They used to be pretty cheap, cigarettes, and that made the habit easier to justify. But that is not so any more. In North America you pay upwards on three dollars for one pack. Single cigarettes at the bar can cost 50 cents. In Western Europe the costs are almost the same; the same goes for South America, South East Asia, and the Far East. So unless you plan on finding a spot not on that list and are going to relocate for the sole reason that you would like to continue to support your habit, then you must start to do the math. You must also accept the idea that with each passing day you will pony up more and more money for cigarettes.

Ok, with that said, let us start to tally up the cost. Let's say you are a very light smoker, one pack a week. That's three dollars times four, or 12 dollars a month, which is 144 dollars a year. That is one fancy dinner, an iPod (almost), a new pair of shoes (or two). Two packs a week is a winter heating bill (or two), the household cell bills. Or the deposit for that dream holiday you've been promising yourself for all those years.

One pack a day is this: $90.00 a month. (It helps to stare at these numbers some.) That is 1095 dollars a year. Listen, we are talking about private school tuition fees now, and several small vacations (or maybe the vacation of a lifetime), a room renovation or better yet, a personal renovation.

So if you are reading this at all, then you must be considering a personal renovation, right? Start by putting the money you spend on tobacco into your pocket. Maybe put it into a jar and watch it mount up over the days, months, even years. Spend it, treat yourself, treat your family, treat your kids, whatever you do with it, the fact is that it will be there. If you sit down right now and see what you might use that money for, then you are already entering phase one of your personal make-over.

One not so fun thing to mention in the category of money is this: You will, the longer you smoke, start to spend additional dollars. You will spend it on your deteriorating health and the deteriorating health of your family. That is a given. That pack, or two or three will cause health problems, and those health problems are not small potatoes. They are life threatening. Do yourself and your family a favor now and start planning that luxury holiday; after all you will really deserve it.