with ya! They don't make hearses with luggage racks!

Andria

 

[Douggro]

Well yeah that's sorta the whole point -- you can't take it with ya! They don't make hearses with luggage racks!

Andria

Mom says "You'll never see a U-Haul follow a hearse."