To wonder how people afford to smoke?

[paintingbutterflies]

I know addictions are just awful. But so many people seem to be struggling with money and smoke. I wonder where the money comes from. Do people just go without basic things?

Hahaha this thread is ridiculous..

Go and find a RICH person and ask if they smoke and ask if there kids do without... it's a joke!
It makes me laugh how smoking makes kids do without what about having 2 cars and a house and kids to pay for bet their kids do without more than someone who smokes.!
Get a grip!

They prioritise fags. My parents can't afford to go on holiday, or decorate the minging bathroom. My dad can afford to spend £9k a year on fags though. It's absolutely crazy.

Each to their own etc. But it's literally up in smoke!

So a questions is asked by me about smoking.

Fwiw, i was inspired if you like to post as I was behind two young care assistants in the Co Op today so I am guessing minimum wage. Both bought cigs. There was no judgement.

Someone else posted and admitted - bravely, I thought, that her children had gone without but she was addressing this now. Everyone was supportive.

Someone showed up shouting at us all for judging.

Now the thread is pointless and nasty and judgey.

I also remember watching Growing Up Poor when it was on. I had nothing but compassion for the young people. But they did smoke. And received I think just £200 a month.

OP, with all respect, the first comment on here is stating that the children of smokers go without 'basic things'.

If that isn't rude and judgemental what is it?

This thread is attacking people's parenting and saying that they're substandard in comparison to parents who do not smoke.

My father died when I was a child. He was the most influential man I have ever had in my life. He smoked, by the standards of posters on this thread that made him 'selfish', 'disgusting', 'irresponsible'. He worked damned bloody hard to give us the life he never had. He was a wonderful father.

My mother raised us singlehandedly and we turned out very well because of her strength. She used to smoke sometimes too, because it was so damn stressful and hard. By the standards of posters, the fact she smokes minimises her achievements and her mothering.

My husband has been in the police since he was 18 years old. He works more than he is home, he saves lives, he protects people, he makes a difference to people's lives. He smokes. Does that minimise his work and the man he is? The kind of father he is because he spends £15 a week on cigarettes to deal with his stress and because he enjoys it?

This thread from the off has been an attack on individuals that none of you know. So yes, you got shouted at for being judgey. Because intentionally or not, you were being judgey.

This website is a forum for people to unite and to support each other, that people have come on here and made disgusting accusations and assumptions on others' personalities and parenting is completely out of order.

This thread was always judgey, you were judging those young care assistants when they bought cigarettes and earn minimum wage.

Not all smokers spend £10 a day, as I said before when I smoked it cost about £8 a week if that.

I wasn't judging. I was wondering

Did you wonder about anyone else's shopping whilst you were there? How can the poor afford to buy chocolate for example or wine or beer or anything else non essential?

Chocolate, wine etc doesn't affect anyone else's health. Second hand smoke does.

I would also judge two care assistants who are going to work after smoking, absolutely reeking and breathing out carbon monoxide over vunerable, ill people relying on their care.

Love the way you say not judging just wondering

Fine line

Yes, or they go into debt.

Those care assistants could well be better off than many people earning double what they do. They probably don't have massive mortgages/expensive cars/fancy gym memberships/cc bills etc .They might live at home or in a cheap flat share, who knows. Wealth isn't all about income, plenty skint people on decent incomes.

"Do people just go without basic things?"

My parents always smoked. We didn't go without basic things then but there wasn't spare money for extras and it did go on cigarettes. The thing I always resented though wasn't lack of money or smell of smoke but the fact that they couldn't do anything without making sure of their cigarette supply.

When you add up the costs of 40 a day it is frightening. I think they must spend £10k a year or more on cigarettes. Which I would not object to since it's their money, but actually they afford it by being in constant debt, to the extent of nearly having their home repossessed. Then the stress of that makes them smoke more and more, so it's kind of a vicious circle.

Chocolate, wine etc doesn't affect anyone else's health.

I can assure you that my mother and ex-stepdads wine issue has caused me significant, long term mental health issues. Alcoholic parents do that.

To be fair, for all I know they could have just finished work or be buying them for later.

"Those care assistants could well be better off than many people earning double what they do. "

Doesn't seem likely on a care worker wage! Having double that income and money committed to a gym membership doesn't make you worse off than someone on minimum wage.

Or be buying them for the people they care for.

I will judge and I used to be a smoker.

One lady has 4 children and has been complaining about the cost of uniform. She's gone on and on about it since the summer holidays. She's saying it extortionate and they can't afford it etc I know for a fact she smokes 20 fags a day.

Stood behind another woman in the shop this morning and her little one wanted a magazine. She told him no she hasn't got enough money. Proceeded to buy a pack of fags and yes they were for her. I seen her light one up when she left.

I know of another who recently asked to borrow money for baby milk as she was skint. She smokes fags and never goes without them.

I personally know plenty of people who played poverty and smoke cigarettes.
I could go on and on with examples. So yes, some children DO go without so their parent/s can smoke.

A lot of people saying £10 a day. Not always the case. My friend buys tobacco 30g for £9 that lasts her a week. That's less than a weekly take away or a bottle of win or two for the weekend. So if this thread is all about the cost it really depends on how much the person smokes like my friend light smoker £9 a week where a heavy smoker could spend £20 a week on tobacco or more. I'm sure we all waste money on some things from time to time wether that be tobacco or not. For the people going into health risks etc that's not what this thread was about it was about the cost nothing else. Personally I don't smoke but each to their own. I can't say I know of or seen a child that looks scruffy and underfed because their parents smoke

Also depends if it's just one person smoking, or if dp/DH also smoke

Unless a family has lots of spare cash after everything else has been paid for them of course cuts are made elsewhere. Whether kids notice or not is another thing.

My father has always smoked and he never went without his fag money and we never missed out on the basics but we did miss out on lots of other things that we might of done as a family if he hadn't spent so much on fags.

But if you are living on just over £100 a week and paying bills and food - i just wonder how people manage it!

Shouldnt the question be why are we making people live on so little?

I used to smoke and would never judge anyone who still does. If you have a minimum wage job and not many pleasures in life it's hard to stop. I don't understand people who pay for TV Netflix etc but I wouldn't start a thread about it.

No just because cigarettes are deliberately made extortionate to deter people buying them

So no matter how much the poorest in society have, they will still be out of reach

Doesn't seem likely on a care worker wage! Having double that income and money committed to a gym membership doesn't make you worse off than someone on minimum wage.

It does if you've bought a house that stretches you, or you've bought a car/clothes/electronics/holidays on credit cards for example and a large chunk of your income is paying off debts. You can easily be left with less available cash than someone on a much lower salary. I know plenty people who fall into this bracket.