The financial costs of smoking hits everyone hard. A whole lot of your hard earned cash goes right to the cigarettes, pipe tobacco, or chewing tobacco you buy. Right now, the average cost of a pack of cigarettes is four dollars. Ouch! That doesn't sound like a lot when you say it costs four dollars for a pack of cigarettes, but let's look at it with a wider perspective. Let's say you smoke one pack of cigarettes a day. This is how much smoking cigarettes costs you:



One Day - $4.00

One Week - $28.00

One Month - $112.00

Smoking one pack of cigarettes a day will cost you approximately $1,344 per year.

You could put that money in a savings account. That's a good down payment for a vehicle. After five years you could be very close to growing a down payment for a new home. You could put that money towards saving for your children's future. Eighteen years of that money is $201,600! That could help put your child or children through college! That doesn't even include the interest you will be paid for that money if you have it in a savings account, certificate of deposit, or a college fund. It would be substantially more.

Just imagine what you could do with the money if you didn't have to spend it on nicotine products. And you don't have to. That is a decision you are making. Every time you go to the store, you and you alone are making the choice to purchase a pack or carton of cigarettes. It is difficult to quit, but it is not impossible. You can make a different, better choice.

And it is not just savings you could use that money for. You could have extra cash for any other necessities. You could go on a vacation, buy a new computer, go out for dinner, and more. You could upgrade your home or your business. You could send your child or children to a great summer camp. You could pay for their sports activities, or put them in more extracurricular activities. You could start up your own business with the money you would save. You could work for yourself instead struggling for a paycheck that someone else controls. Just sit back and think about it for a few minutes. Using nicotine doesn't just hurt your health and the health of everyone else around you; it hurts your bank

account. You go to work and work your butt off for the money you earn. You pay your rent, your utilities, and your phone bill, cable, buy groceries and clothing. Then you buy cigarettes or other nicotine products you have become dependent on.

The possibilities of what you could use that money for are endless. Use your imagination. What would you like to do that you currently can't afford because you smoke? What would you like to do with that money instead of hurting your health and your financial status?