Waste money on Tobacco??

[JaKaacH]

Ten Things Americans Waste the Most Money On.

NUMBER 9 = Tobacco

> Annual Amount Spent Per Household: $380
> % of Total Annual Expenses: 0.8%

The average household spends more than $380 each year on tobacco products and smoking supplies, which includes cigarettes, cigars, pipes, and chewing tobacco. It is worth remembering that this average includes households where no one pays for tobacco products. Despite this fact, tobacco’s portion of the average household’s budget, 0.8%, is larger than what Americans spend on fresh fruit and milk combined. A person who smokes a pack of cigarettes a day in New York state will spend more than $4,000 a year, which is roughly 10% of the average American income before taxes.

#8 Entertainment..Hunting, Fishing, Sporting Equip. etc etc...
#7 Alcohol
#4 Pets....

Looks like a lot of the slopes we are on, some consider a waste...??:sh
Read more: Ten Things Americans Waste the Most Money On - 24/7 Wall St. http://247wallst.com/2011/02/24/ten-things-americans-waste-the-most-money-on/#ixzz1FEDoXEhb

[Bill86]

:r $380 a year....oh that's funny. :r

[emopunker2004]

:r $380 a year....oh that's funny. :r

yeh it is. seems like people around here make up pretty good for the non smokers

[Bill86]

yeh it is. seems like people around here make up pretty good for the non smokers

Just trying to do our parts :tu. It's not like nonsmokers don't blow their money too, they just don't catch sh!t for it. Number 7 alcohol you say :al :dr Reminds me I'm thirsty.

[emopunker2004]

Just trying to do our parts :tu. It's not like nonsmokers don't blow their money too, they just don't catch sh!t for it. Number 7 alcohol you say :al :dr Reminds me I'm thirsty.

hey how come picking up prostitues isn't on there? :r

[CigarNut]

I can't image that $380 us correct -- most of the smokers I know seem to pay around $5 per pack. That's around 1.5 packs a week -- seems low for most smokers...

[emopunker2004]

I can't image that $380 us correct -- most of the smokers I know seem to pay around $5 per pack. That's around 1.5 packs a week -- seems low for most smokers...

yeh but thats the AVERAGE amongst americans. Not everyone smokes. so assuming only 1/4 of the population smokes thats 6 packs a week for the smokers. ;s

[Cornrow_Wallis]

That article is crap. Whats the point of making money if you can't spend it?

[JaKaacH]

I can't image that $380 us correct -- most of the smokers I know seem to pay around $5 per pack. That's around 1.5 packs a week -- seems low for most smokers...

Thats average per household. I'm pretty sure the 3 houses across the street from me (south) are tobacco free. The 2 east, the 3 north, and the one west of me I think are tobacco free too. Counting my house thats ten..I'm the only tobacco "user".

[akumushi]

That whole article is kind of meaningless and asinine. What constitutes waste? While I agree with their point that most Americans are overleveraged, and that spending money you don't have on luxuries is terribly irresponsible, i think that if you have good income and enough savings and property to be reasonably secure in your future, then there is absolutely nothing wasteful about spending some of your liquid assets and enjoying your money. That article presupposes that money is a useful and desireable thing in and of itself. Wrong. IMO, If you plan well, you should die having lived life to the fullest and left your family self sufficient and comfortable. Dying a billionaire doesn't mean anything if you had to starve yourself of all of life's little pleasures to get there. Once you've taken care of the basic necessities, provided for your family, prepared for the future and left a cushion for unexpected emergencies, spending your money on experiences or the finer things in life is the best possible use for it. The only problem is that a lot of people seem to have forgotten about the first part of that statement.

[Starz26]

They point out that the average is across all households, but fail to point out that the % of household income is an average as well. So the $380 is not really correct then neither is the % of household income as the same factors apply.

Bunch of meaningless crap that we probably paid to have studied...

[thecatch83]

I've spent $380.00 this month alone..........smoking cigarettes is a waste, this much I will concede. But smoking a fine cigar is one of those little things that makes life tolerable. I could think of numerous things that would be a waste of money....gambling, drugs, too much booze, $7.00 starbucks ventis every day!

[Remo]

So between my use of chewing tobacco, alcohol, fishing/hunting and cigars I pretty much have that list covered. I wish I only spent $380 a year on tobacco.

[boom]

They must have left us outta that survey:r:r:r

[TheStatsGuy]

I covered almost 24 "american households" just with what I spent last year. :sh

You can't take it with you when you go! I've never seen a brinks truck following a hearse. -(P

[swh127]

:r $380 a year....oh that's funny. :r

a year.....month maybe :r:r:r

[guitar4001]

oh...to have a vice!

[Subvet642]

Yup, there's nothing like a bunch of paid busy-bodies rendering value judgments on how other people live their lives. :fu2

[Nathan King]

Is it really money wasted if I enjoy myself and can afford to indulge?

[Volusianator]

It is worth remembering that this average includes households where no one pays for tobacco products.
Wouldn't you like to tell the person who originally wrote this article..."hey dumbass, that's what an average is"!

[timj219]

I personally regard the money I spent on cigarettes when I smoked them as wasted. But my cigar budget is money well spent. The only money I spend now that I consider wasted is the cable tv bill and various crap like drapes and pillow shams and matching dishes. But my wife likes that stuff so I don't complain.

[jimdandy]

So the article must be assuming waste to be anything non-essential to life. Therefore the person who typed that crap is, by his own "definition", a waste. (and it's starting to stink so someone take out the garbage)

[BC-Axeman]

The only way to waste money is to destroy it. If you get perceived value in exchange for it, it has not been wasted.

[Skywalker]

The only way to waste money is to destroy it. If you get perceived value in exchange for it, it has not been wasted.

:tu

[Krish the Fish]

I spent two households' worth this month... I'm sure Habanos is pleased.

:r

[omowasu]

Yup, there's nothing like a bunch of paid busy-bodies rendering value judgments on how other people live their lives. :fu2
THANK YOU! Who cares what people are spending their money on, and how others feel they "waste" it? I read this article as well, and I thought it was awful. Spending money - especially leisure money - is what keeps this economy going.

I also like how they titled the article "Ten Things Americans...", as though all Americans can be lumped under one banner of wasteful spending. That one wasnt worth the hard drive space it was stored on...

[klipsch]

If I smoke one stick a day I'm already at $3650 a year. Stocking my humi's while smoking one stick a day...blows all predictable averages completely out of sky

[OLS]

It is worth remembering that this average includes households where no one pays for tobacco products.
I thought it was hard to steal cigarettes? Apparently not in America. :usa

[OLS]

Yup, there's nothing like a bunch of paid busy-bodies rendering value judgments on how other people live their lives. :fu2

If you remove the word PAID from this sentence, you have what's generally wrong with America today.
ESPECIALLY in the Bible Belt.:sl

[JaKaacH]

If you remove the word PAID from this sentence, you have what's generally wrong with America today.
ESPECIALLY in the Bible Belt.:sl

Thanks..

[BC-Axeman]

If you remove the word PAID from this sentence, you have what's generally wrong with America today.
ESPECIALLY in the Bible Belt.:sl
If you replace the word "America" with "the world" and "the Bible Belt" with "they who should not be named" this statement becomes more powerful.

[kaisersozei]

That whole article is kind of meaningless and asinine. What constitutes waste? While I agree with their point that most Americans are overleveraged, and that spending money you don't have on luxuries is terribly irresponsible, i think that if you have good income and enough savings and property to be reasonably secure in your future, then there is absolutely nothing wasteful about spending some of your liquid assets and enjoying your money. That article presupposes that money is a useful and desireable thing in and of itself. Wrong. IMO, If you plan well, you should die having lived life to the fullest and left your family self sufficient and comfortable. Dying a billionaire doesn't mean anything if you had to starve yourself of all of life's little pleasures to get there. Once you've taken care of the basic necessities, provided for your family, prepared for the future and left a cushion for unexpected emergencies, spending your money on experiences or the finer things in life is the best possible use for it. The only problem is that a lot of people seem to have forgotten about the first part of that statement.

+1 :tu

[jimdandy]

If you remove the word PAID from this sentence, you have what's generally wrong with America today.
ESPECIALLY in the Bible Belt.:sl

So... are you saying that it is people in the Bible Belt who frequently involve themselves in the business of others??? :confused:

[OLS]

So... are you saying that it is people in the Bible Belt who frequently involve themselves in the business of others??? :confused:

Without breaking forum rules, I can only say that I have met a lot of people here in this area
who do not see the log in their own eye for trying to help me get the speck out of my own.
I think that a lot of times, people forget that in America, hundreds of thousands have
died for the right of everyone to do their own thing. But once or twice a week, they get
reminded that it's their duty to help me realize the error in my ways. It gets old FAST.
I CHOOSE to do things my way. It is not intended to be an insult to their way.

At the risk of being hypocritical, YES, I do tend to exhibit similar behaviors on this forum.
But this is not America, this is CA, lol. The rules are slightly different, lol

[Volusianator]

The only money I spend now that I consider wasted is the cable tv
Easy...I work for Time Warner Cable. :banger

[shilala]

I used to always say "I spend my money on women, drugs and booze. The rest I just piss away."
I guess it just depends on what you consider a waste.

[shilala]

The only way to waste money is to destroy it. If you get perceived value in exchange for it, it has not been wasted.
I can argue that.
Go to Harbor Freight tools and buy a come-a-long.
Oops, I mis-read your statement. I didn't get a perceived value, ergo, wasted. Although I perceived a value when I bought it.
Now I'm all confused with English. I'm gonna go read a thread that's not over my head. :D

[BC-Axeman]

I can argue that.
Go to Harbor Freight tools and buy a come-a-long.
Oops, I mis-read your statement. I didn't get a perceived value, ergo, wasted. Although I perceived a value when I bought it.
Now I'm all confused with English. I'm gonna go read a thread that's not over my head. :D
Besides, if you used the come-a-long once to get out of a mud hole it was worth it.

[shilala]

Besides, if you used the come-a-long once to get out of a mud hole it was worth it.
What if you got half way out, smashed your fingers, swore a lot, broke the come-a-long, and threw it in said mudhole?
Better to stay stuck, walk home, and call your buddy to pull you out, right?

[BC-Axeman]

What if you got half way out, smashed your fingers, swore a lot, broke the come-a-long, and threw it in said mudhole?
Better to stay stuck, walk home, and call your buddy to pull you out, right?
But then you can take the come-a-long back and trade it in for a 74 piece socket set and a box of bandages. Life is good!

[shilala]

But then you can take the come-a-long back and trade it in for a 74 piece socket set and a box of bandages. Life is good!
They have the kind that break and cause you to smash your knuckles, so it's a good thing we thought of band-aids!!! :tu

[timj219]

Easy...I work for Time Warner Cable. :bangerI couldn't live without your internet service :) It's the television I don't usually have any use for.