The Shocking Hidden Costs of Smoking

Did you know that the part of your mind that smokes could care less about how much smoking costs? It's true. Eight out of ten people who smoke are not really focused on the expense of smoking. And yet we spend so much money smoking.

I want to walk you through the cost of smoking, not to shame you and not to put you down, but to empower you and to motivate you. Because once your rational brain sees the cost of smoking, it can really, really give you some power and some leverage to make that powerful decision to stop smoking cold turkey and be free once and for all.

YOU AREN’T THE ONLY ONE THAT THE COST DOESN’T BOTHER

It's interesting, because when I speak to clients or I get feedback from students in my online program, Smokefree123, I’ll ask if the expense bothers them. And sometimes people will say that if they stop to think about it, then yes it really does. But they also say they rarely think about it, they just pay the money. They don’t care. 

I have clients all over the world, and in Australia, a pack of cigarettes on average can cost $35 per pack. Yet people continue to smoke, even there. And it’s because of that part of your brain that wants you to keep on smoking.

LET’S BREAK DOWN THE COST

Let's have fun with this and do this in a light way. So, the cost of smoking... there's the actual physical cost of buying a pack of cigarettes or vape pod. A pack of cigarette nowadays as of this writing, I'm in Los Angeles and I know the prices vary from state to state in the United States. And also, like I said, Australia cigarettes are at $35 a pack. In London, they're more like, 15 pounds a pack. Here in the United States, in New York, they're on average $15 a pack. And here in Los Angeles they're around $9 a pack. Other parts of the United States, they might be a little less, or a little more depending on how heavily taxed your state is.

But if we use that average of $9 a day, that's an average of what people are paying for a premium brand of cigarettes. If you stop smoking, and were paying that $9 per pack per day, you would save $3,285 per year. That’s a trip to Europe, or a cruise and then some. But we’re just getting started. Let’s keep moving on. 

THE PRICE OF A PACK OF CIGARETTES ISN’T THE ONLY COST

First off, smokers tend to buy products to mask the smell of smoking. Especially if they’re hiding it from co-workers, employers, children, spouses, or family members. We buy gum, mints, cologne or perfume, and things like Febreeze that we use on our vehicles.

Then there’s the cost of having vehicles detailed more frequently to rid them of the smell and the layer of gunk that accumulates on windows and seats. On average, if you break that down, we’ll say on average that it comes out to $5 per day. 

So in addition to that $3,000+, there’s an additional savings of $285 per year or MORE when you stop smoking. Because it isn’t just the cigarettes or vaping devices and cartridges themselves, it's gum, mints, body spray, Febreeze, detailing and more that you're spending.

THEN YOU HAVE TO ADD IN THE ADDITIONAL HEALTHCARE EXPENSES

There are the actual costs of the dentist, the doctor, the medications and all other healthcare related costs. Because most smokers, as we get further into our smoking, get into health issues or dental issues that are at least partly caused by smoking. Things like diabetes, which increases healthcare costs by multiple doctor visits, insulin costs, medication costs and more. 

Or if you have COPD. You’re paying more for healthcare visits because you’re going more often, and also the cost of oxygen and medications, tests, all of that. Then you have the dental costs. Smoking has a huge impact on our teeth and gums. It eats away at the gums and causes a lot of gum disease. Which means there are more trips to the dentist, more X-Rays, and more procedures, all of which cost money. That can cause upwards of $10,000, depending on how amazing your dental insurance is or isn’t.

THINK OF ALL THE COSTS YOU COULD ELIMINATE IF YOU STOP SMOKING

So in addition to the costs we discussed above, when you quit smoking cold turkey, you can save upwards of thousands of dollars per year in medical visit co-pays, medications, and procedure costs. I’ve had so many clients who’ve had to pay just for gum surgery to save their gums and oral health and teeth, that have cost them multiple thousands of dollars over the course of a few months.

THEN THERE’S THE INSURANCE PREMIUMS

Then, there is the insurance costs. Now, smokers on average are paying 15 to 20% more on their premiums than non-smokers. Many people come to me for this very fact. They’re sick and tired of paying these high premiums, especially at a time when health care premiums are already rising quickly. They want to become a non-smoker and save that money-I looked this up myself, and it's about $600 a year or so more if you’re a smoker. That’s a huge expense when you add up everything we’ve discussed already.

BUT WHAT ABOUT YOUR CAR?

Let’s move onto discuss your car. If you have a car, there’s a good chance that your smoking is damaging it. If you smoke in your vehicle. The smell and the film that it causes can cause depreciation to the value of your car, just for starters. 

And I’ve never met a smoker who hasn’t had an accident occur where the cherry of their cigarette hasn’t fallen off at some point and burned a seat, or they’ve hit the visor or the top of the door with a lit cigarette causing burns or holes. The ashes and the filth that accumulate, all of that stuff that builds up over time takes a toll on something you’ve likely invested a lot of money in. 

So we're going to add another $500 a year to the costs we’ve already talked about. Because you’re losing at least that much extra money per month due to the cost of cleaning our car, but also due to the extra depreciation of your car in value each year due to smoking related issues.  

HERE’S ONE YOU MIGHT NOT HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT

Are you sitting down? Because this next one blew my mind. Now, I am a former pack and a half a day smoker. And one of the reasons that I stopped smoking, one of the main reasons was that I spent so much time smoking. 

It was like a part time job. And then when I was figuring this out for you guys, I realized it wasn't a part time job. My smoking a pack and a half a day was a full time job. It was literally 35 hours a week that I was spending by smoking. 

YOUR TIME IS VALUABLE

So I want to talk about the cost of your time. Not only the time you could be spending working and being productive, but the time you have here on this planet, just being alive.

If you smoke a pack a day, particularly if you’re smoking a more dense brand of cigarettes, or you are smoking longer cigarettes, on average it’s taking you 10 minutes or more per cigarette. I’m not including the time it takes you to purchase cigarettes, or to find a place to smoke, or to walk outdoors. Only the act of smoking. 

If you smoke a pack a day, you’re spending 200 minutes per day smoking. If you divide that by 60 to get hours, that’s right over 3 hours per day. That’s ONLY the actual act of smoking time.  

So put a value on that time. Let’s say, $25 per hour. That’s a bit higher than the minimum wage where I live. Just for your time smoking, at that per hour, equals up to be over $30,000 per year. I hope you read that. OVER $30,000 per year.

COUNT THE COST OF THE THINGS YOU AREN’T DOING DUE TO SMOKING

When I became a non-smoker through stop smoking hypnotherapy, my life changed. I became much more productive. And much more active. I started participating in my life in a way that I never had before. There were a lot of things I skipped out on because I couldn’t smoke while doing them, or places I avoided because I couldn’t smoke while there. 

When you think about the amount of time spent smoking, it’s staggering. And the amount of time spent missing out on things, well, that’s much worse. Isn't that shocking? I mean, to me, that is shocking. But the part of your brain that smokes is like, “eh, who cares?” It doesn't matter, right? 

YOU CAN STOP SMOKING COLD TURKEY

But there's a part of you that wants to be free and I'm speaking to that part of you. You can stop smoking cold turkey. You can take back control of your time and your money. With that money you save, dream about all of the things you could do, you could put a down payment on a house. Buy a really nice car with cash. You could take an amazing vacation. You could go back to school. 

My daughter's about to go to college. I think about how if I was still spending over $30,000 a year smoking, who knows if I would be able to afford sending her to a good school, without scholarships or aid. It’s a pretty hefty price tag.

LET’S WRAP EVERYTHING UP

When you think about the value you get from becoming a non-smoker, it’s incredible. And when you add in the health benefits, it really becomes priceless. Smoking does impact your health, even if you aren’t feeling it yet. It also takes your self esteem away from you.  And it takes away your money. 

But the other thing that it takes, is your freedom. The freedom to be able to move around the world and the freedom to think freely without cigarettes constantly being on our mind. When am I going to buy them? Do I have enough? Are people going to mind if I smoke? Where will I be able to smoke next? 

SMOKING IS OPPRESSIVE, BUT YOU CAN BE FREE

It’s oppressive. You have far better things to be thinking about rather than when and how you’ll have your next cigarette. Or worrying about the health issues that come from smoking. So all of those things, your health, your self esteem, all of that stuff that is priceless. 

And maybe you can't see all of these things in your own life without them being laid out. I know I didn’t for a long time. Think about the cost, both in money and in everything else, that smoking is causing you to pay. You can take back your power though. You can transform your thoughts and your life.

It’s all about transformation. I believe in you. And if you’re ready to learn more about making that transformation, then I encourage you to watch my free masterclass, “How to Stop Smoking Without Withdrawal, Cravings or Weight Gain". In this masterclass I show you the 3 mental roadblocks that keep you from successfully stopping smoking cold turkey and how to quickly overcome them. Sign up and join today’s masterclass and start saving more than money-your health, your power, your freedom. YOU are worth it!