So this morning, I stopped in a gas station to purchase a few necessities (pack of gum and a cranberry juice. What did you think I meant? For shame!) and proceeded to wait my turn in line. In front of me was a woman who "ordered" - well, she did - they were behind the counter - "ordered" a pack of cigarettes. A very girlie pack of cigarettes - you know the long skinny ones ultra mentholated blah blah blah. Anyway, the very customer-service oriented salesclerk produced the requested long skinny pack of smokes, scanned them and gave her the total - $5.82. $5.82?! I'm looking around her - discreetly of course - trying to determine what other items she slipped on the counter while I wasn't looking (smile). Surely, there had to be a couple of candy bars, chips, drinks or how about even a lighter? Nothing! All she was buying was one very long skinny pastel box of cigarettes.
Well, my personal stance on the perils of smoking aside, I have to ask this question - HOW CAN ANYONE STILL AFFORD TO SMOKE!! I was anxiously awaiting the look of astonished horror at the stated total - a not so quietly uttered gasp of disbelief - but what did I get for all my waiting? Nothing...she simply produced her debit card, swiped, got her receipt her gaily packaged smokes and bounced!
So I was thinking - she must be walking because there's no way she can spend the equivalent of 2 gallons of gas on smoking, right? Wrong. She pulled away from the building in her car, burning $2.65/gallon of gas and a lighting a very expensive cigarette. Amazing!
With the economy in it's current state of flux, with budget guru's who have spun 180 degrees on their advice of aggressive debt repayment - how are people still willing to pay $5.82 per pack for cigarettes - forget willing, tell me how they are able? If the woman from the store - just for argument's sake - smokes a pack day - at $5.82/per pack that = $174.60 a month (30 days). That's $2095.20 a year! All of that money - up in smoke (yes, pun intended). If you put that savings of $175/month into a money market fund earning 2% interest that would equal, well you do the math - no really, do the math and let me know the answer!
Well, my personal stance on the perils of smoking aside, I have to ask this question - HOW CAN ANYONE STILL AFFORD TO SMOKE!! I was anxiously awaiting the look of astonished horror at the stated total - a not so quietly uttered gasp of disbelief - but what did I get for all my waiting? Nothing...she simply produced her debit card, swiped, got her receipt her gaily packaged smokes and bounced!
So I was thinking - she must be walking because there's no way she can spend the equivalent of 2 gallons of gas on smoking, right? Wrong. She pulled away from the building in her car, burning $2.65/gallon of gas and a lighting a very expensive cigarette. Amazing!
With the economy in it's current state of flux, with budget guru's who have spun 180 degrees on their advice of aggressive debt repayment - how are people still willing to pay $5.82 per pack for cigarettes - forget willing, tell me how they are able? If the woman from the store - just for argument's sake - smokes a pack day - at $5.82/per pack that = $174.60 a month (30 days). That's $2095.20 a year! All of that money - up in smoke (yes, pun intended). If you put that savings of $175/month into a money market fund earning 2% interest that would equal, well you do the math - no really, do the math and let me know the answer!
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