Did you know the average pack of cigarettes will now set you back a cool £14.47? That works out to £57.88 monthly, and an eye-watering £694.56 a year – if you just have a 1 pack-a-week habit, that is. Are your pockets hurting yet?
If the saving on monetary costs isn’t enough to convince you to quit for good, perhaps the health costs of potentially developing lung cancer and other tobacco-related illnesses like heart disease is.
With today marking World No Tobacco Day, what better day to present you with a list of 31 items you can splash your hard-earned cash on instead of cigarettes.
- Pinch of Nom Great-tasting Food Cookbook – £9.99. With your sense of taste and smell returning just days after you quit, you’ll be needing to test out your new tastebuds with some tasty recipes.
- A meal out at your favourite restaurant – £53. We did say you’d be needing to test out your new tastebuds! On average, Brits spend up to £53 when dining out – this may seem like a splurge, so why not save it until you hit a Smokefree milestone?
- Wasgij Mystery Retro 1000 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle £14 – Keep your hands occupied when those cravings strike with this 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle – set to keep you
- busy for hours on end!
- Everyone Active Adult Gym Membership – £29.99 per month. Replace one habit with a far healthier one! Get a strong body to match your strong willpower and mind.
- Everyone Active Swimming Membership – £24.99 per month. Prefer water to the gym? Everyone Active have you covered to swim away the cravings and stresses of life, all whilst helping you to get fit at the same time.
- Nike Legend Essential 2 Training Shoes – £59.95. If you’re starting the gym, you’re going to need some new footwear to see you through those HIIT classes or getting stronger on the machines.
- Reebok 4mm Thickness Exercise Yoga Mat – £15. Prefer an at-home workout? Invest in a quality exercise mat to help you maintain stability and posture through every workout.
- Sony ZX310 On-Ear Headphones – £18. Every gym session requires a pair of headphones to get you through sets!
- Spotify Premium – £9.99 per month. Because how else are you supposed to blast your tunes?
- M&S All-in-One Manicure Kit – £7.50. To help remove those nicotine stains from your fingernails.
- A small food shop consisting of porridge oats, cornflakes, potatoes, spaghetti, tuna, 300g chicken breast fillets, 90g smoked salmon, 6 eggs, carrots, 800g wholemeal loaf of bread, cauliflower florets, 6 apples, 2 kiwis – £14.48. That’s breakfast, lunch, dinner AND snacks sorted!
- Christmas – £753 (Average British household spend according to Compare Cheap Home Insurance Quotes | GoCompare). Christmas may be the most wonderful time of the year, but it’s also undeniably, the most expensive. The money saved from quitting smoking could go towards the best Christmas yet – the turkey’s on you this year!
- Cinema ticket – £8.16. The average cinema ticket costs just over £8 now – with your saved pennies from quitting smoking, you’ll be able to afford a Tango iceblast and pick and mix too!
- Samsung 43” Smart 4k Ultra HD TV – £349. You can create your own cinema experience at home for the cost of your smoking habit.
- A5 Notebook – £3.00. To write a progress and motivation list in to keep those motivations for quitting in mind.
- 10-night Holiday Abroad – £947 pp (according to Home – Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk)). This figure includes flights, accommodation, food, drinks and entertainment – need we say any more?
- A new wardrobe – £526.50 per year (Family spending in the UK – Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk)). Yep, you can get a whole new wardrobe for the price of your cigarette habit! And what’s even better, is your new clothes will no longer have the smell of cigarette smoke lingering on them.
- Netflix Standard Membership – £10.00. What better distraction than a whole load of cheesy shows and movies on Netflix to keep you from picking up the cigarette?
- Garnier Moisture Bomb Hydrating Face Sheet Mask – Boost your now-radiant complexion from stopping smoking even more with a revitalising sheet mask.
- Light Blockout Sleep Mask – £3.00. Sleep disturbances are a common side effect of nicotine withdrawal – this blockout sleep mask is sure to help you get a good night’s kip.
- Peppermint Tea – £2.25. A sleep-friendly tea to help you unwind and rest.
- Set of 4 Blue Mugs – £5. Well, you’re going to need something to hold your tea, of course.
- Apple Watch SE 40mm – £259. Yep, that’s right! Your smoking habit can buy you the latest gadgets and gizmos.
- 10-Pack Black Ankle Socks – £5. Because we know all your old pairs are missing!
- 5x 6-pack Extra Spearmint Chewing Gum – £13.75. Chewing gum is a great way to keep your mouth occupied whilst fighting those cravings, plus minty breath is a bonus!
- Changing Your Mindset for Good by Jay Fenix book – £8.49. Keep that determination going with a good self-development book – perhaps you could start a club?
- Tower T17061 4L Airfryer – £56. Hop on the latest bandwagon and join the airfryer club – a healthier alternative to frying food. Plus, you can make lots of new recipes from your recipe book in it!
- Calvin Klein ‘All’ Eau de Toilette 100ML – £37. Spray away the smell of smoke with this latest scent.
- Smash Water Tracker Bottle 1L – £7.50. Are you getting the recommended 2L of water a day? Another fabulous way to keep your mouth busy and cravings at bay – just make sure you have a toilet within a 2-mile radius wherever you are!
- ASDA Mega Chocolate Celebration Cake – £8. Because you deserve a slice (or 2!) after hitting a no-smoking milestone. And you especially deserve a slice if you’ve come this far and read this entire list!
If you’re ready to start saving and stop smoking, we can help. We provide a Stop Smoking Support service for 12 weeks and offer Nicotine Replacement Therapy where required. Oh, and did we mention it’s completely FREE, so you won’t be needing to dip into any of your savings!
To find out more and sign-up, give us a call on 0333 005 0095 or text QUIT to 60777.