[Cara Reynolds – SUM180 Community Manager]

Sometimes, simply being aware of the dollar figure associated with a bad habit can be enough to motivate us to change. If cigarettes are an expense you’d like to eliminate from your budget, Smokefree.gov has a quick calculator that lets you estimate how much quitting can save you over time.

In the example below, I’ve assumed a pack-a-day habit and a price per pack of $5.31 (the average price of a pack of cigarettes in the U.S.) Imagine what you could do with an extra $1,938 a year – or $25,500 over ten years!

Are you a smoker? Would the potential savings help motivate you to quit?

 

[Veronica Combs]

Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, many more health insurance plans are covering or helping to cover programs that help people quit.
You can read more here:
http://www.lung.org/stop-smoking/tobacco-control-advocacy/reports-resources/2014/helping-smokers-quit-required.pdf

Check with your insurance plan and see if you can get help to quit.