How much $$$ did smoking cost & what have spent your savings on?

[AngeNZ]

6 months ago I was spending $45US a week on smoking (I'm in NZ)

Since then I've been able to buy a new phone, tablet, clothing and waaaaaaaaaay too much vape gear

For the first few months it felt like I'd won a small lottery ticket each week - until I started buying vape gear

Interested in what you have spent your 'winnings' on

 

[Jebbn]

10 months ago I spent $70au a week. That was already down from 5yrs ago when I dropped half of my daily cigs.
For me its not just saving money on tobacco. Since I quit Ive also dropped the amount of sugar and coffee products I buy. I just cant do sugar or coffee at the same level and intensity anymore!
I dropped a $30+ a week caffeine and sugar habit not long after quitting tobacco.
Basically been up $100 a week for nine months.
Ive bought an installed a lift kit on a 4x4 and spent the last 3months rebuilding the gearbox. I guess you could say thats where its gone but I was going to do that stuff and at that time anyway.

 

[corn flakes]

Smoking would be $4800 per year now.

After I built a stockpile so I don't have to care what manufacturers do, I set my vape budget to $50 per month. $100 extra in the hobby /mad money budget, the rest split to debt and savings.

I guess I am really boring.

 

[Hawise]

I was spending $140/ week five years ago. For the first year I kept a running tally of what I would have spent smoking vs what I was spending on vaping. Even with the start-up costs I was both thrilled and horrified by how quickly my savings reached $1000. I think I'd been in denial about the cost of cigarettes.

I can't really say what I spend the savings on at this point because it's been so long that I'm used to having them. I've made sure my TFSA (savings account) has been one of the beneficiaries, but it has eased up my budget as well.

I spent $300 on 6 months' worth of juice and ingredients a few weeks ago. I was grumpy about the dent that made in my bank account, but I'm feeling much better about it now that you've reminded me that it's less than half of what I was spending on cigarettes each month.

 

[Mowgli]

Me & Mrs spent $600/month between us on smoking
Now we vape for $20/month inc her BVC coils (DIY juice & rmo coils)

We have plenty of stuff upgrades & additions but our greatest $$ benefit is not being concerned about how we're going to afford next week's smokes.

 

[Baditude]

I spent roughly over $5 a day on Marlboro Menthol cigarettes a few years ago. Not sure how much that equates over a year, but that's $150 a month.

Once I had a couple of nice mod and tank setups, my subsequent costs per month were for just e-liquid and replacement coils. Probably $60 - $70 a month.

It would be even less if I built my own coils and made my own e-liquid ... which I've done. While they are still available, I prefer to use factory made replacement coils and commercially made e-liquid.

 

[r77r7r]

well, I'm older. The money that used to go to BT now goes to BP.

 

[Sugar_and_Spice]

When I made the switch cigarettes were much cheaper than today's prices. Rough estimates are in my signature line. What I have spent the extra $ on(other than vape gear) is just living life. Doing things I had no energy for/interest in when I smoked. ie...going sight seeing, traveling, trying new things......buying more clothes than I need........

 

[Alter]

With 2 of us smoking a pack a day at 12 bucks a pack it was $800 a month..that was 5+ years ago price. With rebuilding and DIY we both vape uncontrollably for @15 bucks a month.
Since 2013 we have bought 3 brand new off the lot vehicles that we could never have afforded smoking ciggys. 2013 GMC Terrain, 2015 Canyon and a 2016 Silverado. Its nice to flip the bird to the fat tobacco company execs who will never see another dime from us.

edit...now smokes are almost 16 bucks a pack so cig costs have gone up

 

[Anise]

In the last month I saved between $200-$400 (Thursday makes a month cig free). I spent it all plus some on vape stuff but don't have to buy anything for a while. If I can get SO to quit we'll save twice that each month.

 

[dennism]

I was spending about $5000.00 a year on cigarettes, with vaping I spend about $600.00 to $700.00 a year, that includes diy supplies, mods, tanks and coils.

 

[flavourchaser]

Smoking is really expensive here in Australia for me it's around $40 aud a packet a day. That works out to be $14,560 a year. I buy squonk mods and rda's, and other stuff with my winnings.

Now my main goal is trying to cut down or even quit on nicotine.

 

[Alter]

The thing I have realized eon ago between vaping and smoking. I do agree that Nic is addictive but the nic fits that happened when I smoked aren't there anymore. I forgot my smokes at home to run a errand...major catastrophe of not having a smoke, got home and "Get outta the way" to my smokes. Same with morning...rub eyes, scratch ballz and light a smoke. I don't have the nic fits at all, forgot vape at home...no problem. Morning vape...can wait for coffee and enjoy together, not scrambling to light that smoke. IMO Nic isn't as much of the problem smoking as the extra additives in the cig that hooks you along with giving you those nic fits.
Don't get me wrong....I still could do 25 to life for murdering a idiot for being stupid at the right time but with vaping I'd have a bit of time to think it out first.

 

[ScottP]

My wife and I both smoked at a cost of more than $360/month. We switched to vaping in Jan 2013 (wife did have a 1 year relapse but is back vaping). Now we spend less than $20/month. About the same time I "cut the cord" dropping my cable bill from $260/month to just $89/month for internet. So all told we cut expenses by more than $500/month.

We have bought all sorts of stuff with our "winnings". A sleep number bed, a top of the line 65" Sony OLED TV, a new Honda Pilot for the wife (HUGE down payment so monthly payment is only about $200), a 43" 4k TV for my office, and a whole lot more. I have also put a good bit of it in savings as well. I now have a kid starting college so I imagine a good bit will be going there in the near future.

 

[DaveP]

I buy a new mod here and there and call it FDA insurance. I'm still using the same Sally's Rayon box after more than 2 years after switching from KGD.

I spent about $40 to $50 a month on vendor juice years ago. $50 will buy a liter of 100mg/ml nic that lasts a couple of years. I spent money on 75 bottles of flavor when I started DIY. Several of those have run low and some have never been opened. Several are empty and need to be replaced. I tend to mix certain flavors more often than others.

Even before DIY I saved money every month over smoking. It's gotten much cheaper with DIY as long as I can keep the Shinyitus bug in check.

 

[Alter]

"cut the cord

If I assume what your talking about I did that also. Took a $130 TV bill and shrunk it to basic $38, 3 years ago. I have just taken the "box" 1 step further and now use it as a media server for a hardrive downstairs that I download into. We enjoy marathon watching seasons of shows that we no longer have that channel.
For those who like to figure out how things run and make better...A android TV box that is properly configured and streamlined removing the bloatware and useless crap. It took me 2 weeks to learn the box and 2 months after that too cut the cord.

 

[ScottP]

I am actually using Amazon Fire TV boxes on most TV's and a NVidia Shield in my office with some media apps. I have an attic mounted antenna to get live local TV and news and central media server that also runs NextPVR to record shows and stream live TV to any TV in the house from the antenna. I have more than I could possibly watch and no monthly bill (other than internet). PM me if you need any more details, I don't want to take this thread too far off topic.

 

[Joshua F.]

A year and a half ago I was spending $125 CAD smoking every week! Now I have so much extra cash but I can't figure out where it goes. Lol. Other than vape gear.

 

[DaveP]

I've looked at OTA antennas in Walmart, but never jumped and bought one. We get local stations from dish Network and we have Netflix. The Vizio 70" and the Hopper 3 have all the apps on board.

The cable company recently upgraded to fiber and the backbone runs down I-75 about 2 miles from our subdivision, so now I have 100mbps internet. Times have changed from when we built this house 20 years go. There was no internet other than AT&T DSL (6mbps) and cable was the only choice for TV.

So what does an OTA antenna give you above that? Is a 100 mile range really that if you buy the best? If so, I could get Atlanta, Columbus, and Albany stations direct. I guess that would be the only benefit from an OTA antenna.

 

[ScottP]

So what does an OTA antenna give you above that? Is a 100 mile range really that if you buy the best? If so, I could get Atlanta, Columbus, and Albany stations direct. I guess that would be the only benefit from an OTA antenna.

It's not what an OTA antenna gives you, it's what it takes away. It takes away that monthly Dish Network bill. If you really want to make sure you get the right antenna, I suggest looking up "Antennas Direct", give them a call and your address. They will look at the topography of your area, what stations there are, direction and distance from your house, and make a good recommendation for what to get. I got the one they suggested for me and it works perfectly. I did an attic install.

EDIT: You don't have to do it this way, but I got a dual USB TV Tuner and plugged it into a computer running NextPVR (free) and am using it to record shows like a DVR box and stream the live TV signals and recorded shows to any TV in my house with the one antenna.