November 13, 2008 - In these difficult economic times especially with the holidays approaching you can save money for your family and protect your health by quitting smoking.
Using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Campaign for Tobacco-free Kids, Forbes.com compiled the U.S. state taxes on a pack of cigarettes and the average price of a pack in each state. They then used the per-capita (for each person) packs bought in 2007, as calculated by the CDC, to approximate how much the average smoker spends per year on cigarettes.
Smokers in Delaware stand to save the most cash by quitting. That's because in Delaware, where a pack of cigarettes costs about $5.39, residents smoke more than in any other state--just over 185 packs per year. That comes out to $998.23 spent individually on smoking every year. On the other hand, so few cigarettes are smoked in Utah that the average resident would save less by stopping smoking than a smoker in any other state. For the 33 average packs they smoke a year, Utahns spend $150.85 annually.
Smokers in most states stand to save between $200 and $500. They include those in Florida ($276.04); Alaska ($441.72); Maine ($439.92); Mississippi ($321.46); and Illinois ($298.66). Those savings don't include the myriad other costs nonsmokers are spared: steep dry-cleaning bills, big health care costs and higher life insurance premiums among them.
Reference: What You'll Save By Quitting Smoking A state-by-state look at the dollars kept by kicking the habit by Francesca Levy, Forbes.com, 11/12/2008.
Related news briefs: Smokers' Homes More Likely to House Hungry Kids..; Cash-constrained households prefer cell phone use over tobacco consumption.. and Rising Prices Causing People to Re-think Their Lifestyle - This Just Might Be the Time to Eliminate Tobacco From Your Life..
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