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Cigarettes and Smokers


Buckshot Bear

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I don't have anything at all against smoking, I was a smoker and stopped 30 years ago even though I still sometimes have the urge to bum one when I see someone light up.

 

I have a cousin, he and his wife both smoke a pack of 40's a day......each pack costs $50.00 (the govt must be making a killing on the taxes!!!!)

 

That's -

 

$100.00 per day

$700.00 per week

$3,000.00 per month

$35,600 per year

$356,000 over a decade

 

I have some hobbies that cost a bit of money, my cousin often says to me that he'd love to be able to afford some of the hobbies I enjoy, but he can't afford to.

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Yeah. I know some folks like that. The thought of amount of money they could save is unfortunately not strong enough to overcome the addiction. Both my parents died from smoking.

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It's a tough addiction to quit. I smoked two packs a day (20 cigs each) for 45 years. I quit 10/2/19. I haven't touched a cigarette since that day. The only reason that I quit was that I went to the hospital for 10 days with bacterial pneumonia. Seems that they don't allow smoking in the hospital for some reason or another.

 

In the US, a pack of cigs (20) will cost between $7.50 to $10.00 (US) depending upon location. I like the money that I've saved. The only times that I would like a smoke (but don't) is when I'm at a SASS match and oddly enough, when first get in my truck to go somewhere. I haven't gotten to the point that the smell disgusts me, I still kind of like the smell...but I can smell a smoker from a ways away.

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25 minutes ago, Utah Bob #35998 said:

Yeah. I know some folks like that. The thought of amount of money they could save is unfortunately not strong enough to overcome the addiction. Both my parents died from smoking.

 

My Dad smoked 60 a day and my Mum had exactly two each evening. 

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I averaged 2 packs a day for about 25 years.  I decided to quit, laid the unfinished pack down and just didn't pick them back up.  At the time I quit, I was spending about $2200.00 a year.  That was 16 years ago, and I have no desire to partake of any tobacco product.  I don't object to others using it, but I can't be inside a vehicle or room with a smoker.  

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1 hour ago, LawMan Mark, SASS #57095L said:

I averaged 2 packs a year for about 25 years.  I decided to quit, laid the unfinished pack down and just didn't pick them back up.  At the time I quit, I was spending about $2200.00 a year.  That was 16 years ago, and I have no desire to partake of any tobacco product.  I don't object to others using it, but I can't be inside a vehicle or room with a smoker.  

$2200.00 a year for only two packs... you've got those Aussie prices beat ten ways to Sunday! :lol:

 

Learning Excel in an adult learning class twenty years ago, I did a spreadsheet on the cost of smoking, and the result was mind-boggling. I probably still have the project on a hard drive somewhere, but it involved simply putting that cigarette money into an interest bearing account instead, and in forty five years, there was enough to pay for a nice house. Smoke tobacco or own a house. The flaw in this is the money saved isn't likely to go into a savings account, you're just going to spend it on something else every week instead.

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I quit when my wife became pregnant with our son, 45 years ago

Gave up my pipe and my favourite cigars.

 

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When I quit smoking the generic cigs were running $3-$4/pack and name brands of course higher. At the time I was almost a pack a day. Then a bout of CHF showed me the error of my ways and I was able to quit. East Coast Filly offered lots of "encouragement" during the process. :lol:

 

The other day as I was leaving the supermarket I glanced at the cigarette display as I walked by and had to do a double take. The Generics were now $9-$10/pack and Marlboro reds were $11/pack!  Boy am I glad I quit! Sure I still get an "urge" every once in while, but it happens less and less often as time goes by.

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I quit on July 17, 2017. That was the day an 82 year old guy who should not have been driving pulled out in front of me on my motorcycle in Oregon. You can’t smoke in a hospital. I had been trying to quit. That was just the “help” ;):blink: I needed. :lol:

 

I still use nicotine lozenges. About 5 per day at 2mg each. Sometimes 4, sometimes 6. 
I questioned my doctor about whether or not 10mg of nicotine a day is still bad even though I don’t smoke. She told me “A Marlboro Light cigarette has 18 mg of nicotine. You smoked a pack a day. That’s 360mg down to 10mg. I don’t think that’s a problem. Besides, studies show that low doses of nicotine can be beneficial to Alzheimer’s patients.” At the time I had a scare that I was absent minded way more often and actually thought I was contracting Alzheimer’s or something else. 

 

I buy my lozenges at Costco. $50 for 10 tubes of 27 lozenges. That’s 54 days of lozenges at just under $1 per day. I can live with that. 

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6 hours ago, Three Foot Johnson said:

$2200.00 a year for only two packs... you've got those Aussie prices beat ten ways to Sunday! :lol:

 

Learning Excel in an adult learning class twenty years ago, I did a spreadsheet on the cost of smoking, and the result was mind-boggling. I probably still have the project on a hard drive somewhere, but it involved simply putting that cigarette money into an interest bearing account instead, and in forty five years, there was enough to pay for a nice house. Smoke tobacco or own a house. The flaw in this is the money saved isn't likely to go into a savings account, you're just going to spend it on something else every week instead.

I am so ashamed.... :) 

 

I don't believe have banked a single cent of those savings, but I'm pretty sure some of my nicer toys were bought because I had more available money.  

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Worked with a man that drove a hunk of junk. Always made remarks about how could some of us afford

the nice truck or car some of us drove. 

That's when I pointed out that I did not smoke. And ask how much he spent on that.

Then pointed out that I did not drink. As he would drink a fair amount of beer every night.

Told him to add all that up and see just how nice a car he could drive for that same amount.

He could have drove a nicer car and lived in a better house for what he was spending.

BUT. He would rather smoke and drink it up instead.  

 

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I smoke, started in the 70s. I stopped for 12 years and went back.  Nicotine is very addictive and I’ve thought of stopping again, but I don’t think I can.  I have been diagnosed with severe PTSD and the smoking helps me keep calm.  Yes it is expensive, and only getting worse, but if I stop I doubt I’d save that money, at least I haven’t in the past. 

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I quit smoking 1/1/2000.  Went from 3-4 packs a day to none overnight, cold turkey.  Had a few weeks of wanting / needing a smoke but that didn't last long.

 

Don't even like to be around smokers now.

 

Strangely, I have no apparent negative health issues fro tobacco use.  Just lucky, I guess.

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Chewing tobacco is just as addictive and costly. I know plenty of guys addicted to chewing and they just can't find the will to stop.

 

I've known people who've had health issues related to smoking but never known anyone with chewing related medical problems. At least not yet. I hear those can get godawful nasty.

 

 

 

 

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11 hours ago, Buckshot Bear said:

 

I have a cousin, he and his wife both smoke a pack of 40's a day......each pack costs $50.00 (the govt must be making a killing on the taxes!!!!)

 

Holy hell! If anything I did cost 50 bucks a day I wouldn't have ever started! 

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I was never a heavy smoker (about 2 packs every 3 days), but I smoked on and off for about 10 years.  What worked for me was the nicotine patch.  While I was quitting while using the patch my co-workers said I was more pleasant than when I smoked.  Of course I was addicted to the nicotine patch for a couple of years, but it was cheaper than the cigarettes.

 

Last I looked generic cigarette brands were $8-$10 and name brand cigarettes were $12.00 and up.  Glad I quit way back when a pack cost $5.00

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2 minutes ago, John Ruth said:

Holy hell! If anything I did cost 50 bucks a day I wouldn't have ever started! 

 

When I started smoking, cigs were about 45 cents a pack out of a vending machine. In North Carolina, you could buy a carton of 10 packs for $2.35. I don't see how any teen could even think about smoking at $9 - 10 a pack. I think that teens are vaping more than actual cigarette smoking. From what I've heard, one vape hit contains as much nicotine as a 1/2 pack of cigarettes.

 

As far as the $50 a day goes...participating in a nearby monthly CAS match will cost about $80. It all adds up, $42.00 for reloaded ammo (.38), $24 in fuel (8 gal @$3.00 gal) and $15 match fee. That doesn't include vehicle wear/tear/insurance. Every hobby, habit or vice has it's cost. CAS shooting, however, doesn't cause cancer, emphysema or a pile of other health problems.

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33 minutes ago, Dantankerous said:

Chewing tobacco is just as addictive and costly. I know plenty of guys addicted to chewing and they just can't find the will to stop.

 

I've known people who've had health issues related to smoking but never known anyone with chewing related medical problems. At least not yet. I hear those can get godawful nasty.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I know of a few that have gotten mouth/lip cancer and one that got esophagus cancer from dipping snuff. 

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4 hours ago, Tequila Shooter said:

I smoke, started in the 70s. I stopped for 12 years and went back.  Nicotine is very addictive and I’ve thought of stopping again, but I don’t think I can.  I have been diagnosed with severe PTSD and the smoking helps me keep calm.  Yes it is expensive, and only getting worse, but if I stop I doubt I’d save that money, at least I haven’t in the past. 

I chewed skoal from the time I was in HS . I had allot of people pressuring me to quit my entire life. One of my friends wives is a dental hygienist and used to show me pics of people with gum cancer every chance she got and many of my girlfriends hated it . I’m firmly convinced no one will quit unless they truly want to . In 96 something inside me just snapped and I decided I wasn’t going to do it anymore and to cement it in with the money I saved I decided to buy a snowmobile, I figured at least it would kill me fast :) . But that was my mental crutch not to go back , the money was already spent. I don’t snowmobile anymore and never have went back to chewing. It is amazing how addictive it is , I still don’t chew but have a couple friends that do and the smell of a freshly opened can of skoal still smells great . 

My dad gave up smoking over 40 years ago and said he still enjoys the smell of second hand smoke 

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4 hours ago, Dantankerous said:

Chewing tobacco is just as addictive and costly. I know plenty of guys addicted to chewing and they just can't find the will to stop.

 

I've known people who've had health issues related to smoking but never known anyone with chewing related medical problems. At least not yet. I hear those can get godawful nasty.

 

 

 

 

Don’t know how true it is , but I have been told it’s actually more addictive because it’s going directly into the bloodstream. I never really enjoyed smoking so when I quit chewing I actually had a cigarette every once and a while to satisfy the nicotine cravings.

When I lived in CA I dated a goat roper , the college I went to actually had a rodeo team , allot of those girls chewed . She was one of the few women I ever dated that didn’t care 

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I started sneaking cigarettes out of my dad's pack when I was six years old. By the time I was 15, I was a "pack a day" smoker!!  My folks would give me cartons of cigarettes for gifts for Christmas and birthdays.

 

I quit smoking when I was 43 and up to about two packs most days.  Cigarettes were costing around $2.00 a pack and I'd shop around for bargains in my brand or buy cartons on pay day.  

 

I was sitting home, watching the night race at Bristol on Saturday night while Schoolmarm was off playing bingo. She'd always call when she was headed home to see if I wanted or needed anything.  That night, I was down to three or four cigarettes when the race started and I figured I'd have her pick up a carton when she called.  After the race, I smoked my last one and went to sleep.  She didn't call.

 

The next morning, one of my biker pards called and and invited me to cruise a bit, so off we went.  Figured I'd pick up a pack while I was out, but nothing was open and when I met the other riders, we took off for some open backroads.  When we stopped for lunch, there was a cigarette machine at the restaurant, but a pack of smokes was $2.75!!  I passed on buying and we hit the road again.

 

When we split up, I took he back road home and there wasn't a store open on the way, (lots of places didn't open on Sundays back in the country in those days).  

 

As I pulled into the yard, Schoolmarm was walking down the front steps.  I cut the bike off and as she waled by. she said, "I'm going to the store! You want anything?"

 

I said, "I wanted a pack of smokes, but I think I've quit!"

 

It was rough for a while, but I haven't had a cigarette since!!  I'll be 69 next Wednesday.

 

 

EDIT:  I play music in bars all of the time and smokers don't and have never bothered me, but a room or inside a car with that stale smoke smell is revolting!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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My parents cured me of any desire to smoke when I was very young.

When I was about 6, like most kids back then, Saturday was that wondrous when CARTOONS came on all morning. I'd get up around 6:00 A.M. to watch. I'd get last nights newspaper to look at the T.V. schedule, and settle down to watch.

Eventually, I'd decide that it was Cereal Time. I would climb onto the counter, get a bowl, fill it with cereal, and, of course, add milk. As my parents were still asleep, this was quite a feat.

When I was done, I'd head back into the kitchen to put my bowl into the sink. And find a BIG WET PILE OF STINKING CIGARETTE ASHES!!! They would empty every ashtray in the house into it and wet them down! Almost made me puke. I NEVER wanted to smoke.

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The prices down here are so high for smokes......its a govt incentive to stop.

 

https://www.aussieprices.com.au/cigarette-prices/

 

Here are the latest cigarette prices in Australia:

  • a packet of 20 cigarettes costs $23.86
  • a packet of 25 cigarettes costs $29.48
  • a packet of 30 cigarettes costs $38.11
  • a packet of 35 cigarettes costs $41.95
  • a packet of 40 cigarettes costs $49.63
  • a packet of 50 cigarettes costs $53.95
  • RYO tobacco costs between $34.95 and $74.95

 

Below prices for a 25 pack -

Year Winfield 25 RRP
1989 $2.66
1990 $2.94
1991 $3.08
1992 $3.57
1993 $4.45
1994 $4.72
1995 $5.11
1996 $6.47
1997 $6.53
1998 $6.70
1999 $7.05
2000 $7.35
2001 $8.70
2002 $9.10
2003 $9.50
2004 $9.85
2005 $10.30
2006 $10.70
2007 $11.25
2008 $11.70
2009 $12.40
2010 $12.95
2011 $16.45
2012 $17.15
2013 $18.75
2014 $21.40
2015 $23.65
2016 $26.25
2017 $29.60
2018 $33.65
2019 $37.00

 

 

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Smoked for 37 years..in the ending 5 years or so up to 3-4 packs a day. Resorted to rolling my own in the those years to "save money"
Even smoked 2 years after being told I had COPD. 
Landed in the hospital 3 years ago not knowing how I got there...was in for 8 days or so-havnt touched them since...but I do have stage 4 emphasyma now.
It took being locked up for me to quit
Things I notice now-how much smokers stink, how dumb I was thinking I covered up the smell, how the walls in the house drip nicotine.
I was never bored while being a smoker..always had something to do

I still get birthday cards and coupons and offers from Marlboro...I used to joke I was saving Marlboro bucks for the marlboro coffin:(

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16 hours ago, Buckshot Bear said:

The prices down here are so high for smokes......its a govt incentive to stop.

 

https://www.aussieprices.com.au/cigarette-prices/

 

Here are the latest cigarette prices in Australia:

  • a packet of 20 cigarettes costs $23.86
  • a packet of 25 cigarettes costs $29.48
  • a packet of 30 cigarettes costs $38.11
  • a packet of 35 cigarettes costs $41.95
  • a packet of 40 cigarettes costs $49.63
  • a packet of 50 cigarettes costs $53.95
  • RYO tobacco costs between $34.95 and $74.95

 

Below prices for a 25 pack -

Year Winfield 25 RRP
1989 $2.66
1990 $2.94
1991 $3.08
1992 $3.57
1993 $4.45
1994 $4.72
1995 $5.11
1996 $6.47
1997 $6.53
1998 $6.70
1999 $7.05
2000 $7.35
2001 $8.70
2002 $9.10
2003 $9.50
2004 $9.85
2005 $10.30
2006 $10.70
2007 $11.25
2008 $11.70
2009 $12.40
2010 $12.95
2011 $16.45
2012 $17.15
2013 $18.75
2014 $21.40
2015 $23.65
2016 $26.25
2017 $29.60
2018 $33.65
2019 $37.00

 

 

 

The other day a person in front of me at the super market bought a pack of 25 cigs for $20.63 CDN.  I quit in Feb 1978.  Took up jogging and ran a marathon in 1981.  Don't jog any more but still walk everyday and keep track of it.  In 2021 I walked 868 measured miles.miles.  I turn 80 this year.

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16 hours ago, Buckshot Bear said:

The prices down here are so high for smokes......its a govt incentive to stop

That’s the story our government puts out also . I think the government knows that they have a segment of the population that’s addicted so they can jack the taxes to whatever they want. Their  worse than drug dealers. They don’t do any of the work and collect the lions share of the money. They do the same thing with gambling, it’s ok as long as the government gets their cut . It’s laughable how they always take the moral high ground and tell everyone they are doing it for their own good . 
In my state they legalized weed a couple of years ago, imho the only reason they did was because of the tax revenue and the chance to create another bureaucracy 

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On 1/4/2022 at 6:25 AM, John Ruth said:

Holy hell! If anything I did cost 50 bucks a day I wouldn't have ever started! 

When I started smoking cigarettes were twenty cents a pack over the counter and two bits from a machine.  Two forty five a carton.

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17 hours ago, Abilene Slim SASS 81783 said:

Cigarette taxes fund a lot of government activities and are an easy source of revenue. I don’t believe for a minute the govt. truly wants folks to quit. 

 

Puts me in mind of

 

 

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6 hours ago, Buckshot Bob said:

That’s the story our government puts out also . I think the government knows that they have a segment of the population that’s addicted so they can jack the taxes to whatever they want. Their  worse than drug dealers. They don’t do any of the work and collect the lions share of the money. They do the same thing with gambling, it’s ok as long as the government gets their cut . It’s laughable how they always take the moral high ground and tell everyone they are doing it for their own good . 
In my state they legalized weed a couple of years ago, imho the only reason they did was because of the tax revenue and the chance to create another bureaucracy 

They legalized weed here. They sold it to the voters by saying how much revenue it would bring in taxes. The voters, not wanting to research three issue, voted for it. People thought it would go to schools or highways. 

Turns out the legislature uses all the tax money to fund……..and I’m not making this up, anti-drug programs! 
Yeah. :blink:

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3 hours ago, Utah Bob #35998 said:

They legalized weed here. They sold it to the voters by saying how much revenue it would bring in taxes. The voters, not wanting to research three issue, voted for it. People thought it would go to schools or highways. 

 

 

Can't sugar coat it or get around it: the voters voted to legalize narcotics because that's what they want. They did it here, too. Not much research required.

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2 hours ago, Subdeacon Joe said:

 

 

A self-cancelling tax!

And my understanding is that in many states they have raised the tax so high they have made it profitable to have illegal growing operations to avoid the tax . So now you have a whole new problem to police 

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5 hours ago, Utah Bob #35998 said:

They legalized weed here. They sold it to the voters by saying how much revenue it would bring in taxes. The voters, not wanting to research three issue, voted for it. People thought it would go to schools or highways. 

Turns out the legislature uses all the tax money to fund……..and I’m not making this up, anti-drug programs! 
Yeah. :blink:

I doubt it will stay that way for long. Cigarette tax increases, including the multi-billon $ tax settlements to states from tobacco companies were sold the same way here. Was supposed to pay for smoking related diseases and education. Eventually however, they “repurposed” that revenue for other things. 

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