the idea here isn't necessarily to promote a "bad habit" but to share some information that could turn one into a "cheaper bad habit".yes, i smoke (parliament lights) and have been for longer than i can remember. i know it's "bad" for me and i also know about several hundred other things we do that's bad for us as well; like pay taxes, going to war, not using a broom, working all our lives or men! anyway, the cost of this habit of ours is expensive and doesn't seem to ever get cheaper. sure some of the big guys like phillip morris offer "deals" from time to time like buy one get one free. other company's are now also producing "cheaper" cigarettes like bronco's or usa gold. the cheaper price per pack versions have a cheaper grade of tobacco in it, therefore the price is less and the taste is almost foul by comparison. so we all decide whats best in price and or in taste.
one thing we seem to forget is that there are other options beyond pumping millions of dollars into the wells of these far too rich big tobacco companies. yes the options are slim by comparison and require a little extra time and patience but in the end the out of pocket expense is drastically less. i am of course talking about rolling your own cigarettes.
here are some things to consider... lets say you smoke one pack a day (brand name) , average price per pack $4.50 (20 cigarettes). that will then run you $31.50 a week, $126.00 a month and $1512.00 a year. all this by choosing a name brand and or a premium blend.
here's an alternative , rolling your own. a small bag of rolling tobacco averages about $1.30 for a descent blend / brand. yes there are other a little cheaper and a few more expensive. that one pouch of rolling tobacco will yield about 30 cigarettes. the empty cigarette tubes average about $1.25 for a box 200 (varieties like full flavor, lite and ultra lite). again they to vary depending on the brand name and quality. last but most important is the rolling mechanism. there are a variety of "hand held" models (mostly plastic) $5-$8 or the automatic hand crank models (mostly metal) $20-$50. there are electric models made but they are far too expensive in my opinion.
drum roll please... the over cost of rolling your looks sorta like this, smoking one pack per day. it's about $1.00 a day, $7.00 a week, $28.00 a month and $336.00 a year. a savings of about $1176.00 a year!
a few things i've learned since i started rolling my own: the hand held models are pretty good and take a little time in getting used to; technique. the higher priced crank models are the easiest to use and produce far more in less time but agian they cost more. i purchased the zig zag hand rioller to start and found it didn't fill the hollow tube too tightly so i went looking for another model. i found the bugler brand hand roller to be the best over all for $7.00. as for the tubes it's anyones call on choice. i tried a few different companies (zig zag, tops, premier) and in the end decided on the gizeh (imported) to be the best especially because they are the only manufacturer who offers a charbon added filter inside the main filter. the tobacco choice is a tough call; everyone has specific tastes they look for. the choices are a plenty, featuring turkish or american blends along with a few other mixs of sorts. so far for me the bugler mellow gold and the bali shag light are my personal favorites. with the cost of the pouch tobacco being so cheap, it's easy to try a few different brands without spending a lot of money.
make sure you competitive shop for brands and prices, there are differences out there both on line and locally. one of the largest on line stores is roll your own
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