Smoking reduces your life expectancy and causes a litany of health problems. Most of us are also aware of the obvious financial ramifications of smoking. You’ve got to pay for your pack-a-day habit, after all, and the price of those cigarettes can be pretty steep when compounded over several months or years.
We all know that, but some of us choose to smoke anyway. If you’re a smoker, though, your habit is probably costing you a lot more than the price of cigarettes. If you’re reluctant to quit, consider the following costs of smoking that you may not even realize you’re paying.
Higher insurance premiums. Health and life insurance premiums are only the most obvious. Smokers are likely to pay higher rates for dental and homeowners insurance, too. In some cases, a smoker’s premiums can be up to two or even three times as much as a non-smoker’s.
Personal property maintenance and devaluation. Chronic smokers eventually get tar on their clothes, in their cars, on their furniture, and throughout their homes. Removing it usually requires professional cleaning and detailing, which can cost hundreds of dollars. Smokers who later try to sell their personal property often find that its market price is significantly lower as a result of the additional wear.
Stunted career advancement. Yellow teeth, bad breath, and smelly clothes detract from your personal appearance and take time and money to correct, if you choose to correct them at all. In addition, those smoking breaks cost you productivity, impairing your job performance. Smoking can easily cause you to miss out on new jobs, promotions, and raises. That’s why smokers, on the average, earn less than non-smokers. In some states, you can even be fired for smoking.
To summarize, smokers pay more, sell lower, and earn less than non-smokers. In the end, smoking is a simple life choice that can have devastating consequences on your finances. The reality: It’s not just the $4 you pay for the pack. It’s the personal costs you pay by damaging your health and the world around you, and it’s much more expensive than you may believe.
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