Can E-Smoking Really Save You Money?

Post Under 7 Things You Need to Know Before Buying an Electric Cigarette

At the time that I came across the e-cigarette (on the web) I had also been looking for ways to save money on smoking. One of the first states that now seems to get regularly hit the hardest with new smoking taxes is New York.

In June of 2008 I saw one of the biggest jumps when NY State raised the tax on cigarettes. What exactly was the new tax portion on a pack of cigarettes that was $8 – $9? A base tax on a pack of cigarettes was added to all NY residents of $2.75. If you were making your purchase in New York City you could tack on an additional $1.50. This means before even factoring in the actual cost of the cigarettes and the regular sales tax (yes, more tax!) $4.25 went directly to Uncle Sam if you bought a pack of cigarettes in New York City back in 2008.

What ever state you are living in at this point, most likely you are paying more than 50% just in taxes on your tobacco. By the way, since that time in NY, the tax has gone up even more.

Do you think you’ve been cleverly avoiding these taxes by ordering your cigarettes online from other countries? Well, I hate to break the news, but our favorite Uncle is now cracking down on this as well. Tobacco being imported into the country is about to see some tax added. Don’t be too surprised when it actually costs you more to get those cheap cigarettes.

E-cigarette cartridges on the other hand can run anywhere from $3-$5 and are typically the equivalent of at least a pack of cigarettes. While you pay a little more for a starter kit, if you purchase things correctly it can mean a huge savings in just a couple of months.

Here’s another point – do you own lighters? Perhaps you buy the disposables from your local convenience store, and in a hurry you'll grab the cheapest one you can find. Oh, and the worst is when you use the cheap lighter maybe 2 or 3 times and suddenly the flint becomes loose or the wheel you are supposed to spin with your thumb just “locks up” or flies off it’s track. How annoying is it to throw out a lighter that you can see is full of fuel?

E-cigarettes are battery powered, and better yet they are rechargeable batteries. Higher quality e-smoking devices provide batteries which may be re-charged as many as 300 times. The batteries themselves can last 2-3 days between needing a charge. What does this mean for you? No more buying lighters, lighter fluid, or even scouring around for matches. For the purpose of smoking you will never have to buy a lighter ever again.

How do you typically buy your cigarettes? I used to get in the car a lot of times just to go to the store and grab a couple of packs. Daily trips were made just for cigarettes.

While there is no definitive way to factor the exact amount of gas, there is no denying the price of gas seems to go up at the worst of times. Have you ever driven out and wasted gas just to go get a pack of cigarettes?

E-smokers don’t have this problem. E-cigarette cartridges are conveniently ordered on the web and delivered to your door. If you know how much you smoke on a regular basis, you can actually have this delivery automated and monthly supplies delivered without worry. Some vendors will even pay for your shipping costs if you are on a regular mailing program.

Overall, when you factor transportation, taxes, and other miscellaneous items that classic smokers use, I think you’ll recognize the financial benefits you could see from making the change over. E-cigs are much more cost effective to use.