Tonight, once this cigarette pack is empty (15 more cigs to go), I’m going to stop smoking. Actually, my household is going to stop smoking, which is an important point. I smoke a lot. A whole lot. Average days are 3 packs a day, but stressful days can be 5-packers. And I’ve been smoking for 30 years. The thing is, I also know that I have the ability to quit. I’m a “cold turkey” kind of gal. Just stop. End of story. But I’ve discovered that if there are other smokers in the house, and hence, cigarettes, that eventually something will cause me to pick one up. So, for the first time, the house will be cigarette-free.

To be honest, I’m not doing this for health reasons, though certainly that’s a good reason. No, I’m doing it because it just costs too darn much to smoke anymore. Approximately $700/month is being spent on cigarettes. That’s more than my mortgage payment. And, of course, that’s just downright ridiculous. I’ve stated many times that I’m a cheapskate, and yet, here I am, month after month, spending that much money on cigarettes. What a loon I am.

I’ll let you know how it goes. Wish us luck!

Note: This post was several years ago, and you’ll be happy to know that I successfully stopped back then. But I was the only one. Now, however, thanks to smokeless cigarettes, or e-cigs as they are also called, the rest of the household is joining me … finally. I wish I’d had the opportunity to use electronic cigs back then, but in any case, I’m glad they exist now, because it makes the process so much easier.