People who smoke can spend thousands of dollars a year on cigarettes and increased health-care costs. The prospect of saving a large amount of money each year can be a powerful motivator when it comes to quitting. Kick the habit and you'll have extra discretionary income to spend on things that enhance your life, rather than shorten it.
Cost of Cigarettes
As of 2010, the average price of a pack of cigarettes was $4.80, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Prices, however, vary widely from state to state, with cigarettes in New York City costing approximately $11 per pack. Over a period of a month, a smoker with a pack-a-day habit might spend $144. If you live in a state with higher cigarette prices, however, you could spend as much as $330 every month --- as much as a car payment. Quit smoking, and you could save thousands of dollars every year just by not buying cigarettes.
Insurance Costs
Health insurance is more expensive for smokers than for nonsmokers. Smokers can pay double the insurance premiums of nonsmokers, according to the MSN Money website. Even if you get insurance through your employer, you might not be off the hook, because 5 percent of companies charge smokers more for health insurance benefits. For an individual policy, you will likely pay about $50 in additional premiums per month, or $500 each year.
Health-Care Costs
Even if you have insurance, your health-care costs as a smoker are likely to be higher than those of a nonsmoker. Smokers have higher rates of many types of cancer, including bladder cancer, lung cancer and throat cancer. You're also more likely to suffer from cataracts, pneumonia and, if you're a man, possibly even erectile dysfunction, the Associated Press reports. A diagnosis of cancer can result in hospital bills well into the thousands of dollars; quitting smoking can help save you these potentially catastrophic expenses, and perhaps even your life.
Incidentals
Chances are, you spend extra money on everyday items without considering that they may be linked to smoking. If you chew gum to get rid of smoker's breath, that's an extra dollar or so a week. It might not seem like much, but over a year's time, it adds up to more than $50, or the cost of a decent dinner out. Smoking stains your teeth, and if you like your pearly whites to actually be white, you will need to pay to have them whitened. Smoking can cause you to have to dry-clean your clothes more often as well. Calculate your individual costs to see how much additional money you can save if you quit.
