Vaping costs, how do you feel about it, and what is your story?

[luvinit]

I am afraid to figure it all out lol but for me the reality was die or quit and no matter what I tried I just could not quit. My father passed away from lung cancer in 2010 and even watching him pass was not enough of a kick in the backside to get me to quit. vaping has been the only thing to ever work in my 20+ years of smoking. I can not put a price tag on my life and I know that in time I will stop my shopping sprees (maybe)

Same here,, my dad passed away in 93 and yes, I've smoked ever since. Evil little things, analogs are.

 

[Andy Thatcher]

My signature is up to date but really doesn't tell the whole story.

The ProVari Mini and a lot of juices were bought for the wife so if I took that out of equation I would ..... still be buggered lol

Some of the purchases were silly but all of them were my path to learning what I needed to do to be successful at vaping. Apart from a couple of atty's I bought this week I have not bought anything for over 3 weeks. Didn't really need the atty's but I was light in that area.

I have enough juice and carto's to go for another 3 weeks I think but am going to start looking at DIY so another $40 or so will head that way.

Nope do not regret a penny spent. While I have massively overspent compared to what was my smoking budget I know that this will turn around in time. Just have to be frugal till the end of the year and really just buy juice, carto's and atty's and it will work out.

Trouble is that this time in a holding pattern is giving me time to look at other mods. Next year will be interesting lol

 

[Tiny]

In 3 weeks of vaping I've spent 6 weeks worth of analogs, so I'm in the hole for now. I expect that will turn around going down the road, start up costs and beginner mistakes add up quickly. Even if I don't save big bucks I'm not worried about it, I figure I won't be spending money on wheel chairs, oxygen tanks, chest xrays, and COPD meds in the future.

I can't put a price on improving my health.

 

[kabonk]

I'm a $172.00 ahead of the game so far this year but I'm set for cartos and atty's for the year and I have one or 2 more PV's to buy and I will need another order of nic but that should be it for the year

 

[GWG73]

There really isn't a cost that can be put on health and the potential increase in life expectancy. I was fortunate not to loose my father to throat cancer, who's been clean of it now for several years. Sadly that event (and I was with him during the majority of the treatment phases) wasn't enough to get me off the analogs. I'm happy to say that vaping has gotten both myself and the wife off the tobacco for good.

Having said that....yeah, we're in the hole deep. But I keep a tracker and what I look closely at is our cost savings after what we have on hand is gone....that's puts us in the black and make me feel good. We've got tons of hardware stockpiled now (batts, carts, clearomizers, etc.), and months of juice. There was definitely a learning curve to this whole thing. What really has been killing us is finding juice that we love to vape, too many full bottle purchases, and not nearly enough samples instead....oh well. We've found our go-to now and in time it'll even out.

 

[DancingHeretik]

I am NOT adding this up... No way, no how. In fact, I need to sit and chain vape just thinking about it...

I remember swearing that I'ld quit before I'ld spend over $1.00 a pack for generics. Yeah, right! When I finally quit, I was spending just over $4.00 a pack for generics.

At first, I kept track of everything. Even started a spreadsheet. I thought I was going to save so much! But, when the cost was so much higher than I had expected, I stopped. Spending money tends to make me short of breathe and panicky!
8-o

I do still keep every single receipt on my computer. But, I choose not to pay any attention to the total anymore.

I am afraid to figure it all out lol but for me the reality was die or quit and no matter what I tried I just could not quit. . . . . . Vaping has been the only thing to ever work in my 20+ years of smoking. I can not put a price tag on my life and I know that in time I will stop my shopping sprees (maybe)

My details are a little different, Nikinic. But, that pretty much expresses my sentiment. To me, vaping is a miracle, no matter what the cost.

Nineteen months into vaping I've never met an e-cig or an APV that didnt work if i needed it to, just some that I've become much closer friends with then others.

The only PV that wouldn't work for me was the freebie that someone I know received from directecig.com. It was useless, so was given to me. Useless for me too, so I gave it away also.

At first, I spent in a panic. The first things I got might have been enough. But, I wasn't really very happy with them. Then I discovered the 306! That's all I used for about 6 months. Then, several months ago, I had a couple of bad batches of 306's and started to panic again. So, over Christmas I started taking advantage of all the sales and tried a bunch of new stuff.

At this point, I'm finally starting to relax. I have several things in my arsenal that work now. I'm finally starting to feel like I'm really, really going to make it!

What's funny is that I've never had the urge in the whole year since I've quit to actually smoke a cigarette. Well, kind of. The only urge I've had is for the simplicity of just lighting up, without the frustration of trying to figure out why everything I try that day just doesn't seem right.

I DO have about 450ml of juice on hand & a pile of clearos, so if I don't buy anything else I'm still good for the next 5-6 months.

Quite true! Maybe I have reached the break-even point after all!

Except that I have my first bottom-feeder on the way, and I've already got my eye on another really cute little kit that's just adorable!

The only way I might really, really stop spending is to stop hanging out on ECF and seeing all the new goodies everyone is talking about!

Hmmm. No, not going to do that!

 

[erictho]

i spent quite a lot of money initially. some of which were frivolous shipping costs because i made small purchases frequently rather than just making larger ones. i also would invest in a bunch of $8 cartos regularly (ok, only twice), and that drove costs up until more reasonable opportunities presented themselves.
i keep track of all my vaping expenses in a miscellaneous notebook at home, and it looks like a pile of money for sure. although currently in my storage space i'm sitting on 70 mls of juice (in 7 different flavors), 10 boge lr cartos, and 9 smoktech lr dcc xl cartos. that's not including the 2x5ml bottles of juice in my carrying case and the few mls i have left in my rev2. i think i vape around 3 ml a day? i don't really keep track that closely. i also received my last order in the first week of march, and i'm sure i can get away with not making an order until mid may. i'm kind of going to have to push it that long, since i'll be strapped for cash this month.
i feel much better about vaping, financially, than with smoking. i just finished a career (or put one on hold, rather) as a working student and buying tobacco was pretty much financially draining. it destroyed my ability to live comfortably. i'm without a job in my field currently and i am still forced to live on a fairly tight budget. the ability to make large purchases and ride them out for an extended period of time is an immense luxury. if at times it may appear that smoking would have been "cheaper", i remember that tobacco purchases are not really made to last. at least my vaping purchases will always carry me forward. i get that same type of cozy feeling stocking up my vape stash as i get from stocking my cupboards with a few month's worth of dry goods, if you get what i mean.
to be perfectly honest, i never really worry much about how the two compare anymore. in my experience vaping is more comfortable financially, and i quit smoking to improve my health.

 

[ChinMullet]

If I don't go overboard in the next few weeks, I will break even right about my 3 month mark, and save substantially from there.

I could have done this for much less money, but I have a bunch of backups stashed at home and work, extra chargers and batteries and a bunch of cartos, and I enjoyed tasting different juices...almost 100 so far. (For the record, I've only found about 1 in 10 juices I would reorder, and have given more than half away)

It was worth every penny to me.

I might feel differently about that if I was budgeting my money.

 

[Vchick]

We're supposed to keep track........???? I can see where some go overboard and see shiny things and want, the classy's are full of them, but if you stay with what works and upgrade and compare prices as you go it really isn't that bad.

Seriously I have a few kits and inexpensive mods that will last for a long time, drip tips & accessories are just icing on the cake and somehow I think they'll be around long after all those butts I snubbed out finish decomposing..........

 

[Myk]

We're supposed to keep track........???? I can see where some go overboard and see shiny things and want, the classy's are full of them, but if you stay with what works and upgrade and compare prices as you go it really isn't that bad.

I keep track in order to avoid going overboard.
I think I'm going to push it with no backup plan outside of what came in the kit until I'm at least close to even. Looks like it won't take long.

 

[dlsw]

Same here,, my dad passed away in 93 and yes, I've smoked ever since. Evil little things, analogs are.

Mine passed in '05 of lung cancer and I just quit in February of this year. VERY evil things...

 

[CountSmackula]

We're supposed to keep track........????

According to SWMBO, I am. My limit is the equivalent to price of smokes for the same time period. Most recently, after my recent purchases, she said: "You TOLD me this was going to be cheaper than smoking. So what happened?"

She just doesn't understand that it takes a bit of trial & error to find the juices you really like. And of course, I "needed" a VV device. I had to see what the fuss was all about.

 

[melloyello]

the past 13 months that ive been vaping, i have saved 1k vs analogs. short story.

 

[sandscards]

I actually have a pretty understanding wife. She is so glad that I don't smoke cigarettes anymore the money is secondary. Even suggested I get a Provari Mini for a backup since I told her I didn't think I could go back to the ego if I was without the Provari. I haven't yet but might have to cash that check on a Darwin or another mod. Moneywise I figure I am just about even right now and have a month or so of juice and cartos so I could be to the plus some shortly. That is if a mod doesn't jump up and tell me I just need to have it. With all of the new items coming out in the next six months it is going to be tough to hold to any kind of budget. That would be tough.

 

[hmlessalky]

I did what a few others did. I figured out how much I would have spent on cigarettes and spent that on vaping stuff. Problem with that is you can only buy so much at a time, and my patience would not let me save up for anything major. But, and that's a big but, I have finally figured out what cartos and tanks/clearos I like, I have eliminated a whole bunch of flavors that I thought I might use, and I have built up a small supply of batteries and found a hobby in building my own mods. I did order a Lavatube in a drunken fit a few nights back so that busted my budget for the next few weeks. Man, I am gonna hate not having vape-mail for that long!

Anyway, this should all be getting cheaper soon (it's only been a few months for me so far) and my last few purchases were cosmetic stuff in general. Plus, I have a handful of things I can now sell or PIF!

Kevin

 

[Dana A]

Vaping can be done pretty cheap or very expensive. Just gotta stay away from all the bells and whistles LOL

 

[ponytail girl]

Everything cost so much in Hawaii...cost of vaping cheap compared to analogs

 

[MikenGA]

Like a few others here, my dad passed with lung cancer in 2007. In fact, the only relatives that have died of cancer, have died of lung cancer, and all were long time smokers.

I tried and tried to stop smoking, but was never successful for very long. Picked up vaping in August 2009, but my 'cig-look-alike' wasn't powerful enough to motivate the switch from analogs. It wasn't until I upgraded my hardware in September 2011, that I made the switch completely!

How successful has it been? I haven't touched an analog.
Even this past Friday, my neighborhood had a 'driveway party' with hotdogs, beer, wine...scotch ...and an outdoor fireplace. Lot's o smokers gathered around me wanting to know about my gear (I let them sample a few vapes), and everybody offered me a smoke. I SHOCKED MYSELF by graciously declining EVERY analog. (One guy insisted I try a mouthful of his chocolate cigar, so I took a small drag to shut him up...did not inhale...did not hold it long...tasted like I licked a dog's behind. )


As for vape expenses, I keep a running total in my signature, and the number below ALSO includes FOUR kits I've purchased on the ECF classifieds, and gave away as Christmas and Birthday gifts, so I'm WAAAAAAAAAAAAAY ahead financially!!!!!

Vaping WAS more expensive during the first 3 months, but after I found my gear (Ego batts, LavaTube, fluxos, Stardust cartos and Stone tanks), it's not too bad. It's a HECK-OF-A-LOT-BETTER than smokin', appears to be a lot cheaper...and I like EVERYTHING ABOUT IT a LOT more than ANY 'FDA approved NRT'!


Good luck to ALL of ya!

 

[blkhwk07]

I know I'm way in the red, but the way I look at it is. I started my own personal private health account, I'm just using it in a preventive role, not a treatment role.

 

[tsunami987]

I got royally .....ed out by my wife tonight because I was watching a review of a flavoring on youtube or something... So I decided to do exactly the same as op. Added everything up from my bank statement.

Drumroll please! Or the theme from jaws or something, I don't know.

Anywho, 934. Thats rounding up because I don't really care to type in all the decimals. Total money I would've spent on cigs? 352. Here's the thing though. I stuffed my own. Bought a nice big tubing machine for 40 bucks, and bought cheap bulk "dual purpose" pipe tobacco, basically cig tobacco cut differently. Nice tax workaround since a small bag of midnight special runs about 23 bucks. Have I lost money? Yeah, sure. How many of those purchases went to other people who are too lazy to order online? About 150.

934 turns into 784. I could spend time saying I bought my provari as a tax return gift to myself, but eh, might as well count it.

About 196 of those expenses are DIY, and I have barely touched the surface of what I've bought, since I'm still getting the hang of mixing, and still using pre-made juices primarily. The first hundred bucks was for my initial "buy-in", two passthrough starter kit and a couple of juice samplers. All in all, I could last months with what I currently have.

So why, you ask, am I about to buy 6 more flavorings from VapeZone? Because I like variety. This has turned into a hobby for me, and I'm still getting the hang of everything. My wife, since I purchased our dual-person starter kit, has spent at LEAST 600 on cigarettes. I was originally buying for the both of us, and that drove up the purchase volume. Now I'm only buying for myself, but still... The adventure is calling!

So yeah, I guess you could saying vaping has, so far, been a black hole into which my money has been disappearing. Do I care? HELL YEAH! I wouldn't change it for the world. I smoked roughly 2-3 packs a day. I say roughly, because I always had a carton with me. Like I said previously, I stuffed my own, so no packs. Just a carton following me around day in and day out. Some days the top row would be gone and thats it, other days 1/2 of the thing would just disappear into my lungs and into the air, clogging my computer vents, making everything around me brown and stinky, and sometimes inadvertently into the lungs of my poor little boy. Every day I'd wake up coughing. Well, I suppose coughing isn't the right word. Choking, now that's about right. I'm sure some if not most of you know exactly what I'm talking about.

All in all, I'm so very glad that I got into vaping. It's changed my life for the better. And yeah, I know this was probably way to long. Just needed a place to vent, and I appreciate these forums, and hell... The OP, for giving me that chance.