Quitting smoking is certainly the most obvious way of reducting my discretionary spending. Duh. A pack a day at about $4.50 (thanks Obama) works out to $135 per month. However, it isn’t the easiest way to reduce my spending.
I’ve tried in the past to keep track of how many I burn by way of spreadsheets, notes in my phone, tally marks on my arm… couldn’t really keep with it, and it really didn’t make for a good way to force myself to slow down, as I didn’t see the results until afterwards. So today, I bought myself a copy of GottaKickit from the app store for my iPhone. The great thing about this app is that rather than just track how many cigarettes you smoke, it tells you when it’s okay to have a cigarette. As long as you don’t cheat, it gradually slows you down over a period of time. How aggressive you want to be in weaning yourself down to nothing is adjustable, too.
Granted, this is only my first day doing it, but so far, so good. I choose not to leave the app running (where it can ring to let you know it’s time to smoke) as I’d rather wait til I get a craving for one, and check the app to see if it’s okay yet. In doing so, you can go extra time without a smoke, and not even know it.
The app itself was 9 bucks, but that will pay for itself no problem. Even if I fail. I had considered keeping track of how many less cigarettes I end up smoking than normal and funding the secondary savings accordingly, but then I realized that budget surpluses go there anyway. An extra $135/mo would really be nice.
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Hey, this is the first time I’ve seen your site. I followed the link in your Where’s George profile. Good luck kicking the nic…I’m sure it’s the last thing you want to hear right now but hang in there! Walmart brand nicotine gum got me through the first really rough couple weeks. I still chew regular sugar-free gum (no smokes though!) Trading one addiction for the other has saved me $2,831.76 and counting. I wish you well.
referring to the “thanks Obama” part: the idea seemed to work on you! get smokers to quit by making it too expensive.
No, raising taxes never works to get people to quit smoking. Yes, a small portion of the smoking population does quit every time they do it, but the majority of the smoking population just gets poorer. What I was *really* referring to is the fact that he promised no additional tax burden on us poor folk. And here we are.
That’s a neat idea with the app for your phone. I wish you lots of luck – I really hope it works for you.
Can’t relate ’cause I’m a non-smoker, but I will say punch those cigarettes in the face.
The tax didn’t seem to be targeting poor people (as there are quite a few wealthy people who smoke), but rather unhealthy behavior.
Even more reason not to do it – the government is not supposed to be your nanny.
Yeah they are – havent you seen the public school system?
I’m not saying the government isn’t our nanny. I’m saying the government isn’t *supposed* to be our nanny. Getting me to quit smoking isn’t the government’s job.
They are when they’re going to be paying for your chemotherapy.
I’m not saying I agree with it. I oppose taxes, on everyone, on principle. I’m just explaining their logic.
Since when are they going to be paying for my chemotherapy? I have private insurance through my employer, and at this point I expect to have private insurance if and when I do get cancer.
That is exactly why health insurance companies are so eager to do wellness programs at companies whose employees they insure. It costs them a little bit in the short term, but over the long run they save money and profit more by having more healthy people on their insurance rolls.
Around here, we *still* get to see the babe of a former CEO of Capital Blue Cross, Anita Smith, doing commercials with an animated Blue Man from the Blue Cross logo, offering up simple health tips, such as reducing the weight in your kid’s backpacks and making sure they wear it by both straps. I hadn’t even realized she resigned back in September until now, as the commercials still run.
The government is expecting to pay for it through health reform. Whether or not they actually will is irrelevant.