Cost of Living Crisis? Switch To Vaping

Experts are saying there’s never been a better time to switch from smoking to vaping and save £££ thousands to help combat the current cost of living crisis.

The experts running the current Stoptober campaign have highlighted how switching from smoking tobacco products to vaping can help you save thousands of pounds. Coming at a time when family budgets are being placed under severe pressure during the cost of living crisis, maybe it is time to swap cigarettes for UK e-liquids and vaping products.

The latest figures from the charity Action on Smoking and Health lay bare the cost of smoking to society and individuals. The organisation says that tobacco use currently costs England £17.04 billion.

Action on Smoking and Health says that there are currently 6,144,703 smokers in England, representing 13.88% of the population. They collectively spend £11.95 billion on tobacco products – with the average smoker spending £1,945 every year. Would £1,945 make a difference to your life?

Where do these figures come from?

The largest cost comes from smoking-related lost earnings, unemployment and early death. Action on Smoking and Health estimates the combined figure at £13.7 billion.

Then, hospital admissions and primary care expenditures are believed to cost the NHS £2.4 billion. Formal and informal social care for those with tobacco-related diseases costs £1.19 billion – a figure that soars to £14.7 billion if the state provided all the care currently delivered by family members and friends.

Finally, almost £283 million is spent each year by fire services attending smoking-related fires.

Is that it?

No. There is also the environmental cost of almost 48 million cigarette butts being discarded each day. The charity says smoking leads to the production of 2972 tonnes of waste each year – of which 1248 tonnes is street litter.

I want savings of £1,945!

Counsellor Dr Andy Virr, the portfolio holder for adults and public health and Emergency Department consultant at the Royal Cornwall Hospital, said: “I can’t stress enough how important it is for all the smokers out there to quit. We know the best way to do this is with specialist support and medication, or e-cigarettes if you are over 18. GPs and pharmacists can also give advice and tips to help smokers quit.”

Can vaping UK-made E-Liquids save me money?

E-cigarette starter kits can be purchased for around £20.

Once you have purchased your kit, you will spend around £5-10 a month on coils or pods. This means an annual cost of £60-120 a year.

The only other thing you have to buy is e-liquid to put in your tank. If you are vaping a mouth-to-lung juice with 18mg of nicotine (typical for someone switching from smoking), a deal of three bottles for £10 ought to easily last you for a month. So, this would cost £120 over the course of the year.

In total: vaping would cost you around £260.

So, how much could I save by switching from smoking to vaping?

The average cost of smoking = £1,945

Cost of vaping = £260

Your possible saving = £1,685

That figure would really help out in households up and down the country. Plus, if you are currently a heavy smoker then the saving will be even greater!

How can I find out more about the cost of smoking?

Action on Smoking and Health’s Ready Reckoner allows you to see how much smoking costs in the area you live in: https://ash.org.uk/resources/view/ash-ready-reckoner