to wonder if you smoke how can you afford it?

[Member869894]

I almost fell over today to see someone spend over a tenner for a packet of fags. I gave years ago when they were about three pound a packet. How do people afford it??

I loved smoking and probably would have sold a kidney for a pack, luckily I was on a good salary, but I think I would have prioritised near enough anything over cigarettes 😳😳😳

Everyone I know that smokes (which isn't that many now actually) prioritise it over everything else, and then moan that they can't afford other things.

I'm a relatively high earner with no dependants - DS is an adult - and our mortgage is paid off. DH contributes to our outgoings but I pay my own fag bill without it impacting on him or our outgoings in any way.

I've stopped now. But when I smoked 20 a day it came out of my income for treats I guess. If I couldn't afford £10 a day I'd have had to not buy them.

Or when I went to Spain I'd stock up on duty free.

Vape now instead.

I gave up when they hit £5/pack. And we bought a house so I couldn't afford it anymore.

People prioritise.

My better half’s hobby works out the same financially as smoking 50 a day. Some people’s hobby is smoking...

I smoke because I enjoy it and I can afford it. I'm lucky enough to not have to prioritise.

Where are you that they are less than £10? They are about £12.50 where I am (NI)

And the price is going to be keep skyrocketing. It's a dying trend so the only way the tobacco companies can turn a profit is to raise prices.

I smoke about 20 a week so that’s how I afford it. Also stock up when I’m abroad where they are half the price.

I quit a couple of years ago, but, in hindsight, credit cards paid for them.

I used champix, dh uses a vape. Still got no money

They're mostly the same people that generally moan about other people having money for holidays, car running costs, nice food shops and paying off their mortgages/buying property early.

They just prioritise ciggies instead of something actually worthwhile.

Even well off people I know who smoke tend to look at the cost now and go "no ta" and would rather spend it on something else these days.

I'd like to say outpricing them is working and forcing people to quit but really a majority wont quit, they'll just cut down on other things.

The way some of us see petrol as a non negotiable living cost, some see ciggys as that too.

Grim as fuck tbh.

I know someone who has never had a birthday party for her children - they get presents handed to them the morning of their birthday, and that's the celebrations over for the day. She sneers at me for having parties/cakes/days out - what a waste of money, they'll never remember it, it's well for some, she says.

Smokes a packet a day, pays full price too.

My mum used to prioritise cigarettes over everything else. So when I was a kid it was clothes from the market (jogging bottoms and T-shirt’s), “nicks” trainers etc.

Basically when they were 4 pounds a pack you would go round the supermarket, “no we can’t afford fruit today!” make everything come to two pounds for lunch and tea then buy two packs of cigarettes!

When I started earning, I wasn’t allowed to move out and had to pay the rent for the house. When I talked about buying a house, the look of horror on her face, then upping the rent so I couldn’t afford to move out!

But it's usually people on low incomes that smoke.

Sorry that was in response to SoyDora

I smoke very occasionally. I also afford it by working; in the same manner as I afford all my other non-essentials.

Someone in front of me today bought 20 Mayfair for £11 odds. I've not bought them in years so was shocked at how expensive they are. Maybe it puts people off starting smoking these days, I'd hate to be a smoker having to find that amount of money regularly.

I only smoke real fags if I'm out. I switched to rollies years ago.
If I'm honest I probably only work to afford my treats these days if I quit smoking / drugs /books/ Amazon prime I could pack my job in and live off my pension.

I only buy cigarettes about once a month, otherwise I vape.

I spend around £20 a month on my one packet of cigarettes and my vape supplies- coils, juice etc- and make both last.

I don't really drink, I don't drive, I don't have any hobbies that cost large amounts, this is what I chose to spend my money on.

DH smokes 10 a day or so, he affords it by it being his only "vice". Doesn't drink, car allowance from work etc so we have a fair bit of disposable income.

I'm pregnant and gave up when TTC and doubt I'll go back to it. But I only smoked because I could afford to. My habit wasn't detrimental to any other essentials.

The last time I prioritised cigarettes over food was more than 10 years ago at university.

I’ve smoked in and off since I was about 14 apart from when I’ve been pregnant or consistently with kids.
I’ve never been a heavy smoker. Before I fell pregnant at Christmas, I could buy a 30g pouch of loose tobacco for £14 and that would easily last me 3 weeks - my friends who are smokers always took the piss saying that I rolled “prison roll ups” - ie skinny and stingy
If I smoked proper cigarettes instead of roll ups there’s no way I could afford it - and they are massive compared to the size roll ups I make. One of my roll ups probably only contains the same amount of tobacco as half of a proper cigarette.

I thought the same thing yesterday when the person in front of me paid £10.50 for a pack of 20. Pack a day over £70 a week

Like another poster my parents were both heavy smokers and fags were prioritised over everything, holes in shoes letting the rain in no money for new ones, no money for decent food, never had a holiday growing up, no car, no phone, mould growing on the inside walls of my bedroom you get the picture, yet there was always money for fags.

I hate smoking with a passion now, I remember getting the smoking is bad lessons at school and coming home and begging my parents to stop thinking they were going to die.

The thought of paying for something that makes you stink and could kill you beggars belief to me.

I have a decent salary £10 isn't a significant amount of money to me.

As an aside, I hate people smoking in public. It's so selfish, an awful and disgusting habit.

It really is idiotic, paying to indulge in something that is known to cause you harm and harm those around you.