Smoking cigarettes – Watching your money go up in smoke!

Teri Ann Renee Paisley, Gleaner Online Writer

As a concerned consumer there is one product that really grabs my attention and that is the cigarette.

I have never bought a cigarette, but that does not mean I have never smoked. That’s because even though someone else has chosen to smoke a cigarette, if I am in their vicinity when they light it then it is a certainty that I will be affected by secondhand smoke.

I am all for freedom of choice and all that but at times I wonder if enough is being done to protect those of us who choose not to smoke. Since cigarettes are relatively inexpensive they are consumed by a wide cross section of Jamaican society, regardless of their economic background.

All over the world, persons are well aware of the health risks of smoking tobacco and May 31, 2013, is celebrated as ‘No Tobacco Day.’

The name given to the day resonated with me because recently there have been pronouncements that there will be a ban on smoking in public places in Jamaica.
I completely agreed with the Health Minister’s comments as he explained “My position is not personal. It is a part of the mandate given to me to protect the health and well-being of the people of Jamaica.”

Click here for full article http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20130601/lead/lead53.html

The health risk is something to be considered but the other point consumers must give attention to is how the cost of cigarettes has affected their lives.
As the economic situation forces consumers to cut back on unnecessary purchases those who smoke must consider how much they spend on buying cigarettes to fill their habit. One smoker I spoke to confessed that he smokes up to two packs of cigarettes a week and sometimes that figure climbs as high as three packs.

One pack of 20 cigarettes costs between $700 – $650. For one month he would have spent approximately $5,600 buying cigarettes! That figure is quite large when you consider how many things he could have bought for that sum! Even those who smoke less are still affected as the cost is cumulative.

There have been recent increases in the tobacco sector but consumers still continue to buy cigarettes.

Are you a smoker? Well that’s your choice.

Remember though to keep track of how much you are spending on cigarettes!!

Tags: choice, consumer, health, save, shopping, smoking