Kick The Habit and Become a Millionaire
Texans who smoke will spend over a million dollars in a lifetime on the habit.
Non-smokers are richer than they thought!
Texas ranks 26th on a Wallethub list that highlights real costs of smoking, and some of these numbers are unbelievable. If you've never wanted to kick the habit before, the idea that you could have more than a million dollars leftover might be just what you need. Holy....um, smokes.
The lifetime cost of smoking in Texas is $1.7 million, according to Wallethub. Smokers have an out-of-pocket cost of about $115,000, according to the report, not only on cigarettes but also on medical issues that pop up because of smoking. Lost financial opportunity is also factored in, and that can be over $1.2 million in a lifetime for smokers.
It's harder to smoke in Lufkin than it used to be, but people are still doing it. A local ordinance bans smoking at city or county facilities, hospitals, stores, and restaurants. There are fewer places to light up, but we still see it outside bars and office buildings, and inside cars in the parking lot right before it's time to clock into work.
Looking around East Texas it seems like smoking has become rarer than it used to be, but there are those that are still lighting up, and apparently letting the habit burn right through their wallets. If quitting smoking is a New Year's Resolution, the financial incentive might give you an extra boost.
If you're a non-smoker, doesn't all of this make you wonder where all of that extra money goes? You might be richer than you thought.