Money (well) spent

[KevinD872]

It's been just a few days over 1 month since I received my first e-cig (over-priced cheaply made mall type ordered online) and it didn't take long for me to upgrade to a 510, extra parts and add-ons, lots of juice, and I recently have ordered flavorings and enough PG, VG, and 48mg nic juice to keep me and my wife going for probably close to two years. HOPEFULLY, I am done with buying parts and juice for a while. So I decided to see just how much this new hobby of mine has cost me in just one month:

$777.77 (seriously, and it seems like a lucky number too!) looking at all receipts I can find from all of my online purchases. But I would say it's safe to round that up to around $800-$825 when you include little things here and there that I have forgotten about (such as the "perfect 510 case" for $1.50, etc). I've done the math and considering me and my wife used to go through $80 worth of smokes per week, I estimate that we are currently in the hole around $460 and will most definitely break even sometime close to the end of October so long as nothing breaks (and of course we DO have spare parts). Although I have been eyeing those new longer-lasting 510 batteries.......

I certainly do NOT want to scare anyone considering switching to e-cigarettes away! While I know I am not alone in going overboard, you really can get yourself a nice e-cig for around $60, with an e-juice supply costing you on average maybe $50 a month (and I think I am guessing on the high side). Much less than most spend on cigarettes.

Having said that though..... What about some of you other vapers out there? How long have you been vaping? How much have you spent? When will you break even? How long will your stash last? I just thought it'd be interesting to see the lows and highs amongst our group here.

 

[AngusATAT]

So far I've spent $310 on my pv stuff, and will be spending more over the next few months. I know that I will break even eventually, but honestly, I'm not worried about it. I'm tobacco free with no desire for a cigarette for the first time in my life. I know that as long as I can vape, I will never smoke again. I can't put a price tag on that.

 

[jj2]

Major part of the cost was pre my favorite, but I'm at about $500.
But I got about fifty atomizers and several extra cartridges and the fixings for the juice.
Batteries: Only about six but have more coming and I'm learning how to make my own.
The cost is still rising because I'm still buying--want more batteries, chargers, Passthroughs.
If the ban hits and I can't buy them, I'll still be spending money on parts to make my own power sources.
Right now, it's up there but after a point, and I'm set for a long long long time, the cost will end up to being nothing compared to what I'd eventually have spent on analogs.

 

[Mac]

I haven't spent anything at all. Been vaping since January and it has made me a (modest) living. Any money spent on carts or electronics was money spent out of my weekly paycheck which I earned selling e-cigs at the mall. Now how much time I have invested is a different story. 50+ hours a week since January.

 

[Moonflame]

Vaping since June 24th, and I've spent just over $1000. That includes 2 mods and the batteries to keep them running for a long time, 24 extra atomizers (enough that even if 2 die a month I have enough for a year), 5 801 atomizers just to see what they are like with the VP2, and enough unflavored juice and flavorings to last me for at least a year. Plus my starting kit and various flavors that got me started. I should break even around Christmas. I would have spent over $2000 for a year of smoking so for half that I'm vaping. I could have done it much cheaper, but I'm obsessive .

 

[nocomply]

it would be bare minimum for me, if I was just a normal person using a pv. But, I tend to like to try different things, plus I've started selling pv's locally. So, I've spent about 1500 on my 4 units, and stuff I've bought to sell. I find my monthly juice cost is likely to very low, even if I bought it retail. For some reason, a 10ml bottle is lasting me over 2 weeks, but I use the pv all day, all the time, former pack a day smoker.

 

[LaterSkater]

Okay, maybe talking about it will help. My name is Dave and I am an e-cig gear addict. I have been vaping for about 2 and 1/2 weeks and spent $929.29. I know I am powerless over my addiction and I need help from a higher source (wife) Hahahaha!!!! I tend to go a little ape s**t when I get into something. Ya think??? I have a POS mall type ecig, a 510, a 801, a 901 a Prodigy and an Adaptever, tons of liquid batteries atomizers, carts and a DIY kit from Dawn. I also have various storage and carrying cases. On the list of things to get.... a Silver Bullet, a Pure Smoker pass through and a s**t load more of 510 and 801 atomizers. So maybe another three to four hundred. I will take about a year to break even, but health wise, I am WAY ahead. Plus, my new hobby/addiction keeps me off the streets! 8-o

 

[KevinD872]

My name is Dave and I am an e-cig gear addict.

Hi Dave! (Sorry, couldn't resist)

Anyway, as others have pointed out, yes I agree that the important thing is that we are no longer smoking. Even though I know that realistically I'm sure I'll spend more money on them again in the near future, it is most definitely worth it.

My wife wasn't too thrilled when I broke the dollar amount to her, but she knows we are better off and will save lots of money over the years to come.

 

[tromboneking]

Hi Dave! (Sorry, couldn't resist)

Anyway, as others have pointed out, yes I agree that the important thing is that we are no longer smoking. Even though I know that realistically I'm sure I'll spend more money on them again in the near future, it is most definitely worth it.

My wife wasn't too thrilled when I broke the dollar amount to her, but she knows we are better off and will save lots of money over the years to come.

Kevin, my girlfriend was the same way...told her that I spent x dollars and she almost flipped her lid until she found out that it is healthier than smoking analogs. I couldn't tell you what I paid so far since the end of Jun but I'd say it's probably around 500-700 for all the extras and juices...my only problem is that I keep buying 30ml of different juices from suppliers instead of getting some samplers first.

 

[BenJammin]

I've been vaping almost exclusively since the beginning of the third week of January 2009! There was a brief stint in July after I somehow misplaced my charger for my RN4081 and I regretably succumbed to the siren song of Stupid Sticks, but that didn't last too long since I really couldn't enjoy them anymore. I went back through all my e-mail receipts and order confirmations and totaled them up. The grand total was $811.73. This does not count the re-purposed accessories like carrying cases, storage boxes, etc. and other items obtained spur of the moment locally. Averaging the costs per carton and costs per pack, and allowing for the massive tax increases back in March/April, and factoring in my former 2 pack a day habit, I would have spent nearly...this can't be right...
$2,250 on analogs to date. Ye Gods! So that's where all my money was going8-o! That means I've actually saved a little over $1400 by choosing to live! Not only have I broke even, I've almost doubled my investment! This isn't even counting the future medical savings and earnings over a now extended lifespan. Wow! The really cool thing is a good chunk of that $811 is a stockpile of e-liquid that I still have on hand! All this is great but some costs and benefits cannot be measured in dollars. It's those benefits that matter the most.

 

[Porphy]

I'm an "Armageddon" vaper. I have stock piles of every part for 2 models and enough juice to get India buzzed for a decade. That being said I couldn't even begin to try and figure out how much I have spent total...but

I have recently budgeted myself to no more than 150 bucks for e-juice a month, 50 bucks for spare parts, and 150 bucks for upgrades/new models/mods. So 350 bucks a month but at some point I'll hit a cap on my available storage space and have to start getting rid of some stuff or stop buying.

On the extreme other hand my mother, step dad, and uncle have spent less than the bare minimum to keep their e-cigs going. They all bought their starter kits for around 35 bucks and have gotten liquid free from me so far (they've only been at it a month). I'm pretty sure my mom spent more than 35 bucks but I'll have to check (she has a different model than the others.)

I was never a big spender until I found e-cigs. I can't think of anything, as a product, that I have found worth wasting my money on until now. I was even cheap with analogs. It's worth every penny though, for example:

I recently had a smoking friend come over and he vaped in the house and really liked it and said he'd check it out as he was leaving, so I told him to wait a second and went to my "stash", about 5 drawers full of parts, and whipped him up 2 manual battery 510's, a charger, passthrough, and a bottle of juice with 5 blank carts. He's now a convert and returned every piece once he got his ScrewDriver and accessories in. That makes it worth it right there.

 

[mischiefgrrl]

I've spent a little over $200 in 3 weeks including the first device which is a Blu, 7 bottles of juice, a 510 starter kit, 510 PCC and an extra battery and atty. Until now I've been spending about that on analogs each month. At this point I'll be even by the end of this month and I can't spend anymore on e-cig supplies for at least another two weeks. Just paid rent and my kiddos 18th birthday is on Tuesday so I'm on an extreme budget until the next payday. I've got enough juice currently to last another week plus another month's worth in the post that should be here today. I think I'm good to go for at least a month without spending anymore. Yay!

I'm sure this has been asked before but as I plan out my monthly vaping budget... about how many batteries and atomizers do people go through in an average month? Does it sound right to plan on purchasing two of each a month for spares?

 

[LaterSkater]

I'm sure this has been asked before but as I plan out my monthly vaping budget... about how many batteries and atomizers do people go through in an average month? Does it sound right to plan on purchasing two of each a month for spares?

Thank you, excellent question.

 

[KevinD872]

I'm sure this has been asked before but as I plan out my monthly vaping budget... about how many batteries and atomizers do people go through in an average month? Does it sound right to plan on purchasing two of each a month for spares?

You can thank me for just deleting the 4 VERY LONG paragraphs I originally typed for this reply. I swear, I get so carried away sometimes. I am going to do this again, short and sweet (as best I can):

This is just my opinion (and maybe my luck), but with my 510s, we currently have 7 extra atomizers, 3 extra batteries, and 4 chargers total. I would have 8 atomizers, 5 batteries, and 5 chargers but I made a kit for my friend to help him quit smoking and sacrificed part of my stash.

Personally, I think I panicked on the atomizers. To make this even shorter: I think 4 atomizers, 4 batteries, and 1 extra charger is really all one needs as backups ASSUMING NOTHING GETS BANNED and you can continue to replace them as needed. This is assuming you already additionally have 1 atomizer, 2 batteries, and one charger for your daily usage.

My thought is: Replace as needed. If an atty dies, I will use one of my backups and order another one.

As for personal experience, in the month we have been using the 510s: Not one dead battery or atomizer. I did have a compact USB charger go bad but the supplier replaced it, no questions asked. Didn't even need to send the bad one back.

 

[mischiefgrrl]

Ok, I have 3 batteries and attys for the 510 and two Blu as backups. A PCC and regular charger for 510 and a USB, PCC and wall charger for the Blu. Maybe 1 atty and battery per month?

 

[Lazarus]

Well, lets see, vaping a little over 4 months. After first $100 or so wasted on uninformed crap (spent $200 got like $100 refunded sending the stuff back). I've spent another $500 over the last few months stocking up on juice, attys and batts. I figure I've got another $100 or so in batts and I will have a 2-3 yr stockpile. Stash includes approx 1500 ml juice, 30 attys, 10 510/901 batts and 4 laser mods for 901 & 510 (when I get the connectors...Nerf!!!! )

 

[optsmk]

Wow, I guess I see what I will end up spending at some point. I have only had my e cig for a few days, but I am already online looking to buy more. Up to this point I have spent 180.00 at the mall. That was for one Smoking Everywhere starter kit and one 10 ml bottle of juice. The day before yesterday I ordered 2 10 ml bottles of Marlybro juice online for 18.00.

I now know that I payed way, and I mean way too much for the SE starter kit at the mall, but at least I got an e cig that works quite well and I am happy with it. The next time I order one, it wil be online. I could have saved over 100.00 if I got it online.

All in all I am pretty happy. Even if I spend a few hundred more bucks for juice, spare parts, new e cigs or wahtever. It will still be cheaper than what I spend on real cigs. I payed 6 bucks a few days ago for the last pack of cigs that i bought at the gas station down the street. I think there is some new tax that just went into effect in the last few weeks. At that price it will cost me just under 2000.00 per year to smoke. Even if I buy a whole bunch of new e cig stuff, its still going to be a lot less that what I was spending on cigarettes.

 

[jennyhadadot]

I must have spent about $700 - $800. But a lot of that was trial and error money. I now own the prodigy and Pure smoker PT so that's the end of my e-cig purchases. I have enough juice for at least a year and I've never had an atomizer go bad on me so the ones I have will last for quite awhile. Look at my signature and you'll see that after next month I'll start pulling ahead of the game! Of course I do have my eye on the new Protege coming out soon...... *sigh*

 

[Porphy]

I could have saved over 100.00 if I got it online.

140.00 to be exact. There are 35 dollar 510 starter kits out there with 5 bucks shipping. Spend the 140 next time on spare parts and liquid and you should be set for quite a long time.

 

[jennyhadadot]

One more thing I forgot to add to my post... for all the newbs: think about mixing your own juice...it cuts the price way way down. I mix mine with just plain old glycerine found at the drug store or craft store and a bit of vodka, add a few drops of flavoring and I've saved at least 40% of the cost. It makes the juice really go farther and it's easier to cut down on your nicotine this way too. I've cut my original 24 mix down to maybe 10.